- “Yoga is not about touching your toes. It is what you learn on the way down .” - Jigar Gor
I've dipped in and out of yoga classes for over 30 years but it has been the last few years that have led me to really incorporate it into my life as a practice.
Starting my own holistic therapy business in 2019 and treating clients with anxiety and stress as well as physical aches and pains, made me realise how much we neglect our self-care as a society. I became aware that the advice that I was giving my clients, also applied to me!
The four pillars of good heath are exercise, nutrition, sleep and relaxation. I am not a fan of the gym, and have, over the years, had my fads of running but neither brought me joy.
Yoga, on the other hand, brings me that joy - I just have to remember the feeling that I get after practice to keep me on track to head to my mat each morning.
I set my alarm for 6.30am so that I can wake up slowly before I head to my mat at 7am. I don't always wake feeling refreshed and on those days it is harder to commit to it and I do feel tired as I pop out to my room and put the heater on. I only ever plan to do 20 or 30 minutes of yoga so that I never feel overwhelmed by trying to fit in a long session and even 20 minutes gives my head time to be still and forget about the chatter that's usually going on (especially when I'm having to concentrate like mad to stay upright). I almost feel sad when I have to head back into the real world and the busyness that comes with it. It has become my morning ritual.
I love my yoga but life does get in the way sometimes. When we set ourselves up for
something and then stray off of that course, it can feel like failure. And I've been there many times. But I now realise that what is important is setting an intention to do something and understanding that it is okay for life to get in the way. Instead of giving up because of that, we can decide to steer ourselves back on course with a gentle hand.
My fave yoga go-to's:
Yoga with Adriene (You Tube) search her up and you'll find a yoga session for whatever you need! Hip mobility, lower back pain, grief, beginners, chair yoga...
Here's a link to her 10 minute morning yoga
Apple Fitness + (app)
Doesn't just feature yoga but all sorts of other forms of exercise. I love the yoga because you can filter by instructor, time (10, 20, 30, 45mins) and whether you feel like a slow or energetic flow. I had a free 1 month trial which was brilliant to build that daily habit and then it's just £9.99 per month.
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