“You’re not your thoughts. You’re not your memories. So who is this ‘self’ you’re trying so hard to love?”

Café Méditatif Episode 3 on the the concept of “Self-love”
15 minutes · Recorded in Paris

Pour yourself a coffee.

Welcome to a new episode of Café Méditatif, your gentle pause in the day—infused with Parisian soundscapes, poetic reflection, and rituals that soften the edges of modern life. In this episode, we explore a tender yet radical question: What if you stopped trying to love yourself... and simply tried to know yourself instead?

This is not a conversation about bubble baths or affirmation rituals (although those have their place). It’s about the deep, soulful work of unlearning who you think you are, and sitting quietly with what remains. It’s about trading effort for intimacy, and performance for presence.

Whether you’re walking the streets of Paris in your mind, sipping a quiet cup of coffee, or journaling between errands—this episode is designed to meet you gently where you are.

What to Expect in This Episode:

• A soft unraveling of the modern self-love narrative
• A poetic inquiry into the true nature of the self
• Insights drawn from yoga philosophy and personal experience
• A calming, guided mirror meditation in letter form
• A reminder that knowing yourself is the beginning of all love

Timestamps

00:00 – A Soft Opening
Pour yourself a coffee, pause the day, and settle into this café moment from Paris.

01:18 – Why "Loving Yourself" May Not Be the Answer
The issue with the phrase "love yourself" and how it may create inner division.

05:22 – You Are Not Your Thoughts
A reflection on identity: thoughts, memories, body, beliefs—none of these are you.

09:30 – What Remains When the Noise Fades
An invitation to feel the self beyond stories and explanations.

12:45 – The Yoga Philosophy That Changed Everything
Why personal experience matters more than inherited wisdom—and how you can begin to trust your own knowing.

16:08 – A Mirror Meditation Letter
A slow, soulful practice to help you meet yourself in quiet presence.

21:35 – Closing Reflections from Paris
A gentle wrap-up and an invitation to continue the inquiry—on your own terms.

Key Takeaways

• Self-love can sometimes be performance. Self-knowledge is intimacy.
• Most of our internal dialogue is not truly ours—it’s borrowed.
• You don’t need more techniques; you need more time with yourself.
• The soul doesn’t need to be loved. It needs to be known.
• True presence is available when we stop trying and simply sit in silence.

Listen & Reflect

If this episode stirred something within you, take a moment after listening to simply be. No need to analyze or journal unless it feels right. Just notice. You’ve already begun.

And if you’d like to go deeper with practices like the one in this episode, you’re warmly invited to explore my Patreon, where each month brings a new theme, a planner, a ritual letter, and a gentle class to anchor your practice.