SMALL TOWN YOGINI

January is the perfect time to recognize the importance of self care in your life and how it relates to your resolutions, goals, and your upcoming year. Does your resolution honor taking the best care of you?

My year has surely started off with a BANG. I love the holidays and the break from my normal schedule, but I am always excited to get back to my routine. Getting off my schedule brings me way out of balance... I don’t go to bed on time, I don’t get up on time, and I don’t do the things that I truly need to do to bring about balance in my life, like yoga, prayer time, meditation time, etc. Once I get back in my normal rhythm I feel a million times better.I know I'm not the only one. I've heard many friends echo this sentiment lately, so when my yoga classes started back up a couple of weeks ago, I decided our theme for the month of January would be self care (with intentions and yoga flows to reinforce it). Not only because we are all regrouping from the hectic holidays, but also because January is seen by most people as a fresh start and a new chance. Resolutions and goals are set by most. Therefore, January is the perfect time to recognize the importance of self care and how it relates to your resolutions, goals, and your upcoming year.

Whatever goal or resolution you’ve set for 2018, self care surely goes right along with it. Whether it’s starting a new habit, cutting a bad habit, working toward a promotion, having a big adventure, or a goal for better health, self care and well being are at the heart of that.

So… (ahem) even if you may have already dropped the ball on your resolution, you can always hit “reset” and try again. Every day is a new chance, not just January 1st. The worst thing you can do is get discouraged and give up. {Side note: if you've already messed up your resolution, you’re not alone. A common statistic is that 80% of New Year’s Resolutions fail by February! Yikes.}

Let’s instead cut ourselves some slack when life (or our goals) prove to be more difficult than we predicted. Hold your resolution up to the lens of self care and make sure they are in harmony. Here’s an example: Eating healthy. That’s in harmony. Crash dieting. That’s not in harmony.

Again, does your resolution honor taking the best care of you?

Look, I don’t have it all figured out but you have to make the time for y-o-u. I know you’re busy. You may have 3 kids, a full time job, 10 committee roles, endless household tasks, pets, other family members to take of and even volunteer some on the weekends. (Whew!!) But.... it’s not noble to neglect yourself while bending over backwards to care for others. If you’re not at your best, then you’re probably falling short for the ones you care for as well. Caring for yourself means so many things, including: staying healthy, staying balanced, investing in yourself, being compassionate with yourself, getting enough rest, protecting yourself from unnecessary stress or anxiety, and doing things that bring you joy and recharge you. More simply worded, it’s taking care of your physical self, your mental self, and your spiritual self. I struggle with it all the time, which is why I’m writing about it. It’s a constant process and it will look different for everyone.

I’ll leave you with this thought that I use in classes super often and year-round:
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​The first line is actually a quote from Danielle Laporte. I just love that she uses the word “responsibility” here, don't you? Here’s a quick 1 minute read (linked here) by her about this topic.Finally, if you want to read a little more specifically on this topic, here’s a really great link from a licensed Counselling Psychologist with some action steps and ideas for you to make caring for yourself a reality.

Ok--  let's go make the effort to be our best selves in 2018!
Love & Light.