The Power of Self-Kindness: How Yoga Helped Me Learn to Love Myself

Being gentle and finding resilience + a 30 minute yoga practice & a journaling prompt.

I never saw myself as resilient.

I spent the first few weeks of my life on my own, as the “irritable mestizo baby in crib 2” (I’m not kidding, it’s in the file) at the hospital in Barcelona where my teenage mom gave me up for adoption.

No big deal…

Mini Me after being adopted.

This may be why I’ve struggled to regulate my nervous system my entire childhood and well into adulthood. No one provided me with tools or insights into the trauma this all caused.

Instead, I now complain a lot (especially if I’m cold or slightly hungry) and have a shorter window of tolerance than most.

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Journey toward Self-Kindness

In my mid-twenties, as I got off tour and shifted away from a high-paced life on the road, I also began to develop the unmistakable symptoms of Crohn’s disease.

I went from feeling healthy and fit, an elite athlete traveling the world doing the art that I loved, to being in pain all day and barely being able to get out of bed.

Touring Days

I felt like utter shit… both physically and mentally, which made it very hard to love myself.

Pain was a great tool to help increase my window of tolerance, that’s for damn sure, but I don’t recommend it.

It was at that time that I also found meditation, breathwork, and accessible yoga, which turned out to be much more effective techniques in helping me become more resilient, but more importantly, more compassionate toward myself.

Embracing Tolerance Through Yoga

When I started to get on my mat regularly and saw the immense benefits for my mind, body, and energy, I realized I wanted to commit to practicing yoga daily.

One of the first lessons I learned when developing a daily yoga habit is that there is much more to yoga than postures and breath, there is a moral code.

One of the main philosophical principles of the practice is Ahimsa: non-harm… kindness.

Photo by Adam Nemeroff on Unsplash

The idea that I must be gentle and kind to myself and others no matter what was wild to me. It was okay to feel my emotions, acknowledge my struggles, and accept myself as I am, for maybe the first time.

Yoga teaches me again and again that kindness and resilience are deeply interconnected.

Isn’t it resilience to speak to myself with loving words when I feel like shit, instead of engaging in self-defeating inner dialogue?

Isn’t it tolerance and strength to not always have an opinion about myself, others, and the world around me, and learn to observe and listen instead?

Isn’t it kindness to let myself take a break during my yoga practice, or not beat myself up if I skip a day?

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30-Minute Yoga Flow for Tolerance, Resilience & Kindness

With these reflections in mind, I’d like to share a 30-minute yoga practice designed to cultivate tolerance, resilience, and self-love.

This vinyasa flow, which I taught live on Insight Timer last week, will help you move, breathe, and meditate your way to a kinder, stronger self.

Come as you are! 💛

After your practice or as you finish reading this piece, take a moment for self-reflection with this journaling prompt:

"In what ways can I be kinder to myself today, and how can this kindness help me build resilience in my daily life?"

As always, I hope this pause has provided you with insights and perhaps the spark of inspiration you need right now.

Until we meet again, pause often, breathe deeply, and be kind - especially to yourself.

Much love,

Laia