I've just returned from a weekend away and, even after a short break, coming back home to the chores was hard. Yoga always helps. Getting out of my head and back into the body is a good thing. Breathing, moving, meditation, gratitude practice and mindful attention bring me back to the present moment and remind me that, rather than futilely wishing that I was back on my relaxing weekend, there are wonderful moments to be found right here and now.
Herefordshire Heaven
This article came to my attention today, and it was just what I needed to read. I thought it would be a good one to share as so many of us have been (or are going) away over the summer and might experience the post-holiday blues:
How To Stay Sane After Returning From Your Vacation by Katie Devine via mindbodygreen.com
I recently spent two glorious weeks on vacation in Italy, my longest trip since I started working full time more than ten years ago. I began the trip at a yoga retreat in Tuscany with some of my closest friends; headed south to the picturesque Amalfi Coast for some relaxation at the beach; rounded out the vacation with few days amidst the ruins and history in Rome. I laughed, I sang, I indulged, I swam, I read, I relaxed, I explored, and I cherished and enjoyed every moment in my grandfather’s homeland.
And then I came home.
Before I was ready (would I ever have been ready?), the shock of being back home, back to reality, hit me like a bottle of Chianti to the face. Re-entry was brutal. Jet lag, separation from my friends, feeling both overwhelmed and underwhelmed by my life in California…it all added up to a difficult week. I did what I could to make the process easier, and found that these seven things were saviors in improving my mood and saving my sanity:
1. Give yourself time to decompress.
If you can, take an extra day off before returning to work. Or consider coming home a day earlier so you have a day to slowly re-enter. Unpack, do laundry, grocery shop. Nothing too stressful, but taking care of some of these chores right away will make you feel better prepared to return to routine. Don't overbook your first day or two back if you don’t have to. You will be fighting jet lag and post-vacation blues; try not to make your day even more challenging.
2. Get back on your regular sleep schedule as soon as possible — plus a few extra hours.
Oh jet lag… your new companion. It may be tempting to pass out as soon as you land, but if you can stay awake until close to your normal bedtime, you'll be more likely to sleep completely through the night and not be wide awake at 4 a.m. To combat jet lag, try to add a little additional time to your sleeping for the first week or so. If you normally feel rested after seven hours, aim for eight. Melatonin helped me normalize my sleeping patterns more quickly.
3. Save the cleanse for the next week.
OK, so maybe you ate your weight in cheese and washed it down with wine at every meal (No? Just me?). So maybe your clothes are a little more snug than usual. Nothing brings you crashing down from your vacation high faster than complete deprivation of everything you enjoyed so liberally while you were away. Before you jump into your seven-day juice detox program, start slowly by re-introducing more greens and lean proteins while limiting sugar and starches. Don’t completely cut everything you enjoy out of your diet immediately. Likewise, it may not be the best time to amp up your fitness routine. Save the boot camp for next week and focus on just getting your body moving with walks or gentle yoga.
4. Treat yourself to something you didn't while you were away.
A manicure at your favorite local spot. A new movie you've been dying to see. A free outdoor summer concert in your neighborhood. Happy hour with your best friend. Something that makes you remember why you love your real life, and why you choose to live it every day.
5. Spend time with people you love.
Nothing can snap you out of a bad mood like being with the people who make you feel good, who make you laugh, you remind you of who you are. Surround yourself with positive energy and it will rub off on you. Bonus — you get to tell them all about your incredible holiday!
6. But then ... take a break from re-living your trip over and over.
You’ve uploaded your pictures to Facebook. You’ve scrolled through all of your travel companions’ albums. You’ve watched all of the videos. All you want is to go back in time and do it all over again. Stop torturing yourself. Take a break from remembering the amazing things you did while you were away. You can always return to your memories when you're feeling less fragile. Instead, look for at least five beautiful things in your life every day. Take pictures of them, acknowledge them, and watch as you become more present in your everyday life again.
