Self-love and growth

Transform Your Life with Shadow Work: A Step-by-Step Guide

“If you realize you have enough, you are truly rich.”

Shadow work is a potent form of self-reflection that entails discovering and integrating your unconscious, hidden sides. Having a shadow work ritual in place provides a structured and intentional space for delving into the depths of your psyche. Additionally, it makes the act of connecting with your shadow self more intentional and concentrated by establishing an empowering pattern.
The following steps can help you begin your shadow work routine:
Step 1: Set the Scene
Working in the shadows means having a private discussion with your shadow self. Establish a peaceful, cozy area where you won’t be bothered. Use soft lighting, intention candles, sage or incense, and perhaps some calming music to set the atmosphere. I would recommend tuning in to theta waves or solfeggio frequencies. Try both and decide which one is more comfortable for you!
Recording your shadow work sessions is helpful to your progression, so you may also want to have a journal and pen nearby.
Step 2: Ground Yourself
Make yourself comfortable. Make sure you’re not wearing any restrictive or tight clothing. Take away anything that weighs you down.
Now inhale deeply from your abdomen. Breathe out through your lips.
What do you feel underneath you?
What can you hear?
Do you notice any scents in the air?
Is the air warm or cool?
Do you need to lower your shoulders, unclench your jaw, soften your brows, release your stomach?
There’s a little glowing red ball of light right underneath you. Say hello to your root chakra, little one 🙂.
Can you make it grow, until you’re able to safely hold it in your palms? Picture your hands feeling warm from a grandmother’s touch. This little red ball of light likes to stay at the base of your spine, where it feels close to earth. It invites you to sit with it, to keep it warm and steady, where it can collaborate with the roots of the planet.
Let it remind you that you and earth are connected.
Step 3: Identify Triggers
During the process of centering oneself, did any feelings surface? If not, consider recent events or circumstances that made you feel strongly affected. Perhaps a persistently bothering event or an unresolved issue. Was there anything that happened in the last day or week that left you feeling afraid, confused, upset, or angry?
In your journal, note this trigger and your feelings about it. If you’re not sure how to describe your sentiments, you can utilize terms from the wheel of emotions.
Step 4: Journaling
Begin to explore the emotions associated with your triggers. Recall that triggers are merely an impediment to the healing process. Write about anything and everything that seems relevant, even the silly details.
Allow yourself to feel compassion for your own humanness. Be open to delving deeper into your inner life. It’s okay to be open and vulnerable. You become one with your shadow in this way.

Ayurveda Recipes: Refreshing Lemongrass Carrot Soup

The fragrant essential oils of lemongrass will fill your kitchen with the scent of Asian cooking as you prepare this ‘Lemongrass Carrot Soup’. Put some relaxing music on and allow the aromatic nature of this meal calm the mind as you unwind. The vibrant orange of carrot and delicate cilantro greens will brighten up your evening meal.
If you tend to feel stressed out, irritable or experience skin inflammation (particularly in the summer months), you may have too much internal heat. This meal packs an anti-inflammatory punch that will pacify Pitta and cleanse overheated, toxic blood leaving you feeling cool, calm and collected.
Ingredients
4 whole CARROT
16 g CILANTRO
3 c COCONUT MILK
2 tbsp GHEE
1/2 inch GINGER (FRESH)
1 tbsp LEMONGRASS
1 tbsp MAPLE SYRUP
1 tsp TURMERIC
1 c VEGETABLE STOCK
Instructions
1. In a large pot, heat ghee on medium.
2. Add diced onion and gently fry for about 5 minutes or until translucent.
3. Remove tough outer skin of the lemongrass and pound with a rolling pin (to release essential oils).
4. Add to pot along with ginger, turmeric and chopped carrots and continue to sautee for 5-10 minutes.
5. Add coconut milk and vegetable stock and simmer for 20 minutes until carrots are tender.
6. Remove lemongrass, stir in maple syrup, and blend to a smooth consistency.
7. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.

Understanding Self-Acceptance: Benefits and Importance

“You will enrich your life immeasurably if you approach it with a sense of wonder and discovery, and always challenge yourself to try new things.”

