Day 11 of 14 Days of Self-Love: Home {a guest post by Valerie Tookes}
Friday, February 11, 2011 at 7:05AM 
This morning I had the strangest experience.
The stage: a yoga class, my yoga class in Oakland, California.
The scene: our main character (me) was lying on the well worn yoga mat, legs crossed one over the other, knees gently reaching toward the ground on one side as the class slowly was winding its way toward close.
As I brought my knees up and over to the other side I became aware of my arms. There was no specific instruction so where to place them? Without thought, one arm wrapped around my belly and the other wandered to the opposite shoulder and then suddenly, unexpectedly this quiet, soft yet undeniably strong voice said,
“I love you.”
My mind began to race. Whose was this voice? Who was it speaking to? It certainly wasn’t my typically harsh and critical voice.
I laid unmoving and got quiet in the hopes of not scaring it away as the voice continued…
“You have been through so much lately and I just want you to know that I love you. You caught the flu over a month ago and still aren’t healed, sinking back into the sickness again this week. Your muscles are taut and sore from the coughing , you are tired and are in need of attention and I want you to know that I hear you. You, my love, are not alone, we are in this together, we are a pair, a perfectly matched set and together we will get you better.”
As I allowed these kind words to wash over my body I felt the cells of my being relax, I felt something let go just a bit and I felt held by my very own voice.
The voice that traditionally seems to take great pleasure in blaming, shaming and belittling my body, this very same voice was now holding, loving, and adoring this body, my body. And in the quiet stillness of that moment, held safe by my own voice, I was home.
***Today's guest post is by Valerie Tookes: Holistic health coach, fabulous photographer and an incredible friend. You can visit her at her blog and read more of her beautiful writing at Pieces of HER.***
Reader Comments (8)
Beautiful. Thank you for sharing!
so much beauty!
you are beautiful. inspiring. amazing. and one of the most powerfully loving individuals i have had the supreme honor to meet. so happy to hear your voice so strong and clear directed at YOU. lovely post, dear friend.
Valerie that is lovely! How wonderful that your loving and true self was able to interrupt the broadcasting of negativity. Our negative voices are usually so loud. Elbowing their way to the microphone. True love in it's stillness and certainty is much more powerful. Much love to you beautiful girl!
beautiful, thanks for sharing this very intimate moment with us.
I think... we are harder on ourself, then anyone else!
Thank you for sharing this.
We all deserve loads of sweetness :]
This is so inspiring. I love that you listened to that little voice and let it sink in. xo
Oh wow - Valerie - that gave me chills!! Beautiful. I have had few, but similar, moments like that - where you actually hear your own voice talking to youself with such clarity. It reminds me of this excerpt from Eat, Pray, Love:
"It was merely my own voice, speaking from within my own self. But this was my voice as I'd never heard it before. This was my voice, but perfectly wise, calm, and compassionate. This was what my voice would sound like if I'd only ever experienced love and certainty in my life. How can I describe the affection in that voice, as it gave me the answer that would forever seal my faith in the divine? The voice said: Go back to bed, Liz."