Hi friend,
Embodied self-love moves beyond momentary self-indulgence…
It asks us to step into discipline and into doing the hard things that support the life we want to live.
We might love ourselves enough to run a bubble bath or buy an outfit we like… but do we love ourselves enough to make a sacrifice now that supports us later?
Do we love ourselves enough to choose the hard thing, the disciplined thing, the choice that moves us in the direction we truly want to go?
We’re not talking about status-driven goals like making a million dollars. We’re talking about goals that will ultimately allow you to live a happier and more fulfilled life like:
I want to start choosing myself in relationships and honour my needs.
I want to get out of debt and begin saving.
I want to cook for myself more and feel nourished in my body.
I want to write that book, finish that degree, complete that project.
I want to have that difficult conversation I’ve been avoiding that’s keeping me up with anxiety at night.
There is a much needed time and space for self-care in our lives, but we must remember that loving ourselves doesn’t always look like pampering and pedicures.
Sometimes it looks like rolling up our sleeves and meeting ourselves in the places we’ve been avoiding.
It looks like stretching or moving your body when you said you would.
Sitting down to write.
Returning to the work that matters, even when resistance is present.
Many of us were never shown that discipline can be an expression of self-love.
Yet it’s through following through, reparenting ourselves, and making healthy decisions that we begin to build self-trust… and a deeper sense of self-worth.
This doesn’t mean always doing or pushing.
Knowing when to rest, when to pause, and when to change direction is just as important.
Our primal conditioning would have us stay in the comfort zone for the rest of our days rather than risk venturing into unknown territory.
Creating a life beyond what we’ve known asks something more of us…
Change happens slowly. It’s shaped through the small, daily choices we make, again and again.
I’ve included a practice & journaling prompts below to help you connect with your body, notice resistance, and take one small step toward what matters most.
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🌿 This Weeks Reflection
Do I love myself enough to choose what supports me, even when it’s hard?
✨ Practice for the Week: Devotion in the Body
Take a few moments to arrive.
You might sit or lie down, letting your body settle. Gently close your eyes if that feels comfortable, or soften your gaze.
Begin by noticing your breath, without trying to change it. Just feeling the natural rhythm of inhale and exhale.
Let your attention slowly drop into your body.
Step 1: Orient to safety and support
Feel the points of contact between your body and the surface beneath you
Notice where your body is being held
You might gently press your feet into the ground or your back into the surface beneath you, just to feel that support more clearly
Let your body register: I am here, and I am supported
Step 2: Bring in a current edge
Now, gently bring to mind something small but meaningful you’ve been avoiding
Not the biggest, most overwhelming thing
just something that would support you if you followed through
Notice what happens in your body as you think about it
Without needing to change anything, just observe
Where do you feel sensation?
Tightness, heaviness, activation, numbness?
Stay curious
Step 3: Meet the resistance
Place a hand on the area where you feel the most sensation, or somewhere that feels grounding like your heart, belly, or thighs
As you stay connected to your breath, gently ask inside:
What feels hard about this?
What am I protecting myself from?
Let whatever arises be enough
You’re not trying to fix or override this part
just acknowledging it
Step 4: Introduce self love as support
Now, from this place of contact with yourself, ask:
If I were to support myself here, what would that look like?
Notice what your body responds to
It might be something very small
a shift in posture, a breath, a softening, or a sense of readiness
Step 5: Choose one small act of devotion
Let one small, realistic action come to mind
something you could do today or this week
Notice how your body feels as you imagine following through
Do you feel a sense of expansion, steadiness, resistance, or uncertainty?
See if you can stay with both
the discomfort and the potential
Step 6: Anchor the experience
Take a few deeper breaths
Maybe gently squeeze your hands together or press your feet into the ground again
Let your body register this moment of awareness and choice
Closing reflection
You might end by placing a hand on your body and silently acknowledging:
I am learning to support myself in new ways
Journal Prompts
Exploring your current relationship with self love
When I think of self love, what images or behaviors come to mind?
Where in my life might self love be asking for more honesty, structure, or follow through?
What does “loving myself well” actually mean to me right now?
Bringing awareness to resistance and avoidance
What is something I know would support me right now that I’ve been avoiding?
What feels hard about taking that step?
What part of me is resisting this, and what might it be protecting me from?
If I slowed down and listened, what would that resistance want me to understand?
Connecting to desire and direction
What kind of life do I really want for myself?
What are the small, meaningful changes that would move me closer to that life?
Which of my current habits support that vision, and which ones pull me away from it?
What is one small choice I can make today that aligns with who I want to become?
Balancing effort with care
Where in my life do I need more structure or follow through?
Where in my life do I need more rest, softness, or permission to pause?
How can I honour both my need for growth and my need for gentleness?
What would it look like to support myself, rather than push myself?
Building self trust
When have I followed through for myself in the past, even in a small way?
How did that impact how I felt about myself?
What is one promise I can realistically keep to myself this week?
What support or structure would help me stay connected to that promise?
Love yourself enough to do the hard thing.
Not just the thing that feels good now, but the one that supports who you’re becoming.
We weren’t taught that discipline is self-love.
But it’s in following through, reparenting ourselves, and making supportive decisions that we build self-trust and a deeper sense of self-worth.
Love,
Shay