Self-Love with Mindfulness Practices

Here in Cincinnati, February has arrived with unexpected sunshine, a brief tease of spring on the horizon. But even as the days grow longer, I remind myself, it’s still winter.

I think back to a February I spent in Boston, when winter truly made its presence known. For four weeks straight, every Sunday/Monday brought heavy snow, blanketing the city in towering drifts. The subway system was a mess. Sidewalks disappeared beneath layers of ice and packed-down snow. And yet, for those of us who could walk to work, it became a rhythm. A lesson in patience, in moving through the season rather than resisting it.

That winter reminds me not to rush ahead, not to yearn for spring before its time. Even now, with the sun shining and the air just a little softer, I know that winter still has its lessons to teach.

This season is one of deep nourishment. And yet, I’ve been noticing an extra weight pressing on my chest, tension gathering in my shoulders, a tightness in my throat. Maybe you’ve felt it, too. The collective heaviness of the world, the stress of the day-to-day, the quiet build-up of overwhelm.

It’s in these moments that I return to my practices. To the grounding work of deepening self-awareness, the rituals that help me move through stress rather than carrying it. The more I pay attention, the more I recognize that this season isn’t asking me to rush toward action. It’s asking me to slow down, to listen, to care for my body and mind in a way that allows me to move forward with clarity when the time is right.

With that in mind, this February, I’m sharing a collection of self-nurturing practices to support you in doing the same. Some of you may remember last year’s Love Yourself: Embracing Self-Love in 5 Days challenge, a series of guided reflections and exercises designed to cultivate deeper self-awareness and care.

This year, I’ve created new meditations but I’m also bringing those foundational exercises back. If you joined me last year, you’re welcome to revisit them and if you’re new to them, I invite you to explore. Join our newsletter to recieve the exercises.

Below I am offering a 10-minute guided body scan meditation, a practice that I return to again and again, both personally and with clients. It’s a profound way to check in with yourself, to notice where stress, tension, or overwhelm is sitting in your body, and to gently let go of what is not supporting or nurishing you.

If we can meet those spaces of tension with breath, with awareness, with kindness, we allow energy to shift. We create space for balance, for ease, for alignment.

As we move through February, I encourage you to be patient with yourself. To recognize that the work of healing, of self-connection, is ongoing. And to remember that as much as we all carry our own weight, we’re also moving through this together.

Let’s be gentle, with ourselves and with each other.

With care,
Jessica