Hey Loves,

It's peak romance season and I wanted to tuck this love letter here to remind you of (cue Whitney!) the greatest love of all. Cringing? Stay with me.

Self-care is how we nourish our unique body, mind, and spirit through conscious actions. At its purest form, self-care is an act of self love. We show ourselves love through intentional acts that bring us joy, encourage physical and mental health, and honor the truth of who we are.

Unfortunately, it's easy for self-care (especially when it relates to our bodies) to get hijacked. We're raised in a culture where a largely unachievable beauty and body ideal is held before us day after day, creating a constant pressure to reach it, or at least get closer to it. So many universal values are tied up in this ideal - willpower, goodness, purity - that we can feel that there must be something wrong with ourselves and our bodies when we don't match the images we see all around us.

This is an invitation to see through all of that and instead reconnect with the inherent beauty and wholeness that already is. I've spent the last 5 years working through my own beliefs about beauty and aging (hello early 40's) and it feels vitally important for me to remind you of this:

Your body is AMAZING. It is what allows you to experience life, to hold someone you love, to taste the honey, smell the flowers, see the sunset, feel the joy. You don't have to ask your heart nicely to beat or your lungs to breathe. Your one body will support you the best it can through every single moment of your life. From your first breath to your last.

This awareness and gratitude is what I invite you to carry into your self-care. When we tend to our bodies with awe, appreciation, kindness, compassion, and intention, we can forge a new pathway to body acceptance, self love, and self connection.

If any of what I wrote resonates, I created this 7 minute body connection practice for you as a little gift (it's free). I wholeheartedly believe that you don't need me show you how to care for yourself in this way (just go for it!), and I also remember how lost I felt when I first started trying to shift my relationship with my body to a place of loving appreciation. You can do this practice using our Essential Body Oils (we have new scents!), Scrubs, or whatever you might have at home (an organic olive oil will do). All you need is 7 minutes and an open mind. :)

Wishing you connection and tenderness this season,

xo
Eileen