Creating Self Love

Welcome, today's set is called Creating Self Love, really calling in our ability to have an open heart, calling in strength to our heart center, as well as allowing love to just rule. And so let's begin. Let's come seated into an easy pose known as a cross-legged position, palms facing upwards at our knees, and just slowly, gently close your eyes. Let's take a moment to connect to our hearts. How often during your day do you actually sit and listen to the beating of your heart?

How often do you allow yourself to feel the beating of your heart, in your flesh, in your body? Feel that the vibration from each beat of your heart extends beyond your body into the space where you're practicing today, outwards towards your friends, your family, your community, to those who don't know and beyond, throughout this entire earth out into the universe. And with that connection to your heart, in this moment right now, let's inhale long and deeply, and with this exhalation, feel free to release a sigh. Again, inhale long and deeply, deeply into your lungs down to the bottoms of your lungs, so your heart expanding, chest widening, sipping a little bit more, and exhale. Last one, inhale long and deeply into your heart center, right into the center of your chest.

Feel that your chest is expanding, not just forwards, but also backwards and all around you. Sipping a little bit more breath into your heart center, and exhale, relax your breath. And let's begin rubbing our palms together, charging up our auric field, our electromagnetic field, creating a heat between our hands, hands together in prayer pose right at the center of your chest. Feel that your thumbs are connected to the center of your heart, eyes closed, again focusing inwards and upwards into your third eye. And we'll tune in with the Aari Mantra and the Mangala Charan Mantra.

The first one, Ong Namo, Guru Dev Namo. And the second one, Ar Gurana Me, Juga Ar Gurana Me, Sar Gurana Me, Sri Guru Deve Nam Me. Both mantras calling in the wisdom within, connecting to the wisdom throughout the ages, calling in that wisdom for protection. We'll chant both mantras three times each. And let's inhale to begin to tune in together.

Ong Namo, Ong Namo, Ng Guru Dev Namo, Ong Namo, Ng Guru Dev Namo, Ar Gurana Me, Juga Ar Gurana Me, Sar Gurana Me, Sri Guru Deve Namo, Ar Gurana Me, Juga Ar Gurana Me, Juga Ar Gurana Me, Sar Gurana Me, Sri Guru Deve Namo. Inhale, suspend your breath hold, feel the frequency of the mantras vibrating through you from your heart, all around you, all around your community, out into the cosmos and beyond. And exhale, satin on, and relax your arms, relax your hands. We're going to begin with a warmup called Cat Cow. And so I'll demonstrate and then join me.

And so I'm going to place my hands underneath my shoulders, my knees are hip width distance apart and the tops of my feet are flat onto the earth. I'm going to spread my fingers wide and really push down into the earth and feel that the earth is supporting me as I push down. Now as I push down into the earth, I'm going to inhale and bring my forehead up to the sky and my belly flexes down to the earth, but I'm going to do so gently, so not put too much pressure on my lower back. And then as I exhale, I'm going to bring my chin into my chest, bring my belly into my back and round my back. Again let's inhale, forehead up, flexing my spine down to the earth, exhale chin into my chest, pushing down into the earth, belly into my back, rounding my back.

So come into your Cat Cow position and let's begin. And once you've found the movement coordinated with your breath, go ahead and close your eyes. Focus out your third eye point right between your brows, raise just slightly and feel that your body is responding to the breath coming in. Your breath is responding to the beating of your heart and they're all connected. Feel that you're generating heat here and these last moments start to pick up the pace, really returning back to your flexibility, your fluidity.

And together let's inhale, forehead up to the sky, exhale, chin into your chest, really round your spine, push down into the earth, belly button into your back and then inhale, neutral spine, flat back and then exhale, relax out of this asana, this pose. Feel free to counter stretch your wrists if you'd like to by pushing them backwards down into the earth, placing them underneath your armpits like this and pulling down on your elbows. I'll just simply roll them out and meet me back here into easy pose. Now that we are a bit warmed up, we're going to begin the sets and again, this is all about creating self-love, right? Love for self, care for self, compassion, kindness, tenderness for self.

So this first asana, this first pose we'll begin with is called a self blessing. So you're going to bend your left arm and the palm is facing outwards, fingers are together and your right arm is going to come above your head so your right palm is facing downwards. So again, remember I'm mirroring you, I'm not mirroring you, I'm actually doing it correctly and so you're going to do the opposite of what you're seeing me do. So right arm is bent, but the palm is facing downwards, maybe about six inches from the top of your head. So touch the top of your head and come up, maybe count one, two, three, four, five, six, yeah, that's about six inches.

