Wanderlust + YOGANONYMOUS Present: Learning to Love Yourself

Letter From the Editor

Last year was a particularly difficult one for me. I spent most of it letting waves of depression drown me in the darkest parts of my soul’s ocean, tossed by misplaced anger, regret, and bitterness. I knew that I was allowing this sadness to take me over, but—for many months—I couldn’t see a lifeboat on the horizon. That lifeboat is self-love. We talk a lot about learning to love ourselves in our yoga practice: Your breath, your movement. Listen to your body. Enjoy the stillness of your mind. Be compassionate. Practice loving-kindness. With regular practice, we find these moments on the mat. Applying these lessons in everyday life is more of a challenge.

For yogis, love is compassion, empathy, and truth. To love oneself is not self-absorption. When we are good to ourselves—when we turn away from the darkness—we are, as consequence, able to be compassionate. When we throw ourselves our own lifesaver, we learn how to rescue others. Like every other organism on Earth, we need to be cultivated to grow. Our bodies (and our minds) need to be watered, pruned, and live in the light. Only when our own inner garden has been tended to can we nurture the gardens of others. Setting a regular routine for self-love doesn’t have to be manifested in detoxifying herbal baths, indulgent desserts, or taking a big trip (though we recommend all of the above). It’s much simpler than that. Changing the way we talk to ourselves is the single easiest way to practice self-love.

It’s much easier to be negative than to see the good. It’s much easier to be drowned in sadness than to recognize the impermanence—and the choice—to be regretful and bitter. By practicing the loving-kindness that we learn on the mat in our own minds, we learn to be our own lifeboat. That’s what self-love is all about. We hope this collection of articles gives you some ideas about how to practice self-love. In these last weeks of winter, turn inward and check in with yourself; be sure you’re able to be your own lifeboat when you need it. Learn to tend to your own garden, so that this spring you’re able to tend to the gardens of others.

In (self) love & light,
Lisette Cheresson

Managing Editor

The Magic of Loving Yourself First

by Ruby Fremon

The moment we start loving ourselves, we experience shifts—positive shifts. Life begins to move forward with more ease and things begin to magically fall into place. Relationships improve. And life begins to feel good—really good—ridiculously good.

Lovingly Know Your “Hell No”

by Mary Beth LaRue

How is saying “no” (something considered negative) actually self-love (something positive)? Well, when you say no to busyness, mindless scrolling, and complaining, what are you saying yes to? In order to truly know what lights us up and our non-negotiables, we must know what we don’t want.

How Yoga Taught Me to Value Female Friendship

by Molly O’Neill

There’s a tangible current of energy in a room full of people moving mindfully and breathing together. When you and your neighbor roll up your mats after that final Om, its vibrations still resonating in your chest, it’s almost impossible not to feel a sense of goodwill.

Finding Your Other Half This Valentine’s Day

by Cameron Cler

By engaging in self-love in search of your better half, you will find a sense of self and confidence that will help on your journey to finding meaningful relationships with others. There’s a reason for the saying “You can’t love others before you love yourself.”

Picking Up the Pieces

by Caitlin Berens

If we can depend on anything in life, it is change. Change that is often unpredictable, and outside of our control. But the thing we can control is how we react to it. So I made an effort to “lean into the good” when I was down, lonely, or starting to spiral. I grasped at things that made me feel excitement, even if I thought they were silly.

14 Free Ways to Practice Self-Love

by Exavier Pope

Bottom Line: The most valuable things in the journey of life are 100 percent free, yet give the most enriching experiences, touch the vastest spaces of this universe, and open the biggest of doors. As we step into this endless vault, we open the combination for endless withdrawals for us and all who come in contact.

Settle in to the Lunar New Year With Self-Love

by La Mer

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda use holistic approaches aimed at restoring the body to its natural, harmonious state. Both practices encourage observation of personal behavior and surrounding environment as a vital tool in deepening awareness.

2 Steps to Reclaiming Your Self-Love

by Renee Lamb

It doesn’t take a life partner to teach you how to give unconditional love. It doesn’t take forgiving your parents for their mistakes to know forgiveness. You have to start with your own complicated, damaged, unapologetically beautiful self.

The Path Toward Authentic Self-Love

by Niki Saccareccia

In its authentic practice, self-care is not a way to escape from pain, but is more accurately the practice of avoiding potential pain altogether by taking care in the present, and by uprooting and replacing those activities, people, or beliefs that have caused suffering in the past.

Self-Love Means Taking the Leap

by Nicole Gurney

We are torn between the need to take action and the desire to plan. We’re always waiting for the “perfect moment” to move forward. But what if that perfect moment never comes—what if we’re stuck waiting until we’re old and gray, saddled with the regret of not taking the leap?

Workaholic in Recovery: My Journey to Self-Love

by Michael Forman

I used to be the most hardcore workaholic; constantly working on something, always pressing forward, and always looking for the next amazing thing that I could do to prove to people that I was good enough. But, inside, I was spiritually bankrupt and needed some healing.

Letter From the Editor

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