February's theme of Self-Love challenges you to think about self-care in your own life (beyond your mat, too). This doesn't just mean a face mask after a long week or a spa-day or a slice of peanut butter pie...

It's so much bigger than that. Self-care is really a path of becoming more self-aware...

Read a book.

Listen to the rain.

Take your time at the grocery store.

Admire your smile every time you brush your teeth.

This is self love, too.

Ellen Rector

intentional | organized | hilarious

(Maggie) How does our Shakti community take care to self-care? I wanted to know!

So I sat down with warm-smiled and wide-eyed Ellen Rector... first to see what self-love looks like in her life... and secondly because I really want to be her friend.

"Reading about energy out vs. energy in was really the kick in the butt I needed to make time for myself."

What's a self-care habit or ritual you have?

"Every month I set new intentions in all areas of my life: my relationships, at work, and for myself. I say them every single morning and keep them in my car."

What is your favorite self-care event or practice?

Reading = Thriving

"Reading about energy out vs. energy in was really the kick in the butt I needed to hear to make time for myself. I realized the times in my life when I was really thriving was when I was reading. I get to my mat 15 minutes early, and I put my mat down, and I read. I don't know how I lived before reading The Four Agreements."

How were you introduced to yoga?

"Through back stuff and because when I (usually would) start any form of exercise it's because I think it's going to make me skinner but.....honestly with yoga that's not my intention anymore. It's now because of the way it makes me feel. It can be sustainable because the way it makes you feel not the way it makes you look."

What's one thing you want more of? (in your practice? in your life?)

"I could probably be more adventurous with the yoga poses...I'm a C+ yoga student- I don't try the adventurous poses.

I want less of my mental energy to be consumed by what I put in my mouth. That's something that 40 Days of Personal Revolution is teaching me. I want to spend less time worrying about my weight."

How could you be more adventurous in your poses?

Try crow. I've been thinking about it. Yeah. Maybe wheel? Maybe?

How do you share your self-love?

I found that everything I'm learning bleeds out into my conversations and work and with Bo (my boyfriend). Sometimes I make my kids at work do yoga poses, and it calms all of us down. It's not so much the physical element of the practice, but it (the mindfulness) just bleeds out into the rest of your day.

How has your practice changed your relationships?

My relationships are something I'm proud of but that I had to work hard for. In my friendships, I've switched to quality over quantity, and I'm much more present to them.

How did you decide to do 40 days of personal revolution?

"As soon as Ruby announced it, I was like 'nope. nope. not doing it. not doing it. It's going to be a bunch of skinny college girls.' And then I was like I keep thinking about it-- I need to do it. I knew it would challenge me in the right ways-- if I'm so opposed to it, there is a reason."

"Thinking about self-love this week, I set my background to a picture of myself as a child so I won't say anything about myself that I wouldn't say to that little girl."

We laughed a lot while we talked. Ellen just really gets it... that self-care and self-love are inextricably tied, that oftentimes it looks a lot like self-discipline, that a whole-picture vision is crucial, and that you can still have fun with it all! There's no right or wrong way to take care of yourself. It's you taking care of YOU. You choose what that looks (and feels) like.

If you see Ellen in the studio, share a smile and ask her what her monthly intentions are. Start a conversation. Share a conversation. Practice listening and sharing, and be thoughtful and honest.

Tell us how you see self-care in your life and ways you celebrate yourself!

Shakti Love,

Maggie

Shakti Loves Ellen & Ellen Loves Self-Love