I love Yoga. After I practice, I get a sense of true peace and pure contentment that I simply don't find in other aspects of my life. I used to hate exercise, and started doing yoga to build overall strength and improve my flexibility. I have always been embarrassed by my lack of upper body strength and so I thought that if I started practicing yoga regularly, I might start to feel better about myself, and boy was I right.
You know, it doesn't really matter to me what you look like, because almost every woman I've ever met has picked apart her body and criticized the many things she dislikes about it. Even if she doesn't confide her insecurities to her friends, she thinks those self-depricating thoughts to herself regularly. I think it is crazy that so many of my girlfriends (all of whom I find breathtakingly beautiful) have found so many imperfections about themselves. And of course, I am not an exception.
I think the best thing to do when you feel down about yourself is to ask yourself a few questions.
1. Am I being rational?
Ask yourself if the flaw you've found in your body is a rational thing to dislike. Often times we have skewed images of ourselves, and it's not good to pick at yourself just for the sake of picking. For example, if you dislike your nose because you think it is too big, or you hate your eyes because you wish they were a different color, perhaps it's time to focus on something else. You were born with the nose and eyes and ears and (all other appendages) you have. They are uniquely yours, and you can't change them. Nor should you. Remember that you are what you focus on, and if you're focusing on something you dislike about yourself that you cannot change, work towards accepting that part of yourself so you can make room to focus on something else: Perhaps something that will make you a happier person.
2. How will changing improve my life?
We all have bad habits. Unhealthy distractions that get in the way of what really matters in life. Soda pop, fast/junk food, too much TV, too little exercise, procrastination, spending money unnecessarily, social media distractions, forgetting to floss.... these are a few of my personal bad habits ;)
We all have them, and many of the things I listed are habits of convenience, and they are so embedded into the motions of our extremely busy lives that it is quite understandable why many of our bad habits seem impossible to break. But these habits lead to unhealthy lifestyles. Fast/junk food and soda pop leads to weight gain, + little exercise, TV, + *gasp* forgetting to floss = unhealthy person, with possible cavities. And nobody wants that! If the change(s) you want to make to your body, or even better, overall lifestyle will improve your quality of life... looks like you better get on it!
Now, just because I started doing yoga doesn't mean I've cut all the bad habits out of my life. It's a journey and a process, and everything takes time. But my arms are getting stronger. And I know every time I get on my mat that I'm helping myself become a happier and healthier person, and for right now, that is good enough for me :)
So moving right along...
Lets say you want to hop on the yoga band wagon. You've been to classes regularly for a month or two, and you feel like you've got a good grip on the beginner poses. It's no secret that Yoga classes can be pricy, so you want to start practicing on your own, perhaps at your house.
"HOW DO I DO THAT!?!?!"
Until I found these sequences on the one, the only Pinterest , I was very reluctant to practicing by myself. Wracking my mind trying to remember sequences in class just seemed ridiculous. So below I've added a link to my yoga board on Pinterest where you can find some of my favorite sequences that can be practiced by anyone with a basic concept of Vinyasa Yoga.
Your yoga practice should be all about you. Find something you love that you do to better you mind, body, and spirit, everyday.
Go in Peace,
K
