|
|
|
|
Hi there,
How are you? I hope you’re doing well!
I want to thank each of you who responded to our survey a month or so ago. I’ve been thinking about your responses ever since.
One of the big things that emerged from the survey is the challenge of creating and maintaining a sustainable yoga and body acceptance practice. As I read more and more of your responses, I just kept nodding my head so emphatically. Because YES -- oh my goodness, it is so challenging. Story of my life for sure.
And also -- sustainability is everything.
Because I know that in my own life, I can get excited about starting almost anything. That’s the fun part, right? When everything is possible, when you’ve followed the productivity experts’ advice and inked in your yoga practice on your calendar, when you’ve planned to check in with your body at set periods of the day so you can see how you’re feeling and respond accordingly. Go time.
But then -- (insert sound of record screeching to a halt here)...
Life happens.
The baby is sick. You have ten extra things on your desk before you even sit down at work. You have a headache. It’s a beautiful day and you’d just rather not. You’re tired and the last thing you want is to feel your feelings. The negative voices are louder than ever. You. Just. Can’t. Even. On any of it. What feels like ever.
So you sigh and tell yourself that maybe this -- this yoga thing, this body acceptance thing -- isn’t for you after all.
Sound familiar?
It’s only vaguely familiar to me. I mean, I’ve only been through it approximately 75,839 times (in the last six months), so I can’t say I know it too well yet, but I’m sure I’m on my way. ;)
Here’s what I know to be true: When we tell ourselves something like, “I will practice yoga 60 minutes per day, 5 days per week, at a moderate to intense pace, starting Monday morning,” it sounds a little too familiar to those of us who have a history of dieting. You know what I mean? It’s yet another framework we’re trying to impose on ourselves from outside, holding ourselves to it even on days when it makes no sense or beating ourselves up when we don’t.
So what does work? I think it’s keeping things simple and being in rhythm and conversation with ourselves on an ongoing basis, similar to Intuitive Eating and Health at Every Size. In that rhythm, there are naturally seasons and cycles to our practices, both of yoga and body acceptance -- sometimes longer, others shorter; sometimes less physically intense, others more; sometimes quicker, others slower; sometimes easeful, others seemingly impossible; sometimes not on our minds, others second nature.
And here's the biggest question of all: Why does it matter? Some days I feel like -- meh, oh well, when my practices aren't as regular as I'd like them to be. And certainly, there are more important things in life. But what I find for myself is that it's harder to remember those more important things when I'm not practicing yoga regularly. And it's particularly hard to remember how to best support and care for myself because I'm further away from myself when I'm not regularly on my mat and checking in with myself.
Because in addition to all the physical, mental and emotional benefits of yoga (which are many), the primary benefit I see to a regular yoga and body acceptance practice is that it can become your touchstone, your unshakable center, your reminder of your inherent wholeness and enoughness.
And I don't know about you, but I think we need as many of us who are rooted down deep in ourselves as possible because it's from that place that we can move into our worlds and show up how we want to.
Want to give it a try? I’m cooking up some ways for us to play together here in these emails and elsewhere. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, try asking yourself one of my favorite questions that helps me get in this mindset: What could (not should!) my yoga practice be today? I find there’s always something when I ask myself what I could do, because I could always take a few deep breaths, reach my arms overhead, do a twist at my desk, check in with my body, or whatever else opens up when I ask myself from that perspective.
Hope the rest of your week is lovely!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