7. Start planning your next trip!
Having something exciting to look forward to can help reduce the feelings of regret that this trip has ended. It doesn’t have to be the international trip of a lifetime; it could just be a Saturday road trip to the next town. Just putting something on your calendar that makes you smile in anticipation will help get you through the worst of the re-entry process.
After 10 days at home, I'm finally starting to feel like myself again. Going easy on myself, and allowing myself the time to readjust has made all of the difference to me.
There's so much more to yoga than the physical practice. We practice the postures (asanas), do our breathing practices and touch on meditation in class but the philosophy and history of yoga is, for the most part, a matter for self-study.
I thought I'd do a new series of short articles which will aim to give you some insight into how yoga has evolved over the centuries, and introduce you to some of the great teachers who have influenced it.
We'll start at the beginning with Patanjali. Well nearly the beginning - about 2200 years ago - which is when the sage Patanjali is thought to have lived. Not much is known about Patanjali except that he probably lived somewhere in north western India and wrote the Yoga Sutra - a collection of 196 statements (sutras) about yoga which are still used as guidelines for both practice and life to this day.
The Sutra outlines the eight limbs of yoga: the yamas (restraints), niyamas (observances), asana (postures), pranayama (breathing), pratyahara (withdrawal of senses), dharana (concentration), dhyani (meditation), and samadhi (absorption/enlightenment). These eight limbs show us how we can adjust our behaviour to live a peaceful and contented life. If you're interested in finding out a bit more about the yamas you can take a look here at a post I wrote some time ago.
Although the life of Patanjali is shrouded in mystery one thing is certain, the Yoga Sutra is an authentic text and is the fundamental definition of yoga philosophy. It is on the reading list of every trainee yoga teacher but it makes for a challenging read as it is written in a very condensed way - some of the sutras are not even sentences, but phrases. Many translations have been written over the years (there are 15 different ones available at www.yogamatters.com!) and it has been expanded and commented upon so that it makes more sense to us as we begin our journey exploring the path of yoga.
We'll start at the beginning with Patanjali. Well nearly the beginning - about 2200 years ago - which is when the sage Patanjali is thought to have lived. Not much is known about Patanjali except that he probably lived somewhere in north western India and wrote the Yoga Sutra - a collection of 196 statements (sutras) about yoga which are still used as guidelines for both practice and life to this day.
The Sutra outlines the eight limbs of yoga: the yamas (restraints), niyamas (observances), asana (postures), pranayama (breathing), pratyahara (withdrawal of senses), dharana (concentration), dhyani (meditation), and samadhi (absorption/enlightenment). These eight limbs show us how we can adjust our behaviour to live a peaceful and contented life. If you're interested in finding out a bit more about the yamas you can take a look here at a post I wrote some time ago.
Although the life of Patanjali is shrouded in mystery one thing is certain, the Yoga Sutra is an authentic text and is the fundamental definition of yoga philosophy. It is on the reading list of every trainee yoga teacher but it makes for a challenging read as it is written in a very condensed way - some of the sutras are not even sentences, but phrases. Many translations have been written over the years (there are 15 different ones available at www.yogamatters.com!) and it has been expanded and commented upon so that it makes more sense to us as we begin our journey exploring the path of yoga.
So that's Patanjali. The father of yoga if you like, without who's wise text our yoga practice and life might be a little flat and not the multi-dimensional, mind, body and soul-filling experience we know and love.
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| The wisdom of Patanjali's Sutras |
Recipe for Avocado Smash
I made this recipe for a supper with friends last week. It was completely delicious and very healthy so I'm sharing it with you too. I hope you enjoy it.
You will need:
20g cashew nuts
20g hazelnuts
1 tsp sunflower seeds
1 tsp white sesame seeds
1 tsp black sesame seeds (I didn't have these so I left them out)
2 ripe avocados
Juice of 1 lemon
4 fresh chives, finely chopped
50g lentil sprouts (you can buy sprouting seeds in most supermarkets and greengrocers now)
Salt and pepper
Chopped fresh coriander
Lime wedges
How it’s made:
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.
