Radical Self-Love
Radical self-love isn’t some far off future feeling, it’s found here in the moment of NOW. It’s only a matter of reawakening to it, one breath, one moment at a time. Each moment and then the next giving us practice in learning to let go of hustling for our worth, the need for obsessive self-evolvement, always reaching to some future “better” version of us seemingly more deserving of it. We don’t need to change who we are to welcome love in. We just need to remember it. And uproot anything standing in the way of it reaching us.
Radical Self-Love isn’t about changing who we are, it’s about remembering who we already are. Beloved. Worthy. Holy. Sacred. In all the messy, imperfect, human NOW.
It’s about learning how to hold space for the messy amidst the majestic. The “hard-to-love” alongside the holy. The in process, not there yet alongside the you’ve had it inside you all along.
It’s about waking up to the beauty of who we already are. Learning to trust that still, small voice inside that feels warm and holy. Learning to distance ourselves from the harsher voice that causes us to shrink.
It isn’t some syrupy sweet talk that glosses over the hard and real stuff of life. It isn’t “good vibes only” or “hustle harder” or some other spiritually bypassing sentiment.
It’s learning how to hold loving space for the version of us now. In this moment. In all the lumpy, plumpy, dimply, messy, saggy, craggly glory we think we find ourselves in.
It’s learning how in small, simple ways we can begin to give ourselves the same tender graces, the same unwavering kindness, the same radical, loving acceptance that we can so freely give the world.
Treating ourselves like sh*t is ALWAYS a conditioned, learned response. Something we internalized from the outside world as if it was our whole truth. Any internal self-hate is not our truth. Even when it feeeeels like it might be true sometimes. The journey of radical self-love involves becoming more aware of our internal dialogue, our internal relationship with self, learning how to hold space on our insides for the parts of us that we deem “hard-to-love.”
Radical Self-Love is a choice. A commitment we make to ourselves on the daily. That we are worth showing up for. We are worth the effort, worth the care, worth the grace, worth the LOVE of the entire Universe just as we are. Whether we are feeling it or not.
The journey of self-reclamation can be lonely as it’s counter culture as hell. It can entail radical losses and sometimes dramatic changes. Choosing a different version of reality than the one we’ve been force fed our whole lives takes courage and a willingness to get messy. But damn is it worth it.
Why Hot Mess Yoga Club?
Because messy is where the magic is.
Hot Mess Yoga Club was founded by Dr. Jillian Simpson, a feminist psychologist, coach, and yoga teacher, with the intention of proactively caring for ourselves in such a way that we build emotional resilience, increase self-agency, and eliminate unnecessary suffering in our lives.
Dr. Simpson worked in clinical mental healthcare for over twenty years in a myriad of settings with a highly diverse range of humans. Though each human was unique and presented with a unique set of circumstances, Dr. Simpson began to notice similar themes that impacted many if not most of her clients:
They lacked spaces and places where they felt like they could authentically show up as their real selves outside of the therapy room.
They felt alone and isolated in their experiences yet many individual clients were on similar journeys. They just hadn’t met their people yet.
They struggled with staying present in their lives and in their bodies.
They struggled with the human experience of pain without numbing or wanting to escape.
They struggled to start and stick with self-care strategies like meditation, yoga, exercise, and meaningful social connection outside of sessions.
Everyone has issues. Every damn one of us. We cannot escape our humanness, however much we wish we could.
Through her years of experience, Dr. Simpson also observed these fundamental truths:
Social disconnection deeply wounds us.
Feeling truly seen is powerful, healing medicine.
Group work transforms us on a whole other level compared to going solo.
Leading with vulnerability and authenticity gives others permission to do the same.
Our highest self is always there waiting in the wings ready to greet us.
Yoga is special, powerful magic.
Play, fun, laughter, and rest are fast tracks to our highest self.
Through the creation of Hot Mess Yoga Club, Dr. Simpson sets out to revolutionize how we care for ourselves and each other. Making self-care accessible, effective, and consistently able to practice, we will create ripple effects of healing in the world that help us all develop increased resilience, flexibility, strength, and self-assurance. The world is so much better when we can each bring our authentic wholeness to the table and show up real.