How to Cultivate Love this Month
When I think of February, love immediately comes to mind. Whether you are single, married, or dating, learning to love yourself is the first step in cultivating more love in your life. And if you are looking to attract more love into your life, the month of February is the time to do it. That's why this month I am focusing on showing myself more love by implementing these self-love rituals into my daily routine.
The heart chakra is located at the center of our spine, and it is the fourth primary chakra that represents compassion, empathy, love, and forgiveness. There are physical signs the heart chakra is blocked. It manifests in the form of dysfunctional relationships, feeling isolated, skin conditions, asthma, circulatory problems, low or high blood pressure, heart palpitations, and chest pains. To realign the heart chakra, we use meditation, yoga, and crystal therapy as a guide.
Meditation
Meditation is a great tool to visualize the heart chakra opening by imagining positive energy radiating throughout the entire body. Sit in a comfortable cross-legged position with your spine straight. Take three deep breaths through the nose with an open mouth exhale. Visualize a green light in the heart center that flows throughout your entire body.
Meditation in the morning allows us to start our day with the intention of self-love that we can carry with us throughout the rest of the day. I have noticed that it provides a mood boost, improves focus and productivity, and lowers levels of stress and anxiety later in the day. Begin each morning with this visualization to cultivate self-love and positive energy and join the #meditatewithstella movement.
Movement
After awakening the mind with meditation, it is time for a quick yoga flow to awaken your body. Being intentional with this movement can allow your heart to open up even further. Certain asanas will open the heart up to receive, such as sphinx, camel, cat, and fish pose, which I include in my morning yoga flow.
Connecting your breath to movement in each pose allows the mind to focus on the act of yoga and be fully present in the current moment. Focus on your breath as you flow through these poses to truly ignite your heart chakra. When you are mindful of your breath, you are less worried about how the rest of the day may unfold.
Crystals
The best crystals to include in your self-love journey are those that contain shades of green or pink. Use crystals as your compass to finding unconditional love for yourself and those around you. Use any of these crystals in your meditation and yoga practice to rid yourself of negative energy and allow new, positive energy to take its place. After using your crystals, cleanse and recharge your crystals with selenite. Here are my favorite crystals to use during the month of February:
Single?
Rose quartz: One of the most popular crystals for attracting love and boosting feelings of self-love. Considered the love stone, the rose quartz opens the heart and encourages compassion. It is known to heal heartache, settle grief, and allow one to love after emotional difficulty.
Pro-tip: Place these in the corners of a room that you often gather in or wear a pendant for personal benefits.
Rhodonite: This rose pink crystal attracts love by healing emotional wounds like heartbreak and puts you on the pathway to complete unconditional love. It can be an incredible relationship healer, especially with oneself, to embrace all your flaws and reach ultimate acceptance.
In a Relationship?
Pink Kunzite: One of the few naturally pink stones in existence with a strong connection to the heart chakra. It will strengthen unconditional love and encourage loving communication between you and your partner.
Pro-tip: Place this stoning stone as a decorative piece in your home to invite more loving energy and peace into your relationship.
Tourmaline: Known for its pink and green shade range, the pink variety is all about pulling out compassion and gentleness and dealing with matters of the heart. It offers a sense of protection and grounding while deflecting negativity and diminishing fear.
It's Complicated?
Red calcite: Known for increasing energy, uplifting emotions, and aiding in willpower. This stone will remove stagnant energy, dissolve blockages, and helps to heal wounded relationships. It is a stone that will help you get rid of the stagnant energies in your love life and overcome challenges in your relationship.
Pro-tip: Place the stone by a bedside table or space near your bed to help reduce restlessness and confusion in a relationship.
Strawberry quartz: This stone represents growth and promotes healing. It is a wonderful stone for those who don't feel like they're entirely understood by their partner. It is also known to promote passion, affection, and good fortune.
Self-Love Affirmations
To open the heart chakra, repeating affirmations related to love and healing will over time invite more love and compassion into your life. Try repeating these five affirmations each morning to start your day with an open mind and heart.
I am open to love
I love myself unconditionally
I have an open heart and am open to receive love
I am surrounded by love
I am worthy of love
A mindful morning routine focused on cultivating self-love is a great way to show yourself the much deserving care and attention this month. Using crystals along side these rituals will enhance the experience and raise the vibrations even more.
Seven Gems Update
The first two sessions with Jessica were exciting yet challenging. We first started with some general questions about my lifestyle and my expectations, as well as the goals I wanted to set for my workshop. We worked on the root chakra and the sacral chakra. I would wear and eat foods that are the color of chakra to help activate that area. After our brief consultation, we started with some foundational movements of the body. Some of these poses were difficult for me because it's been some time since I've done a yoga session. Jessica helped me with my alignment to ensure that I'm not doing more harm than good. Once I got the rhythm of the flow I felt more confident in my movements.
After several flows through each pose, we did a guided meditation. I usually meditate a couple of times a week and I am a lucid dreamer so usually, visualizations come easy to me. For some, it can be hard to visualize something without having guidance. Jessica is very good at describing the energy you need to surround yourself with. Once you can create that mental space, visualizing comes naturally to the mind. You fall into a state where the body naturally builds endorphins, which is the body's best self-made pain reliever. When you hit this state of mind I begin to manifest good health. Towards the end of the meditation, Jessica incorporated a sound bowl. Frequency healing is an amazing tool for achieving overall health and relieving any joint pain. With better breathing functions and overall blood circulation, this can increase hair growth and scalp health.
By implementing these simple lifestyle changes into my daily routine, I can feel a stronger connection to my higher self. Pouring from an empty cup never served me well. Now that I set aside more time for acts of self-love, I can see an improvement in my relationships with those closest to me. I am more level-headed with my responses, and arguments dwindle to more civilized conversations. To cultivate more love between my partner and me, I use Himalayan salt rocks and rose quartz in the four corners of my room to rid of any negative vibes and lingering emotions. Once the area is cleansed, I light incense to remove stagnant energy.
Pro-tip: Looking to spice up your love life? Try finding a special scent to activate a desire you may have in your relationship. Light your favorite candles to stimulate the visual atmosphere and set the mood. If you are an aphrodisiac type of person, incorporate something yummy and sensual to heat things up.
Be sure to try out these self-love rituals into routine all month long and follow @youlookstella on Instagram to stay up to date with my Seven Gems Journey.