How do we resuscitate our Yoga practice?

The beauty of practice is that it’s about progress, not perfection. My students hear me say that phrase a lot, because I’ve been through the ebbs and flows with my Yoga practice over the last two and a half decades. I speak from experience. When I first found Yoga in 1998, I was a young nineteen year old woman with a lot of anxiety, who was on a quest for Self realization. Over the years, and like everyone else, I’ve allowed myself to be pulled into a million directions, get frazzled, bogged-down, and depleted. Then I remember the way to inner peace and contentment is through my breathing, meditation, and Yoga practice. The next thing I know, those million and one overwhelming things that had me feeling confused are manageable, and the solution is clear. We forget and then we remember.

People put so many expectations on themselves and so much pressure. When life feels overwhelming, we seize up. This is the “Contraction” that ebbs us from our center, and I think it’s important to go through these phases, so that we can remember what consistently works for us in times of difficulty. Feeling that disconnection is the motivation to make necessary changes. When we crave harmony badly enough, we will take action to transform. The willingness gives us the opportunity to revisit our practice with humility, gratitude and love. From that heart-centered place we experience an “Expansion” and flow back to the center of our being where obstacles dissolve.

How do we get through our stress?

Get out of your head for a moment, and get outside.

Go on a walk by yourself or with friends. Talk about what’s going on with someone safe who cares about your well being, who will listen, and offer sound advice if you want it. If you’re by yourself you can journal in the form of Free Writing to let your thoughts surface and flow honestly. I love this journaling prompt and use it often, because I find the solutions after I finish venting, and this allows me to relax. We often have the answers we seek inside of us. We just have to remove the mental clutter of worry, so that we can find it.

Once we have found the solution to our immediate stressor, we can begin to take care of ourselves.

How do you need to move?

How has this stress been impacting your physical body? If you haven’t practiced Yoga in awhile, perhaps there’s some extra padding on the body, or aches and pains from holding the tightness of worry, then you’re going to want to start moving gently. There are many styles of Yoga. This is why Yoga is for every body type. It is a practice that will meet you where you’re at in life. It’s accessible to all people, whether you start from bed, in a chair, or on a Yoga mat.

You can start practicing in three ways:

1. Hire a Yoga Teacher or a Yoga Therapist to work with you 1:1 to create a personalized approach based on your needs. Commit to 3-5 classes so you can see your progress over time, and gain tools to modify your practice in a group or individualized setting. Check out my Private Yoga packages HERE
2. Find a local class that offers a beginner class with an emphasis on Yoga Foundations to revisit the basics of breath and postural alignment
3. Practice from home so you can be in a comfortable setting where you can be vulnerable and explore your practice on your schedule and build a consistent personal practice for inner resilience. Check out my Radiant Membership

• throughout the month of December 2021 I’m offering a Promo Code to explore the Radiant Membership: radiantseason

Commit to a weekly schedule

Your schedule might be jam packed right now, but I bet if you moved a couple things around to prioritize your Self Care you would have ample time to practice Yoga and Meditation consistently. It takes three weeks to “rewrite the brain” and create new neuropathways to start a new habit.

Try this routine:

Every morning: Take three deep conscious breaths, acknowledge a few things you’re grateful for, practice Yoga for 15 minutes before breakfast

Every evening: Take ten deep conscious breaths to release the day, meditate for 5 minutes, and practice gentle Yoga for 15 minutes before bed

In conclusion, when life knocks you off your routine, it’s an opportunity to feel what’s going on and revisit the things that you know from experience bring you inner peace, connection, and harmony. Life is an ebb and flow. Look to nature for an example, from the tides, the phases of the moon, the seasons, and our mortality.

Everything comes and goes.

Nothing is permanent.

This is a reminder to be gentle with yourself, and try again.

When life feels overwhelming you have the option to slow down and tap into your Yoga practice, which is always there to support you. If you’d like to practice Yoga together 1:1 or through my monthly Radiant membership, please click HERE and reach out. I’d love to work with you and help you find inner peace and harmony, so you have Self Care tools to use for the rest of your life.

Feel like really shaking things up? Join me on one of my destination Food, Wine, and Wellness Retreats.