Mindful Showering and Self-Love

I start every day with a shower, always. It could be my body, or just in my mind, but I always feel a little grimy after sleeping, and I want to start my day with the freshness I can only find in a shower. Showering itself can be a very cleansing process, for both the body and one's subtle energy, and it's also possible to foster extensive self love in the shower.

Self-love is so incredibly important to foster. It allows for a growth in confidence and self esteem and it starts increasing our ability to experience love and (when fostered enough) unconditional love for those around us and our life situations. Energetically, it empowers us to heal ourselves and others, to let compassion spring forward, to dive deeper into our faith or spiritual practice, and to feel content when understanding who we are and what we can accomplish in life.

Despite its necessity, self-love can be tricky, especially when we're experience the vulnerable state of nudity like we do in the shower. We are in our most bare state, and unlike when we are just dressing or undressing, we have to actually interact with every part of our body in the shower. With a society that teaches that one singular body type means "beauty," the majority of us feel left out when we experience our naked body. It's not an easy thing to teach ourselves to recognize our own innate beauty, but it oh so important.

When we become more confident in our body image, so many positive things happen. We feel that we have more control over our bodies (which means that, if struggling with weight that we want to change*, we can do so--under or overweight), we understand that we are all beautiful at whatever size and shape we embody, we are more grounded into our body (we don't try to dissociate and escape this sacred physical form we are in), and our general self-esteem and confidence increases.

While dealing with gender dysphoria, loving my body became an incredibly important concern. I did not have the body type I wanted, or am "supposed" to have as a man. Yet, I did have this body. I couldn't change my body overnight in any way, so I had to work towards self-love and acceptance instead.

Showers became incredibly important. Besides just cleaning me and waking me up each morning, it was a time to foster this much needed self-love, in a way that's easy for anyone to foster.

I highly suggest lathering the soap onto your hands, instead of a loofah or washcloth, so you can more directly interact with your body. I personally wash myself from the top down, but wash yourself whichever way works best for you. The important part of this mindful showering practice is to focus on what it feels like to wash your body.

There are so many interesting textures to our skin, so many interesting directions that our hands move when they go from the boney to the muscular to the fatty parts of our figure. Each section is totally vital to our well being, and is a part of ourselves. Paying attention to both sensation and sending love through the act of washing yourself creates a dynamic of mindfulness and compassion, two important characteristic for anyone with a spiritual practice. The only thing to do with this mindfulness practice is to slow down and love what it feels like to wash your body, love what it feels like to become clean.

Sometimes, if it isn't distressing, it can be very positive to spend extra time caressing the parts of your body you struggle to love--maybe these are wrinkles, scars, moles, even amputated limbs. Just make sure, when focusing here, that it fosters love, not a negative emotion. Sometimes we aren't ready to face a certain part of ourselves and just accept it, so then just focus on the self-love towards the rest of your body, it will allow you to grow total acceptance over time.

The energy of the element of water itself is an incredible healing force, hence why we crave hot showers and baths to calm ourselves when we're stressed or emotional. Water corresponds to the second, sacral, chakra, and is one of the most adaptable elements. Think of how water always fills whatever container it is placed in. Water, when you focus on using the element for emotional and spiritual healing, can teach you to flow in any circumstance, no matter how confining it seems. Water can also wash away negative thoughts and energies, and the act of washing increases this intention too.

For our temperaments and personality, water allows us to flow, change, and grow. The natural water of a shower can help love flow around us, especially when we make a conscious effort to intend that the act of showering is meant for self love. The energy of water will only enhance and empower our intention.

I always notice, when I remember to spend a little extra time in the shower focusing on this practice, I come out feeling much more refreshed, beautiful, and confident. Water and love are powerful tools for healing.


*Note: With fat-shaming being a current discussion, I wanted to address this sentence more in depth. I don't personally believe anyone has to change their weight or appearance in any way, though I do advocate health. Weight can cause health issues (if "under" or "overweight"), and this is often important to address, but it is completely the individual's choice whether or not to address this at all. I will always respect that choice and recognize a beauty in anyone at any weight or with any appearance. 

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