Over this long Bank Holiday weekend there are lots of ways you can practice your yoga. I've listed 5 here but I'm sure you can come up with more of your own. What they all have in common is mindfulness - being conscious of what you are doing and your reactions to what happens around you.
1. Unroll your mat and do some Asanas (the postures, which are the 3rd limb of yoga). Your body will enjoy the stretch, you'll get to check in with how you're feeling both physically and mentally, you'll breathe more fully and feel all the benefits that a Pranayama practice will bring you and you'll feel good about having enough discipline and commitment to your home practice.
Start with some Sun Salutations, do some Cat/Cow Poses to mobilise the spine, add in a Downward Facing Dog, step through to a lunge, come up to Warrior 2, Triangle, .... you know these poses.... repeat on the other side... lie on your back with the soles of your feet together and your knees wide, do a few minutes Savasana ..... you've got yourself a yoga practice.
2. Take a walk, bike ride, or run outside in the fresh air alone. It's great to have company - just making the arrangement to meet someone else helps to make sure you follow through. It's helpful too to have someone else to look at the map with if you're going off into unfamiliar countryside. But when you're talking it's easy to miss things. Beautiful things that our eyes skim over when we're busy and occupied. Clouds moving over the sky, buds on trees, emerging flowers, birdsong. When you're alone you can choose to pause whenever you want to take in the view, and soak up all that nature at springtime has to show you.
This gives me the perfect opportunity to share a lovely video with you. I know I've shared it before but it's so good I'm doing it again. It's a poem by Tanya Davis called How To Be Alone https://youtu.be/k7X7sZzSXY
4. Take a bath, a nap or some other form of self-care. When we're busy working and taking care of the house and family we can so easily put our own self-care to the bottom of the list. Maybe you'd love to curl up on the sofa with your book but there always seems to be a chore that needs to be done. Or you've been meaning to do one of those nourishing hair treatments or a face pack for ages and never seem to have enough time. Take a few minutes over this long Bank Holiday weekend to do something for yourself. Even something as simple as massaging your skin with oil for 10 minutes is beneficial, both for the body and the mind (I love coconut oil - it has no chemicals and the smell reminds me of holidays). By taking this time for your self-care ritual you are acknowledging that your wellbeing is important, and that in itself is empowering and life enhancing.
A Simple Self-Care Tip for Bad Days and Burnout by Sarah Harvey via elephantjournal.com
I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, waited till my blood sugar plummeted to eat anything, and wandered around like a spaced-out zombie all day.
Nothing was terribly wrong, but nothing felt terribly right either.
I felt so burned out, tired and grumpy that I couldn’t tend to my needs with the luscious, soufflé-like tenderness I so deeply craved.
I abandoned myself instead.
Then, I beat myself up for being reckless with my self-care routine.
Grrr!
What can we do when we’re so exhausted and stunningly blah that it doesn’t even feel possible to take care of ourselves?
We can stop.
Take three minutes.
And breathe.
I know it may sound annoyingly simple, but sometimes simplicity is surprisingly powerful.
Ready?
Inhale boldly, and feel the fresh air rush into your lungs and expand gloriously into your belly.
Take a tiny pause.
Blow the air out of your mouth fiercely and let out a deep sigh or grunt. Stick out your tongue and shake your head gently, from side to side, like a lioness deep in the jungle.
Ahhhh, right?
Pay attention to that tiny transition, where the inhale turns into the exhale: it’s the perfect place to anchor yourself and create a safe, quiet space.
Lather, rinse and repeat as needed.
Then, close your eyes and gently ask, aloud:
What can I do for myself right now?
What do I need?
Keep breathing.
Let your heart and soul have their say, unedited.
Listen carefully as your own juicy, caramel-like wisdom drips throughout your entire body, soaking it completely.
Listen with soft, eager ears and a wide-open mind.
Gather this sparkling knowledge and hold it firmly in your palms.
Open your hands slowly, like a shy flower blooming in early Spring.
What do you see?
Keep breathing, and settle into this freshly-squeezed, refreshing space.
Honor your needs, in any way you wish—but make a real effort to tend to them with focused intention.
Yes.
This short, simple little exercise seriously saved me today.
It reminded me that when our normal self-care strategies fail, it’s usually because our minds, bodies and souls are calling out for something new.
Self-care, like life, is very dynamic. We require different things each day, so let us make more room to accommodate our constantly cascading, ever-evolving needs.
This is so hard for me to remember.
In my mind, if something worked yesterday, shouldn’t it freaking work today?
In short, no.
Because yesterday is yesterday and today is today.
I need to be here today, feeling what I need right now.
And today, I need to make room for softness, laziness, chocolate, and some quiet time on the couch.
I need to remind myself that little indulgences are a big part of taking care of myself, too.
I think we could all use that reminder.
We are far too hard on ourselves, even when it comes to the lovely things in life, like self-care.
Even if we spend just ten minutes honoring our needs, it will change our day, and over the course of time, our lives.
It all comes down to this one question:
What do I need right now?
Yes, it’s a delicious question.
Taste it.
Lick it.
Mmm…let’s kiss it hard and put it in our soul’s front pocket, we’ll want to keep it handy for tomorrow.
5. Be patient with those around you and practice loving kindness. The Easter break often means spending time with family. Its lovely to have the time to all be together and to connect in an unhurried way but family time doesn't always go smoothly. This story (via one of my favourite meditation teachers Tara Brach (www.tarabrach.com) is a reminder for all of us to learn to live with the imperfections of others and admire their good qualities rather than focus on the little things that irritate us.
"It was the coldest winter ever – so cold that many animals froze to death. In an effort to save themselves from this icy fate, the porcupines decided to gather together to fend off the chill.
They huddled close to each other, covered and protected from the elements, and warmed by their collective body heat. But their prickly quills proved to be a bit of a problem in close proximity – they poked and stabbed each other, wounding their closest companions. The warmth was wonderful, but the mutual needling became increasingly uncomfortable. Eventually, they began to distance themselves one from the other, scattering in the forest only to end up alone and frozen. Many died.
It soon became clear that they would have to choose between solitary deaths in the freezing wilderness and the discomfort of being needled by their companions’ quills when they banded together.
Wisely, they decided to return to the huddle. They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their fellows, in order to benefit from the collective heat they generated as a group. In this way they were able to survive."
They huddled close to each other, covered and protected from the elements, and warmed by their collective body heat. But their prickly quills proved to be a bit of a problem in close proximity – they poked and stabbed each other, wounding their closest companions. The warmth was wonderful, but the mutual needling became increasingly uncomfortable. Eventually, they began to distance themselves one from the other, scattering in the forest only to end up alone and frozen. Many died.
It soon became clear that they would have to choose between solitary deaths in the freezing wilderness and the discomfort of being needled by their companions’ quills when they banded together.
Wisely, they decided to return to the huddle. They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their fellows, in order to benefit from the collective heat they generated as a group. In this way they were able to survive."
Finally, having written about colouring in last week's blog post, it transpires that this simple and relaxing past-time is fast becoming the "next big thing". Who knew I was so on trend?!! Click here to read an article that was published in the Times last week about the very book I'm colouring.
Have a Happy Easter!
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