From Guest Contributor Mrs. Tisha Downing
February is the month of couples, and we are all ready for Valentine’s or Galentine’s Day or just happy to be single because we don’t have to be coupled up to know our worth anymore, this is 2023, we don’t need a significant other to validate us anymore all we need is US! Right? Of course, I’m right but, we need to take care of us first and foremost, self-care is very important, especially in this day and age. Face it we are more busier than ever, Covid slowed us down for a minute, but we are all back at it like we didn’t skip a beat. With that being said we still need to slow down at times for ourselves like we did during those Covid months. We did a lot of self-care then and we need to get back to it. Yoga can and should become a part of your weekly self-care routine. How many of you put there have heard if from your doctors? Raise your hand. I see you. I get it, you have no idea why yoga will help and why your doctor wants you to be a “hippie”, right? You’re not alone and hopefully I will open your eyes a little bit more and make you feel a little bit more comfortable so you’ll be willing to take your first yoga class and let your doctor know that your on your way to enlightenment.
Yoga is an amazing self-care tool, it can promote and teach compassion, empathy, discipline, kindness, and teach us how to be more mindful of ourselves and our bodies, which is more difficult than it seems. Mostly due to us pushing ourselves way beyond our limits, yoga allows us to set more boundaries for ourselves and gives us permission to enforce said boundaries without guilt.
Yoga helps us to reduce stress through meditation, whether its quiet meditation or meditation through movement, which is my favorite. I love walking meditation, it allows me to focus more and after a walking meditation I feel so much better, more focused. I am ready to conquer the rest of my day. Meditation can be a little scary for some people, being quiet and sitting still for 30 minutes at a time, no way! First of all, let’s take baby steps, try meditating for 30 seconds, then see how that feels, then increase the time. And so on. If you never get past 1 minute then that’s fine, that’s why there’s different types of meditation, it’s not a one size fits all. See what fits you best and for my friends out there who have an issue with meditating, I have had someone in my class say they think meditating was ‘Evil’, I told them then go ahead and pray. It’s YOUR practice. I’m just guiding you on your journey. No reason to stress over anything. See, its that simple. Remember we are here to reduce stress, not add to your stress levels.
Pranayama, which is breathing, is also considered a form of yoga. Something you can do anywhere. You can download an app, find some videos on YouTube, just about anywhere nowadays. Just take a few minutes out of your day to start breathing mindfully. Breathing deeply is known to decrease anxiety and increase relaxation. When I’m having a hectic day, I do incorporate breathing techniques, and they do help immensely.
Yoga helps build muscle strength. Before you know it, you will start to gain muscle, which we all know muscle burns fat, which leads to weight loss. I’m sure weight loss was someone’s resolution this year, and yes you can lose weight with yoga.
Yoga has taught me humility; I know that’s not something you see often but it’s true. I, myself have learned that the older I get, I can still do certain, more difficult poses, but they will put a strain on my body the next day, in other words, pain. So, I’ve learned that just because I can do a certain pose, will it serve my body the next day to do it? The answer is no. So, there’s no need for me to do that pose. Humility. Self-Care.
So, you see, yoga is self-care. You just have to try it and not believe in the stereo-types you see on social media, and give it a try. No matter what your weight, shape, ethnicity, age, flexibility, wealth, religion, or even if you are wheel chair bound, or can’t leave your house, yoga is for you. Yoga is self-care and accessible for everybody. There is a yoga class out there along with an instructor that can help guide you on your journey, so what are you waiting for? Come on over to the enlightened side, trust me you’ll be happy you did. Namaste-
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