Do you practice self-love? Too often, we become consumed with finding love and receiving affection from others that we miss out on the most accessible and boundless source of love there is – from within ourselves. A great way to start practicing self-love is to be attentive, loving and accepting of your body. Tantra eye gazing is one way to do this.
To be aware of your body is the beginning of self-love. When mind goes home to the body, the mind and body are established in the here and now.
Thich Nhat hanh
Why practice self-love?
Looking for love externally is the source of so much disappointment and disillusion. This is because no one can hold you as their object of affection all the time with 100 percent consistency, just like you can’t do the same for anybody. But when you hold your own self accountable for love, not only do you become free from the misery that comes with always expecting it from someone else, you also have more to give others. Your capacity to give love, to forgive and surrender to others will grow because you have cultivated it strongly for yourself. Gazing into your own eyes is a simple self-love practice that you can do today.
Tantra Eye Gazing Self Love Exercise
What you’ll need:
- A quiet space and a yoga mat. Meditation cushion is optional.
- A hand mirror
How to practice:
- Get into a comfortable seated position on the mat. You can use a meditation cushion or simply place a blanket on the floor to sit on. You want to be grounded rather than too comfortable.
- Place both hands to your heart center and gently close the eyes. Breathe deeply and start quieting the mind. Let go of everything else that happened before this moment. Connect with your breath and focus on the in-breath and the out-breath. Keep it nice, slow and deep. Feel your belly expand as you inhale and feel it become empty as you exhale. Do this for about 10-15 breaths or up to a minute.
- Slowly open your eyes and bring the hands down.
- Take the hand mirror and hold it in one hand. Place your other hand on your heart.
- Look into the mirror and into your nondominant eye. The left eye is your nondominant eye if you are right-handed. The right eye is your nondominant eye if you are left-handed.
- Breathe deeply three times. Keep eye contact with your nondominant eye and start to really see yourself intimately.
- As you continue gazing into your own eye, speak with yourself. Start a heart-to-heart dialogue. Speak out loud or silently, whatever feels most comfortable. Complete the following statements with as much honesty and love as you can. Be gentle and compassionate with your answers, but always truthful.
- I love you for….
- I forgive you for…
- If I really loved you, I would….
- Because I really love you, I will…
- It’s your own intimate conversation, say more or less, or anything you want. Whenever you’re ready, put the mirror down and place the other hand to your heart, on top of the one that’s already there. Close your eyes and as you breathe deeply, express gratitude to yourself for taking this time to nurture your own body, heart and spirit.
You, Yourself, as much as anybody in entire Universe deserves your love and affection.
Buddha
Keep Practicing
Keep going back to this simple tantra exercise to reclaim love and respect for yourself. Tantra teaches reverence for the body as a gateway to something deeper and more spiritual. It teaches us to love, respect and appreciate the body because it is your home and in the most simplistic way, the body is you. Tantra eye gazing lets you build intimacy with your self through breathing, centering and looking deeply into the eyes.
Self-Love is just the Beginning
Loving yourself is the beginning of all other loves. It then naturally moves beyond the self and becomes richer as you see others in the same light. I hope you find this tantra eye gazing self love exercise as a helpful way to practice self love and nurture a deeper connection within yourself and others. Read more tantra articles here.