I've learned over the years (by trial an error and from advice of great friends) that it's important to make taking care of myself a daily practice. Luckily this is sort of yoga right? A daily practice that helps us take care of ourselves. I've been thinking lately about what I actually do. I know I need to take care of myself, but how? I've been thinking about it since I gave my speech "The Voices in My Head," which I shared in my last post. I received some feedback after I gave the speech where someone wanted me to go further and share how I stop listening to the negative voices and start listening to the positive voices. Good point right? Whats the use of inspiration without tangible action items. How do we actually cultivate those opposite and positive thoughts?
Molly, my Seattle yoga teacher, always talks about daily practices so I've tried to incorporate some daily practices into my life. Some I do better at than others, some I do more often than others, some have become ingrained in my daily life and some take more effort. It's a matter of scheduling in positivity.
Some examples:
- I allow myself time to read and write at the coffee shop or in the hammock at least once a week
- I have an affirmation letter I wrote to myself on yoga teacher training framed on my nightstand so that it's the first and last thing I see every day.
- I have a quote on my to-do lit that says "dreams don't work unless you do" to remind me when I get discouraged why I'm doing what I'm doing
- I try to always be reading something educational or inspirational whether it's The Meditations of John Muir or something like the book "Start" that I'm reading right now.
- I keep my yoga mat accessible and have a space in my office always cleared and ready
- I have a place where I sit and meditate and some guided meditation recordings on my computer for when I need extra help
- I started using the Insight Timer to track meditation time, it's awesomely motivating!
- I write love notes to my husband and friends to remind myself and them why I love them so much
- I try to make time for exercise, baths, eating healthy... all those things that make us feel good
Another random one which sparked this post. I get a daily insights in my e-mail from yoga journal. Sometimes they get deleted and sometimes they are on the exact topic I've been thinking about all week. Or they are about a pose or poses that I've been wanting to teach in my yoga classes. Today, the insight was about dharma... which I write and think about a lot and have even named a peak after! Hence the blog title "Climbing Dharma Peak." For better or for worse, Yoga Journal is great at catering to the general yoga audience. At its worst, this means a lot of yoga pants and products that make me feel like I need to spend money. At its best, there are often very clear and easy to understand ways of talking about things. Descriptions without a lot of jargon or intangible concepts. Here's an note on dharma:
"Your personal dharma is the path you follow toward the highest expression of your own nature—and toward the fulfillment of your responsibilities to yourself, to others, to your society, and to the planet. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna often speaks of dharma as something inborn, a life calling that each of us has been given and from which we depart at our peril. But he also uses the word to mean right action, and for most of us, personal dharma comes down to that most basic question: What is the right thing for me to do now? Or, given my nature, my skills, and my personal preferences, what actions should I take to support the greater good?"
So, now I am passing along the encouragement that I received:
I hope you remember and can find ways to recharge yourself each day or at least each week. Perhaps ask yourself: What is the right thing for me to do now? Or what actions can I take?
No comments:
Post a Comment