Blog by Monica Young
Every time you step into a yoga class, you commit your time to a mindful practice of movement and breath with the intention of being fully present throughout the entirety of the session. By allowing yourself this space for self care, you develop techniques to maintain this mental well-being that you can take with you off your mat.
By using our yoga practice as a metaphor for life, we can slow down, breathe, and dedicate moments to ourselves throughout the day regardless if we are physically in a yoga studio or not. When we move through challenging poses, we use our breath as a guide, allowing us to deepen into the posture until it is time to move onto the next. Much like in our everyday lives, when we face stressful or uncomfortable situations, we can be mindful of how we choose to respond, before we mindlessly react. Working through these internal and external obstacles with a clear mind helps us remember that every challenging pose is temporary, as are life’s curveballs.
It’s too easy for the mind to kidnap us throughout the day when we’re fulfilling daily obligations. When we bring the awareness to the breath, we rid ourselves of any commentary, judgments, or stories the brain tries to feed us. We allow ourselves to take a step back, and detach from whatever it is that is not serving us in that moment. This technique of disconnecting from the external world, bringing our minds back to stillness and calm can be done anywhere, anytime.
This method is always available – it’s just up to us when to opt for it. Just like we set aside time for our friends, family, and social events, perhaps we could regularly set aside time to practice self care. Whether that means attending a yoga class once a week, meditating 5 minutes a day, or occasionally closing your eyes during your work day to focus on a round of deep breathing, find some time to make space for yourself. We all have responsibilities and obligations that need tending to… they can wait ❤
Join Monica every Sunday for Sol Yoga Flow at 11am at Solshine Yoga! ig: _monicayoung