Bringing it back to the mat

I'm a some time yogi. I have a love affair with yoga that dates back to a "break" one of my ex-boyfriend and I took and even though that relationship is ancient history, my love affair with yoga is not.

However, like every relationship, it has it ebbs and flows. For the longest time, it was more ebb. I was devoting myself to runs on treadmills, lifting weights, and losing those inches. It was a constant movement and a lot of go, go, go. I, like many people, became wrapped up in the movement.

That is, until last Wednesday, when my osteopath opened my eyes to the reality of my situation. After having a stressful and highly emotional few days, he pointed out something really interesting.

I was storing my anger and frustration in my neck and shoulders.

And my energy centres were out of alignment.

His recommendation? Yoga. The more relaxing, the better. It was time to leave the go, go, go for a while. It was time to bring it back to the mat and enjoy the stillness of the present.

I've taken his advice to heart and have been doing about 15 to 20 minutes of yoga practice every day since Thursday. The good news is that I'm already starting to feel it. I'm calmer, I'm relaxed, and I know at the end of my day, there is going to be 20 minutes or so of me enjoying the moment.

It also reminds me that sometimes, it's not the journey, but it is about enjoying the ride. Even if it's on a yoga mat in my living room.

Begin with the basics

In an ideal world, every single person would take some time to take care of themselves and decrease stress. However, this isn't an ideal world and there is LOTS of things that get in the way of focusing on yourself, from friends, family, work, weather (Yup, Canadian), or having to wear glasses for two weeks (yup, I'm vain).

Life has a way of getting the way and the first thing that goes out the window? Self-care.

(source)

So what exactly is self-care? The National Association of Drama Therapy describes it as the following:

"In order to provide our clients with the best possible treatment, we must be at our best, and in order to be at our best, we all need to take care of ourselves.." (source)

(Now, I bet you are reading this and are like "I'm not a therapist, or a doctor, or a insert profession here" and that's perfectly fine. You don't need to be a professional to practise self-care techniques! I just happen to focus be a counsellor and my profession is big on the self-care. Like, I have more lectures than I know what to do with big.)

Self-care is one of those topics that I find is easier said than done. Even for me, Ms. Fancy Pants Professional. So where exactly does one start? Why, the basis of course!

 

Tara's Begin with the Basics

1-Get 8 to 10 hours a sleep a night, or however much you actually need.

2-Eat properly.

• The 3 meals a day, 2 snacks, lots of water approach. The more "natural" the better.

3-Exercise.

•  Ideally 2 to 3 times a week of something you enjoy doing, be it Zumba, walking the dog, or yoga.

4-Have an active social network, filled with people who love and care about you.

• Be it family, friends, co-workers, neighbours, or your pet, these people not only provide you emotional support, but also some people to unwind with.

To me, these four things are just that, the basics. There is much more to self-care, which I'm planning on bringing up down to the line for further posts.

But start here!

And perhaps most importantly, your physical health will thank you too.