How to Love Yourself – Exercise & Videos

Time needed: 5 minutes

Steps on How to Love Yourself

1. Rest easily and close the eyes.

   This exercise works best when you can sit or lie down resting easily. Also, best results will occur when you are in a place without distractions.

2. Find the most comfortable space in your heart

   When we close our eyes, naturally our awareness also settles down. With eyes closed, find the space in your heart where you feel the most intimately familiar with yourself. (I call this the Inner Sanctum of the Self.)

3. Imagine giving yourself an embrace

   Now, imagine giving yourself a big, unconditionally accepting hug. Feel your self to be both the lover and the beloved, both the giver and the receiver of this hug.
   
   If you wish, you can direct awareness to specific times of trauma, abandonment, grief or loss. Or you can simply bring your whole lifetime into the embrace.
   
   Note: Physically hugging yourself is not necessary.

4. Notice your feelings

   Notice how wonderful this makes you feel. As the heart warms up, the emotions of love and acceptance awaken. This results in the production of life nourishing neurochemicals. Any hug lasting more than 15 seconds will create this. And this self-hug exercise is no exception.

5. Continue this exercise for a few minutes

   Practice this exercise for as long as is comfortable and time allows.
   
   A good time to practice is at night while falling asleep. The mind is more settled then. And distractions are at a minimum. The healing tends to extend to sleep and dream states, where it is appreciated differently than in waking state. At that time, awareness rests in the gap between the three primary states of consciousness, (waking, dreaming, and sleeping.) This ‘gap awareness’ enhances the power of the healing tremendously.
   
   If you are practicing prior to sleep, enjoy sleeping in the warmth of your own precious love. (And skip step number 6!)

6. When you have enjoyed the exercise as much as you wish, open your eyes

   When you have done this for as long as is comfortable, open the eyes. You will notice that the warm, sweet feelings continue even after the exercise is complete.

7. Repeat the exercise as often as desired

   This exercise need not take more than a few seconds. However, every time you do it the effects will last longer. And it will make you feel better.
   
   Ultimately, you’ll find you don’t have to even do the exercise in order to feel a deep undercurrent of self-acceptance love all the time.
   
   May you be blessed, may you always feel safe with yourself, and may you see the beauty in yourself as well as in others.