What does it mean to be intimate with the Self?
Self intimacy means developing a deep, personal connection with yourself. It requires taking time to reflect on your thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and being honest and vulnerable with yourself about what you discover.
Intimacy with the Self involves being aware of your own values, strengths, weaknesses, and desires, and accepting yourself for who you are. It demands being in tune with your own emotions and recognizing how they impact your everyday thoughts and behaviors.
Self intimacy can be achieved through various practices, such as meditation, journaling, or cognitive/ psychotherapy. It can help you develop a greater sense of self-awareness and self-compassion, and ultimately lead to greater personal growth and fulfillment.
Meditation helps cultivate self-intimacy by providing a space to connect with the innermost self, explore your thoughts and emotions more thoroughly without distraction, and develop deep-seated self knowledge.
Below is a short practice taken from my meditation series on Exploring Self Intimacy.
This reflective activity is from one of my meditation series, specifically from the subsection on exploring Intellectual Self Intimacy. You can do this exercise as a meditation or as a journaling practice. I recommend practicing it as a reflective meditation and then using the prompts throughout the week to journal more about what comes up for you.
For each of the inquiries in the exercise, ask yourself:
Is there a felt sense of comfort or discomfort?
Is there curiosity or indifference?
Can I locate that feeling in my body? In my head? Somewhere else? Where does it seem to come from?
Are any emotions attached to these memories or desires? Where and how am I sensing them?
Let's Get Started
To prepare, bring yourself into the present moment by finding a comfortable seat where you can feel relaxed yet alert.
Take a few slow breaths that are a little bit deeper than your usual breath and notice how it feels in your body to breathe this way.
Take note of how the physical body is feeling right now, and try to observe it without the need to change anything.
Remain neutral and let your breath continue— slowly in, and slowly out— until you feel calm and centered.
Now meditate and reflect on the following questions— in your mind’s eye or in your journal.
What are some things I was passionate about learning as a child that are no longer part of my life? (What subjects/ topics/ activities)
Are any of these topics still interesting to me? Which one or ones?
What would it look like if I brought it back into my life now? (For example, reading a book on it, or taking a class or workshop, joining a club, etc. Imagine you have at least an extra hour every week to dedicate and money is also no object).
What have I been curious about more recently?
What topic would I like to learn more about now?
Is there knowledge that I missed growing up that I can teach myself about now? (Financial literacy, relationship dynamics/ attachment styles, mindful communication, languages, family history, etc)
Is there something that I knew well, or had expansive knowledge of at an earlier point in my life, that I’ve lost because I don’t use it anymore?
Meditation can help you to develop a greater sense of self intimacy, facilitating a stronger connection with your inner world and a clearer understanding of your deepest desires, goals and life vision.
I hope you’ll join me for a live online class soon! Check out the upcoming class series here.
Jessica Crow helps people harness the power of meditation and mindfulness to change their lives and the lives of others for the better through practical courses for the everyday practitioner, teacher trainings, and personalized mentorship.
Check out her book 'The Power of Guided Meditation', published by Fair Winds Press and her New On Demand Course 'The Power of Guided Meditation' or anyone who wants to harness the power of meditation in their own lives.
Follow her on Insight Timer or Subscribe to her Podcast to listen to free guided meditations.