- Spread all the nuts and seeds out on a baking tin and toast in the heated oven for 5 minutes until golden. Tip them into a mortar and lightly crush with the pestle. Set aside.
- Cut the avocados in half and remove the stones, then scoop out the flesh and put it in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice, chives and some salt and pepper and crush with a fork. You want to create a creamy but chunky texture. Add the lentil sprouts and mix through.
- Add the crushed nuts and seeds to the avocado mix. Serve sprinkled with coriander and with wedges of lime to squeeze over.
The following article is from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy's website:
Yoga works for rehab, says NHS orthopaedic physio
Yoga can motivate people with musculoskeletal (MSK) problems to self-manage and understand their condition, according to physiotherapist Sarah Shone. The advanced practitioner in orthopaedics and MSK at Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Trust in Wigan has been using yoga to help her patients for three years.
Yoga can motivate people with musculoskeletal (MSK) problems to self-manage and understand their condition, according to physiotherapist Sarah Shone. The advanced practitioner in orthopaedics and MSK at Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Trust in Wigan has been using yoga to help her patients for three years.
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| Sarah Shone won an innovation award in March |
‘The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommendations for the management of low back pain are movement instruction, muscle strengthening, postural control and stretching. Yoga meets all of these,’ she said.
In 2012 the trust funded Ms Shone’s training as a yoga instructor, after she presented the benefits of yoga-based therapy to an ‘innovation panel’ of senior managers. She went on to develop yoga classes for groups and individuals whose lack of flexibility affected their physical health. ‘Typically they have six sessions of yoga, and then they’re discharged into self-management, or referred to a local exercise scheme,’ she said.
In addition, yoga, Pilates and cardiovascular training have been incorporated into the trust’s rehabilitation programme for people with back pain. The aim, Ms Shone said, was to introduce people to different types of exercise so they could see which ones suited them best. A lot of people with chronic conditions give up on exercise, she said. ‘So the programme aims to address the lack responsibility that people assume for their own MSK health.’
In 2014 Ms Shone conducted a survey of 15 patients who attended a six session course of yoga. The results showed that nearly 87 per cent either ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ that their pain had improved on completion of the course. Two patients said their pain was unchanged. The survey also showed that 87 per cent of patients found it easier to complete daily activities after the course, while 13 per cent reported no change in their functional abilities.
In March Ms Shone won the trust’s annual award for an outstanding contribution to innovation, in recognition of her yoga scheme. She is keen to raise awareness about the benefits of yoga among physios and said there are plans to set up a specialist interest group for the profession.
And finally, an inspiring video of one young chef's project to reduce waste and feed the hungry:
In 2012 the trust funded Ms Shone’s training as a yoga instructor, after she presented the benefits of yoga-based therapy to an ‘innovation panel’ of senior managers. She went on to develop yoga classes for groups and individuals whose lack of flexibility affected their physical health. ‘Typically they have six sessions of yoga, and then they’re discharged into self-management, or referred to a local exercise scheme,’ she said.
In addition, yoga, Pilates and cardiovascular training have been incorporated into the trust’s rehabilitation programme for people with back pain. The aim, Ms Shone said, was to introduce people to different types of exercise so they could see which ones suited them best. A lot of people with chronic conditions give up on exercise, she said. ‘So the programme aims to address the lack responsibility that people assume for their own MSK health.’
In 2014 Ms Shone conducted a survey of 15 patients who attended a six session course of yoga. The results showed that nearly 87 per cent either ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ that their pain had improved on completion of the course. Two patients said their pain was unchanged. The survey also showed that 87 per cent of patients found it easier to complete daily activities after the course, while 13 per cent reported no change in their functional abilities.
In March Ms Shone won the trust’s annual award for an outstanding contribution to innovation, in recognition of her yoga scheme. She is keen to raise awareness about the benefits of yoga among physios and said there are plans to set up a specialist interest group for the profession.
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| Sarah Shone leading a Workout at Work Day session at Bridgewater Trust |
And finally, an inspiring video of one young chef's project to reduce waste and feed the hungry:
