Honoring Myself with 30 Days of Yoga
Hello love!
Last month, I woke up one day feeling sluggish. Weight training seemed too much for my body and it was raining and I didn’t feel like running. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath in and asked, “What do I need today?” and heard “yoga!” As soon as I rolled out my mat and sat in stillness, I felt a sudden calm wash over my body. I decided to do a gentle heart activation practice to open and stretch my body enough but not push to fatigue. It set the tone for the rest of my day to be more open, present and decisions seemed to flow with ease. At the end of day 1, I decided that I will honor my body to show up on my mat everyday for the next 30 days.
Yoga is a practice, which focuses on bringing harmony between mind and body. It is an art and science of healthy living. The word 'Yoga' is derived from the Sanskrit root 'Yuj', meaning 'to join', 'to yoke' or 'to unite'. As I embarked on my yoga journey, I kept a journal for the next month and below are some of the things that I witnessed for myself:
On a few days I was sweating through Vinyasa flows, but majority of the days my body craved the inward practice of gentle, yin, restorative and mostly stillness. Sometimes I showed up for a 15 minute breath-work, and that was exactly what I needed.
As I began each day with my eyes closed and asking the question, “How can I honor you today?” The answers usually showed up with words or sensations in my body in the form of, “peace”, “self-love”, “gratitude”, “root”. I was able to honor those asks with a practice which incorporated movement, affirmations and mantras tailored to what I needed in that moment.
I connected with all parts of self on a deeper level. As I continued to show up everyday, I began to notice things that I didn’t before. For instance, my body holds the most tension on the outside of my hips, lower back, neck and shoulders. In return, each day, a little bit more focus was on those areas and my body reciprocated with surrender and profound gratitude.
I was able to leave anything that was not serving me on the mat. At times I showed up physically and/or emotionally exhausted and I felt my mat became a place of solace absorbing the mind exhaustion and stiffness from my body.
Honoring myself created a ripple effect on all areas of my life. I felt much calmer throughout the day, I slept through the night, my digestion improved, I ate healthier, I became more present, alive and all of me enjoyed the slower pace.
In conclusion, 30 days of yoga felt like 30 days of self care for my mind, body & spirit. I will continue to listen to what I need and incorporate that in my daily routine. I invite you to do the same – asking “how can I honor myself today?”
Sending so much love and blessings,
Dena