Are you in need of a good smile?
In Jack Kornfield’s book, The Wise Heart, he mentions how in the first international Buddhist teacher meeting, the Western teachers brought up the enormous problem of unworthiness and self-criticism, shame and self-hatred, and how frequently they arose in the Western students’ practice. The Dalai Lama and other Asian teachers were shocked. They could not quite comprehend the word, ‘self-hatred’.
We often give and share ourselves with others, yet how often do we think of giving to and sharing with our own selves? Instead we abuse ourselves in self-limiting ways.
One of my favourite ways to remind myself to love and honour myself is a qigong meditation, the Inner Smile. This meditation brings a feeling of well being on all levels, to the physical, the mental and the emotional. This video will guide you through a short version of this guided visualization.