Take Your Practice to the Next Level
Updated: Mar 30, 2022
The most important part of your personal practice is holding yourself accountable.
It means showing up on AND off of your yoga mat with integrity, as the person you'd like to be. Your ideal self. This is a great opportunity for you to ask yourself who you really are and what you represent. If you're into journalling, this is a wonderful prompt.
Yoga is so much more than the asanas (postures). It's more than the act of moving your body in bendy ways.
Sometimes yoga means sitting in stillness and quiet. It can be the sheer act of living mindfully in any given moment, or being kind to yourself and others. Even something so simple as holding the door for a stranger without the expectation of receiving a 'thank you' is yoga. Think about all the times you've cursed another driver on the road for driving differently, or slightly inconveniencing you. Yoga means accepting the things beyond your control, and not holding onto them. It's staying present.
The truth is, taking your practice to the next level is difficult work. It requires consistency and a lot of honesty.
So Where Do I Start?
Start by choosing you. If you have a difficult time holding yourself accountable, find yourself an accountability partner. Here are some tips on where to begin:
MOVEMENT
Begin a consistent yoga practice - a minimum of 3 times per week.
Weight training if that feels authentic to you.
Go on daily walks or hikes.
LIFESTYLE
Manage your stress load. Focus on what you do have control over rather than what you don't. Try not to sweat the small stuff.
Maintain a proper (regular) sleep schedule.
Drink lots of water.
Eat proper, nourishing meals.
SOOTHE PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
Meditation
Prayer
Singing or chanting
Humming
MINDFULNESS
Be kind to yourself and others.
Practice patience.
Change what you can, and accept what you cannot.
Let go of grudges and apologize when you're wrong.
Surround yourself with loving and caring people.
Set goals for yourself.
Honour your truth. Recognize when you act out of character.
You don't need to start doing all of these things at once. They are merely ideas that I hope will plant seeds in your mind and heart. This is quite the journey you're in for. Buckle up, because it'll likely be an emotional ride - thrilling, tiring, and everything in between.
I send you so much love,
Kristina