Valentine’s Day is an all-out “hearts & flowers” love fest—a day to treat and be treated, eat every chalky hue of conversation hearts, and oogle over the people we love the most (and the gifts we’ve received) by sharing them all over social media, without ever feeling braggadocious.  Our amazing human capacity for love is well worth celebrating, but all too often Valentine’s Day becomes so focused on romantic love that we tend to neglect another essential type of love: love of oneself.

Actively appreciating and caring for the unique and beautiful individual you are is a deep practice that nourishes both body and soul. And when you take the time to treat yourself with loving kindness, it recharges all your love batteries so you’re left with more loving energy to give others than you ever could have imagined. If you’re ready to give yourself some Valentine’s Day TLC, and think it’s about time to make #selfcare much more than a hashtag, here are two simple approaches to get you started.

1) Love Yourself Mindfully

The hectic pace of work, family, social media, and school can be exhausting—no matter how much we love the things we do and the people around us. Setting aside quiet time to be fully present is the embodiment of self-love. You might want to give one of these simple mindfulness practices a try:

• Meditate: Sit comfortably with eyes open or closed, with one hand placed over your heart, and observe your breath. When your thoughts wander (and they will!), gently return them to your breath without judgement. When time doesn’t permit even a few minutes to meditate, just three deep, mindful breaths can be a powerful experience.
• Touch down: Get grounded (literally!) by getting outside and touching your bare feet to the earth. When’s the last time you felt blades of glass run between your toes or cool water swim through the arches of your feet? Tune into the sounds and sensations around you and just stay present.
• Move mindfully: Let go into yoga, Tai Chi, QiGong, or other meditative movement classes. Leave the world behind, step onto the mat, and set an intention for your class. It’s rare to get an entire hour to yourself. Make it count.
• Unplug: Take a day (or even just a few hours) away from your phone, email, social media, news, etc., and just be with whatever unfolds around you. In a world that’s constantly “on” with notifications buzzing, dinging, and ringing all day, a digital detox can offer you a kind of peace of mind you didn’t even know you were missing. 

Enhance and maintain your sense of loving presence throughout the day with our handcrafted smoky quartz grounding pendant. Made from fair-trade, naturally grounding smoky quartz and set in striking gold, this pendant serves as a beautiful reminder to come back to the simplicity of your breath and let go of all that doesn’t serve you.

2. Love the Skin You're In

Show yourself some Valentine’s Day love by caring for your precious skin holistically and creating a luxurious, affordable spa experience in the comfort of your own home...robe optional. Put on your favorite soothing music, light some candles, add a few drops of lavender or frankincense oil to your diffuser, and get ready to be renewed. 

Dry brushing is a perfect way to begin your spa day, invigorating and exfoliating your skin for a fresh, vibrant complexion from head to toe. It’s best to use a high quality natural dry brush set that has both a small facial brush and a large body brush with an extension handle to make sure you don’t miss any spots. Gently brush your skin with circular motions, starting at the ankles and working over the entire body and face.

The spa indulgence continues with a cooling, calming jade facial. Our jade roller is made from natural stone and has dual ends to caress every contour of your face. Starting at the chin, roll the larger end gently toward your hairline, and then over the forehead and temples. The smaller end of the roller is just right for the delicate areas around your eyes, nose, and lips.

Complete your spa treatment with a loving, whole-body self-massage. Warm a bit of jojoba oil between your palms and melt stress away as your hands glide across your tired muscles. After your massage, taking a steamy shower and misting your face with some heavenly pure rose water will leave you feeling rested, renewed, and very much loved.