Valentines Day month is always a reminder to me that loving ourselves and knowing what that actually means is such an important step towards being able to love others.
For starters, do we truly know how to love our bodies? For instance, how do you eat your meals? Or do you even eat when your body needs nourishment? Are you rushing, having a phone conversation and generally attempting to multi-task as you feed yourself? Is this really conducive to absorbing the most nutrition and energy from food? If our minds are not calm and peaceful when we eat then how can our organs be calm and peaceful to absorb life force and goodness from the food?
When we feel discomfort or pain in our body, it means our body is complaining to us, asking us to make some kind of change. And it is certainly not loving us back. Love is a two way street. Our body is complaining to us and if we don't respond with love, then where does that leave us?
Perhaps some of us can care for our bodies in the right way, however, we also need to love our hearts. My dear respected teacher Master Ou Wen Wei told us once that losing our temper one time could reduce our life by one month..ONE MONTH!!! Why? Because a state of anger and frustration depletes our positive energy reserves and then we have less to keep our bodily organ functions running smoothly, which ultimately leads to aging much faster and feeling weak and unhealthy in general. This is true for many negative emotions but anger might be the worst. So next time you feel provoked and that fiery surge rises, think twice, and ask yourself, "is this really worth it?" Take a breath, or two, bite your tongue and make the choice to love yourself instead. Your body and heart will thank you!
Namaste,
Anisha