And so this is the asana right here. In this asana, you're going to be breathing a one minute breath, so you're going to do your best to inhale for 20 seconds, hold for 20 seconds and then exhale for 20 seconds to do your best trying to keep that count. It's a very calm focused breath and think that as you're inhaling, you're calling in love, kindness, tenderness, compassion, and then you're holding those blessings in really allow yourself to marinate, revel in those blessings. And then as you exhale, release any doubts, any negativity that's keeping you from really receiving this self love, these self blessings. This left hand that's facing outwards is blessings going out into the world, out into the universe.

So it's a constant flow of love coming in and out. Truly there's enough for everyone. So enjoy it, call it in, allow yourself to receive it. Let's come into this asana, and once you're here, keep your eyes open, but stare down, try to take a look at your chin if you can, and then close your eyes, it's called the lunar center gaze, staring at your chin, now eyes closed, and begin. Your one minute breath, but we're here for longer than a minute, just to make sure you know that.

So inhaling for 20. Hold your breath for 20, do your best. If you need to let go of your breath, you do it. Remember this is about self love. Inhale for 20.

And again, inhale for 20. Hold for 20. Inhale for 20. Begin again. Inhale for 20.

I know you're feeling your arms. Can you find that love for self, that kindness and compassion, the tension that you're feeling in your arms? It exists, it's there, breathe it in. Hold it there. Exhaling out.

Exhale out the hurt, exhale out the fear, exhale out the pain. And again, inhaling for 20. Continue here on your own, keep your count, and at the same time, do your best to be in this space of ease of grace for self, that even in the most difficult of times, you can find kindness. You can find patience. You can find love.

Truly it's infinite, it's everywhere. And it's available for you, for me, for everyone. Hold it in, breathe it in, hold on to it, share it, let it go, bring it in again. Inhale long and deeply, hold in your breath, in this moment right now, receive, receive these blessings, this love, this care, this kindness for yourself, this compassion. Feel like coming through your right hand down, pouring into yourself, and now through your left hand, share it, exhale.

Gently slowly release out of that asana, you did it, so beautiful, so powerful. Reach out your arms for a moment, bring them out towards me, so I'm reaching out for you, you're reaching out for me, shoulders back, spine is straight, fingers are together, palms face downwards. Again, you're staring at your lunar center, meaning the center of your chin, eyes closed, breathe long and deeply here. This is not a one-minute breath like how we were breathing before, that last asana, this is just simply long, deep breathing. Exiting yourself to come into a balanced space, recalibrating.

Visualize or feel that your arms are extensions of your heart, and all those blessings that you received, you're exuding, you're sharing with every breath, every beat, and at the same time, you're receiving it. Arms are open wide to receive channels, like an avenue, a pathway right to your heart, receive, receive, give, give, receive, receive. And now raise your arms up to the sky, continuing here in this long, deep breath, palms facing outwards towards me, fingers still together, eyes still focused at your lunar points, center of your chin, eyes are closed. And feel the blessings pouring down upon you. You are a channel, a column of love.

So clear, so open. Any obstacles you may be feeling or seeing that are in the way from allowing you to receive this love, this bountiful love. Feel that with every exhale, you can release it, allow it to be that simple. And now inhale long and deeply, hold in your breath, reach up, up, up, up, up, we're holding here for five, four, three, two, one, we're going to do this two more times. Exhale out, again inhale long and deeply, hold, reach up, up, up, reach, reach, reach, receive, receive, receive, three, two, one, exhale, again inhale long and deeply, hold, reach, reach, reach, you deserve it, you are worth this love.

You've come so far, it's yours, reach, reach, reach, receive, receive, receive. And exhale, relax your arms down and around, roll your shoulders up, back and down, palms facing upwards at your knees, let's just be for a moment. Eyes closed, just a soft gaze rolled upwards and inwards into your third eye and be in a space of complete stillness and silence, be in your heart and just listen, listen to your heart stirring, listen to your heart opening, feel your heart's fullness, beautiful and inhale, exhale, you've been seated here in easy pose for quite a while, go ahead and open up your eyes, feel free to come out of this position if you'd like to for a moment stretch your legs as we prepare for meditation, I'm going to share with you the mantra for this meditation, if you'd like to come seated on a bolster or blanket or if you already are, stay there, I'm going to pull my bolster here for me, whichever legs was in front that you were seated with, let's switch that up and bring it back for a moment. And so now you're starting to balance out your hips so that however you were seated that whole time, we want to change that and just create a juxtaposition and balance out our hips here. So in this meditation, the mantra that we're going to be using is sat-kar-tar, so we're going to be chanting this mantra and sat-kar-tar, so the K-A-R-T-A-R is like the tip of your tongue is striking the roof of your mouth, kar-tar, it's almost as if you're seeing a D sound, but it's not, it's actually like a rolling R, so say that a few times, sat- S-A-T sat-kar-tar, sat-kar-tar, sat-kar-tar, good.

