It's February... a month for love!

How will you show yourself some extra love this month?

I just finished participating in an Instagram challenge centered on the topic of self-love. It was filled with great ideas and inspiring posts from other yogis about how to love yourself in small but powerful ways. Here were some of my favorite reminders:

Spend quality time with those you love.

Create something beautiful out of something you already have. Art projects and upcycling are great for keeping your creativity flowing!

Create self-care rituals. Practice yoga, take a hot bath, light a candle. Find the little routines that make you feel pampered and nourished.

Free write! Take five or ten minutes to journal without editing. See where this takes you.

Treat yourself to something special. Really, do it. You deserve it.

Be in nature.

Explore herbs, crystals, and goddesses and their healing properties. Be open.

Write yourself a daily mantra that will help keep you grounded and inspired.

Ask for support from your yoga community, friends and family.

Embrace your inner wisdom. Sit in silence for a moment and feel how truly powerful, strong, beautiful, and worthy you are.

My Yogi Surprise box has helped me create a monthly self-love ritual. Each time I receive the box, I'm reminded to slow down, take time to relax and rejuvenate, and also to savor life's precious moments. I loved the sentiment in this month's box:

Being kind to ourselves when we make mistakes, when we get distracted, or when we simply don't end up achieving the results we had hoped for is the ultimate meaning of self-love. It's easy to lift ourselves up and embrace who we are when life is going great, but the true test of self-love comes when we're challenged by uncertain events and aspects of ourselves that we wish we could change. By fostering greater levels of self-acceptance and self-compassion, we can all learn to fill ourselves with more love even during our darkest days.

Here are my three favorite products from this month's box:

Booda Butter suds of love all-in-one soap: This soap is made with shea butter, coconut oil and olive oil, which means it's great for moisturizing. Plus, the texture is perfect not only for lathering but also for shaving-- score!

Cuccio somatology calming yoga elixir: this spray features lavender and cardamom, an aromatherapy combo I'd never experienced before. It is heavenly! Very refreshing and calming. Perfect for a spritz of your yoga mat after class, or in your home, as a mid-day pick-me-up.

Jasmine Seven yoga mat wipes: these are a genius way to clean your mat after class because you don't have to remember a towel or paper towel, you just grab one and go! They have a great, refreshing scent, and are actually gentle enough to use on your skin as well. I can't decide whether I'm going to love using them more for my mat or for myself! ;)

Bearded Brothers bodacious blueberry vanilla bar: seriously the yummiest snack to come out of a Yogi Surprise box since those insane truffles back in October. It's kind of like eating a blueberry muffin, only way healthier. I will totally be hunting down some of these bars to have as a pre-workout snack and post-yoga treat. Yum! (So tasty, I didn't even remember to take a picture! Above photo via Bespoke Post.)

Cheers to treating yourself with as much kindness as you deserve, this month and always. Namaste.

First three photos by Chris Archer of

ArcherShoots

, taken on Maui.