Bad at Meditating, Part 3: Self-Love Meditation

I recently described my ultra-simple way to get started meditating which even worked for me, a really bad meditator. I throw out all rules and techniques (like hold your spine straight, think of exalted things, chant these syllables, etc. - chuck it all) and simply sense my breath in detail. My thoughts gallop along, and I let them, choosing instead to pay attention to my breath.

Then I shared my discovery that my breath has a teardrop shape. As my lungs inflate, they get fuller and rounder (the globe of the teardrop). Then as they deflate, they get smaller and smaller until the exhale pivots to become an inhale (the point of the teardrop).

I suggested in that post that you put your Self inside your breath. This lets you separate “you” from your thoughts. Your thoughts keep coming, but you consciously choose to ignore them and instead imagine your Self inside your breath. This helps you separate your thoughts from your self. For they are not you. You are not your thoughts. You are your conscious awareness.

I ended that post with a promise to add a third layer that makes it all well worth it. Here it is.

Now that you have placed your Self inside your breath, imagine it as a baby. A baby that you love. A baby you are gently holding while it’s sleeping. Cradle it inside your breath as if you are holding it in your arms.  As you breathe in, the baby breathes in. As you breathe out, the baby breathes out. Complete symbiosis. You are breathing together, the baby and you.

And you’re loving it. You love this baby, so you are enjoying holding it. When a baby you love naps on you, it is deeply satisfying to let it sleep and simply enjoy its nearness. Every moment is precious. Imagine that the baby your are holding and loving is yourself. Cultivate those tender, loving feelings toward little baby You sleeping inside your breath.

That is all. It’s practically nothing. And yet, it’s everything.

Even if you only do this for just a few minutes a day, you will help your brain learn how to have the same kind of warm, tender love for yourself that a good parent has for his or her baby.

Joining my online NIA (Now I Am) online dance fitness classes will also help you develop self-love. For several months in Spring 2023, my classes will be devoted to building self-love in a myriad of ways. Learn more about this beautiful program of self-love healing through holistic cardio dance.

Sign up now for an online class. All genders and fitness levels welcome.

These classes are part of my year-long program, “NIA Dance for Mental Health.” No prerequisites. Drop in and out anytime. Join me for the self-love part of the journey!