And so it means doer of truth, sat means truth, kar-tar is doer and so this really helps to open up that doer of truth that is the heart, constantly beating, constantly honest, constantly with us and so we're opening up this channel of truth that is our heart and so as we're chanting sat-kar-tar, opening up our heart center, the movement, the asana, the exercise is this, sat-kar-tar, sat-kar-tar, it's a fluid movement, you're not going kar-tar, it's sat-kar-tar and then your palms are like pushing walls or doors away, so you're opening up your heart center and pushing those walls, those blocks, those barriers away, opening up your heart center to receive that love. So let's come together in a prayer pose to begin, your eyes are closed, focus at your third eye point, again the mantra is sat-kar-tar, opening up your heart center, open yourself up to receive that love, continuing here and removing those blocks and barriers keeping you from that love. Let's inhale to begin together, sat-kar-tar, sat-kar-tar, sat-kar-tar, sat-kar-tar, sat-kar-tar, sat-kar-tar, sat-kar-tar, sat-kar-tar, sat-kar-tar, sat-kar-tar, sat-kar-tar, sat-kar-tar, sat-kar-tar, Sat Margaret Sat Carter Sat Carter Sat Carter Sat Carter Sat Carter Sat Carter Sat Carter Sat Carter Sat Carter Sat Carter Sat Carter Sat Carter Sat Carter Sat khaartaar. Sat khaartaar. sticks Sat khaartaar, Sat khaartaar. Sat khaartaar, Sat khaartaar. Sat khaartaar, Sat khaartaar.

Sat khaartaar, Sat khaartaar. Sat khaartation, Sat khaartation, Sat khaartation. Sat khaartation, Sat khaartation, Sat khaartation. Sat khaartation. Sat khaartation, Sat khaartation.

Sat khaartation, Sat khaartation, Sat khaartation. Sat khaartation, Sat khaartation. Sat heck Ramang of Allah! Sat khardar, sat khardar, sat khardar, sat khardar, sat khardar, sat khardar, sat khardar, sat khardar, sat khardar, sat khardar, sat khardar, sat khardar Sat kartar, Sat kartar, Sat kartar, Sat kartar, Sat kartar, Sat kartar, Sat kartar, Sat kartar, Sat kartar, Sat kartar, Sat kartar. Last one. Sat kartar.

Inhale. Arms up over your head. Hold for a moment. Feel your heart open. Receive, receive, receive.

I hear exhale, inhale, arms open wide, hold. Feel your heart so open. Feel that love pouring within you. Love for your heart, your mind, your body. Love for all that you've experienced in this lifetime.

Love for this strength within you, this moment right here, right now. Spread your fingers wide, receive, receive, receive, and exhale, relax your arms. Palms facing upwards at your knees. Eyes still closed. Be in this moment of coming through.

All the emotions that were coming up for you, all the tension, the stresses, the pain, the fears. Here you are, sitting in your grace, open, feel your vastness. Feel this love of self for coming through like you always do. So beautiful. Inhale, enjoy this moment, sip it in, and exhale.

Feel free to stay here if it resonates with you, otherwise come lying onto your backs for Shavasana. A deep relaxation. Feel free to place the bolster underneath your legs, to relax your lower back, place your blanket on you, or underneath your head as a pillow. Just find a really comfortable resting place. Allow your mind, your body to just melt and settle into the earth.

Allow yourself to be held. And allow the vibrations of the gong to continue to cleanse and purify, as well as amplify the self-love, love within you, all around you. Just let it bathe you in love. So, You You Feel free to stay here in Shavasana Otherwise, if you'd like to close with me in a seated position inhale long and deeply And exhale Wiggle your fingers and toes roll your ankles roll your wrists Rub your palms together for the soles of your feet together Feel if you had a cat stretch bringing your knees over to one side Twist your torso the opposite direction bring your arms in that opposite direction as well. Look in the direction of your hands And switch sides knees turn to the other side torso opposite direction Return back into the center hugging in your knees And return back into the center hugging in your knees give yourself a loving embrace Rock left and right and if you'd like to you can walk back and forth up into a seated position Otherwise just roll over onto your one side and gently slowly come rising up Hands together and pray at your heart center eyes closed taking this moment to just Notice how you feel here compared to how we first began Notice how your heart feels notice how the connection to your heart feels in this moment And we'll end this practice saying longtime son together May the longtime sunshine upon you all love surround you and the pure light within you guide your way on Inhale to chant one long sat-nam together Sat Sat Nam Um sat-nam