Most people agree that accepting oneself is crucial to mental wellness. We’re all imperfect, so being harsh with ourselves about every shortcoming typically isn’t helpful or sustainable. Actually, studies have shown that persistent self-criticism can have a detrimental effect on welfare and self-esteem. While it can be a difficult concept to fully embrace for some, it’s a worthwhile pursuit because of the benefits it can bring.
Self-acceptance: what is it?
“A relatively objective sense or recognition of one’s abilities and achievements, together with acknowledgment and acceptance of one’s limitations,” is how the American Psychological Association (APA) defines self-acceptance. It’s about acknowledging that everyone has both good qualities, flaws, successes, and failures in life, and realizing that it’s unfair to hold ourselves to an impossible standard.
Self-esteem versus self-acceptance
It is important to understand that self-acceptance and self-esteem are not the same. Self-esteem is about positively judging yourself and your abilities, often in comparison to others. Contrarily, self-acceptance is the act of embracing who you are. While self-esteem is subject to swings depending on outside factors and life events, self-acceptance is more fundamental and stable throughout time.
What makes self-acceptance difficult?
Many of us find it difficult to accept who we are because society encourages us to assign values to everything from an early age, including ourselves. Many of us are raised in a culture that encourages continual comparison, which can lead to inflated expectations, self-criticism, and feelings of inferiority. Self-talk that is negative is very widespread, even in early childhood.
The benefits of self-acceptance: 
Again, self-acceptance can provide a more stable view of oneself compared to self-esteem, which is inherently comparison-based and can fluctuate. This could be the reason for the positive effects of self-acceptance on mental health that have been observed in research. One study found a correlation between “unconditional self-acceptance” and mood after exposure to negative events, and an inverse correlation with anxiety symptoms and narcissism.
Another study even found that self-acceptance decreased mortality risk by 19% and added three years of life, even when other factors were controlled for. A feeling of self-acceptance can help you achieve realistic goals, stabilize your relationships with others and yourself, manage mental illness, and generally feel better about yourself on a daily basis.

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Mindful Shower Practice for Refreshing Moments and Renewal

“The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.”

Showers can be incredibly refreshing or rushed and stressful, depending on where our minds are when we get in. I know there are times when my mind is so focused on the million things I need to do when I get out, I come out with one shaved leg. You know those moments where you can’t remember whether or not you rinsed the conditioner out of your hair? It’s because your mind was anywhere except in that shower with you.
The key to the mindful shower (and a lot of mindfulness practices) is not to try to clear your mind, but to try to focus it deliberately on your surroundings. As you get in, take a moment to turn your shower to the perfect temperature. Notice the temperature shift in your bathroom as the shower heats the air. Notice the way the water feels when it first touches your skin—is it warm? Too hot? Do you get goosebumps?
Really focus your mind on the sensations happening as you get clean. Appreciate the smells that arise from your soap, shampoo, and conditioner. If you shave or brush your teeth, focus in on those sensations as well. The sharp razor sliding across your skin, and the bristly tooth brush scrubbing away your morning (or evening) breath.
As you tune in to the great sensory experiences happening, think about what they mean to you. Getting clean can be a refreshing, renewing experience. Think of the old that you are gently scrubbing off, and the opportunities it gives you for the day ahead. If your thoughts wander to the many things you have to do that day, that is completely normal and expected. In the spirit of mindfulness, be kind to yourself. “Thank you, brain, for that reminder! I’ll get to it shortly.” And then tune back to your senses; the feeling of the water, the smell of the soap. See if you can slow time down and feel each drop of water as it hits your back.
Notice the pressure you’re applying to yourself as you get clean. Do you scrub your scalp like it’s caked with layers of mud and dirt? That probably isn’t necessary. Be gentle with your body, and pay attention to the habitual ways in which you treat it.
This shower doesn’t have to take any longer than your normal shower would. It could take four minutes or twenty—whatever feels right for you. Focusing your mind on what you’re doing in that moment will make you feel more refreshed than stressing over what you need to do when you get out, or what you should have said to that person last night. Give your mind that break so that you can handle more when you get out!