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Self-Love and Self-Respect

Self-Love and Self-Respect

Yoga, which focuses on the body from the inside out, can teach you to view and appreciate your body as a whole, not just in segments. It centers on strength, flexibility, balance, and breath, rather than on appearance. Self love involves mainly the fostering and building of a healthy sense about oneself, which helps in developing self respect, self esteem and recognizing ones worth.
A disordered relationship with ourselves goes beyond the physical body and into the emotional realm, self-love is especially relevant to how you treat your body both on and off the mat.

Yoga embodies the philosophy and ideas which develop ones physical, mental and spiritual health by influencing ones chakras, or inner energy, within the body. The third and one of the most important chakra, the manipura, located between the sternum and the belly button is the personal power center.
One of the first steps toward achieving self love is by “Letting go of what people think” – The external world should not be allowed to shape your idea about yourself. In a world that is most concerned about the external image of people, women, etc you should learn to love yourself, the way you are, trust your intuition and do more to be better generally. Whatever your struggles, whatever issues you have about your self-image, yoga shows you how to trust your own body and its ability to teach you what’s best for you.

Practicing mantra meditation or pranayama connects you to your breath—the bridge between body and mind—and quiets your mind long enough to stop the spin cycle of judgments, shoulds, should nots, and what ifs. “Building self confidence and good consciousness of your body” – being conscious that you possess a good body and stature would bring great confidence about yourself.

Most importantly believe you are complete and not less to anyone in any aspect. Practicing yoga helps to promote self love, self care, and self respect by helping you to realize that you already have all that you need inside of you, and you are a unique in You—and your body—are good enough, just as you are. And you are where you are, so you might as well accept that, and allow yourself to embrace your body and whatever “limitations” you might perceive, rather than struggling to be something you think others will find more acceptable on our own way, making you special and should not be compared to anyone else.