Do you know that the most important relationship you will ever have in your entire life is the one that you have with YOU? That’s right! Contrary to popular belief – that our most important relationships are with our spouse (if we choose to marry), our child (if we choose to parent), or with any of the other people that are indeed essential to our life as relational human beings evolving and growing spiritually – the most important relationship is with YOU!
The thing is, to even begin to evolve and foster the love that is needed for cultivating those external relationships, we must first learn how to love and relate to ourselves. In yoga, there’s something called Svadhyaya, which translates to “self-study.” The yogis knew that to become an enlightened being we must become incredibly intimate with ourselves – our thoughts, our habitual actions and behaviors, and the way we write our own personal story – the way we view life through the lens of our own consciousness.
You are the only person who is going to be present for YOU day in and day out, come rain or come shine. But you have to know that, accept that and learn to love that fact. It’s just as difficult to be present for ourselves (sometimes more so) as it is to be present for the people in our lives who love us and need us.
This is why we do practices like yoga, meditation, journaling, spending solitary time in nature, painting a picture, etc. – because we need to give ourselves the attention and presence we deserve. We need to spend as much time (if not more) exploring our own inner worlds in order to get to know, accept, and ultimately love ourselves without conditions.
Naturally, the more we cultivate this most important relationship, the better our other relationships will be. We no longer NEED other people to fill the void. We no longer look to external sources and situations to feel fulfilled. We learn that all our happiness and everything we need resides within. It’s all there. We just have to remember this fact, and take all the practical steps to foster that self-knowledge.
So, think about all the ways you could start showing up for you, rather than thinking you must always be with someone else. What do you like to do all by yourself? Spend some time journaling about the many activities that you love doing alone. Silence and solitude are so important, and they’re so underrated in today’s society.
So get still, get present, and take one little step today to show up for you and only you. Maybe it’s a 5-munte minute meditation practice or a nice, long bubble bath with candles. Revel in this time alone and allow yourself to enjoy being with you. See how your life changes the more you get to know yourself and celebrate the most important relationship in your life – the relationship you have with yourself!
Written by: Aimee Hughes