 Most common reason to skip yoga
Jobs, family, clubs, caring responsibilities, life admin, and then recovering from it all. By far the most common reason not to make it to your yoga practice is that you're too busy. When the survey results came in (thanks for replying!) this was by far the most common reason for not getting to your mat. Being busy won't change I know friends who have retired only to say that they don't know how they managed to find time to fit in a job. If we have any free time, we fill it with something. There is always so much to do and we enjoy being busy and don't like to say no to things. How many times in the last year have you been too busy to clean your teeth? To take a shower? Put petrol in your car? Name / insert any important self-care thing in here ___________ Looking after body and mind, and regularly connecting to yourself in a meaningful way (which is essential to connect well with others) is in the same important category as all the other things you think of as important. It is essential maintenance, not a luxury. However it might be the first thing to stop when we feel squeezed unless it is prioritised. Even 10 minutes, when pushed for time, is well worth showing up for. And if you are anything like me, then you probably lost at least 10 minutes to your phone today. Let's prioritise the important stuff. 3 top tips 1) Schedule it in Book important things (like yoga) into your week, in advance, and commit. Term bookings and memberships help you show up even when your feeling squeezed. 2) Have a buddy Tell someone you plan to do it, then ask them to follow up with you, or even better, do it with a friend while you build the habit. Keep yourself accountable. 3) Realise that... this is it There is no time in the future when you will have more time. Realise that it is now. Say no to less important things and do what will actually make a difference. Everyone is busy, hopefully with mostly good things. Let's prioritise our self care of body and mind, and nurture a deeper connection with ourselves. Everything and everyone, including you, will benefit as a result. Try a little home practice (use these free yoga videos) if getting to the studio doesn't work for you at the moment. And enjoy.
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 It's better than you think
My teenage son's room is a bombsite. This afternoon he freaked out when he couldn't find his club uniform. I got both barrels of his temper - apparently it was my fault. It wasn't an ideal episode in my afternoon. But it resolved itself eventually, and as suspected, it was in amongst the debris in his room and with a little help he got things back on track. I don't always, but today I helped him navigate it and managed to hold my patience and good grace, even in the face of a teenage tantrum. I'm attributing my greater abundance of patience directly to my yoga practice - particularly with what we have been threading through the classes this week. Gratitude The intentional turning of our minds towards things that are good in our lives, looking for the blessings in amongst the problems and challenges. Even when on the receiving end of both barrels, I found it easy to be grateful for him caring about his uniform enough to get upset, and being healthy enough to express it so energetically. Sure, his expression needs finessing, but I'm so grateful that he is going to his club tonight and wants to look smart. Simple but powerful The simple but powerful act of bringing to mind the good stuff in your life for a moment or two is well worth cultivating. It might seem trite, it might seem like you're deliberately ignoring the bad stuff and being overly hopeful, but it really works. Most of us go easily towards what is negative in a situation, most of the time. Our inner critic takes over, we problem solve things that might best be left to work themselves out in their own time. We worry rather than allow patience to take the lead. Find the joy Looking for problems and solving them is natural and helpful, and makes us more successful at navigating life. However, being overly involved in the problematic aspects of our life contributes to high stress levels, low mood, and most importantly, overlooks the abundant joy that life has to offer. If you take the time to look, you might be surprised to realise that much of life is going great. Or at least fine. No-one's is perfect. But overlooking the blessings and good stuff is so easy to do. Try it Right now, there are far more things going right for you than are going wrong. It is up to you to name a few... before they go unnoticed. When you pause and take the time to count your many blessings, you'll find that they are in abundance, and all around you. This simple act of naming a few things that you are grateful for, done regularly, is a powerful practice. Spend a moment the next time you step on your mat and do this. Make it a habit of doing it daily at the start of your practice. Stick up a post-it note so you don't forget. And before you know it, it'll come much more naturally and easily, even in the midst of a challenge. You're welcome. |
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