Get your spark back strategy

Ward off winter woes and be super resilient into spring

Seems appropriate to throw some fireworks into this week’s blog with a question.

Here it is…

Have you lost your sparkle?

If you have, through illness, fatigue, stress, or any other cause, you’ll recognise the symptoms.

1. Maybe you’re not exactly having the time of your life.
2. You probably have little energy, feel tired all the time.
3. You’ve stopped doing all the crazy stuff you used to love doing or when you do, it’s not so effortless as it was.
4. You feel like you’re not winning at life.
5. You’re not showing up or performing at your best.
6. You’ve got used to simply going through the motions.

This is not a good picture, agreed?

No one enjoys a dud firework. We want pop, sparkle, fizz and maybe a bang with that 😉 Well I do…and I want the same from my life. Don’t you? It’s not just me, right?

Losing your spark is not a medical condition but if you’re experiencing the symptoms, I’d pay attention as if it was. Why?

Let me introduce you to the fricking amazing early warning system that is your… BODY/MIND/SOUL.

Say hello, be nice and start listening to what this trio is saying. Together they are quite literally talking to you ALL… THE… TIME.

It starts with whispers (which, by the way, is why yoga and meditation is so big on finding stillness and silence – you need to turn the external noise down sometimes to hear it).

And, it’s also why your yoga teacher’s instruction to ‘tune in’ is more than just a cliché that you either take or leave.

Ok now you get why it’s good to get still and listen, you’ll maybe be quicker to notice a degree of disturbance, aggravation, or sense of not feeling ‘right’. And you might interpret this as being:

• ‘Under the weather’
• Off colour
• Sore, achy and tired.

But, I’m afraid listening is not enough. Now it’s time to act, and act swiftly.

Think you don’t have time? Then think again.

Oh dear, this is when things can fall apart, because some of us just haven’t got time for this do we?

• We are way, way to busy, being busy to stop or put anything down and sort these niggles out right now. Correct?

• We are way, way too addicted to the action of doing, getting things done, or crossing some finish line, deadline. Sound true to you?

• We can’t deal with this now because someone else has got to come first. Am I right?

 So, what happens?

We put it off, we wait for any niggles to go away, we ignore, or stick our fingers in our ears.

Now are you a grown-up adult? Does this sound sensible to you?

I’m not here to ridicule or make anyone feel dumb, but to me this doesn’t make sense…no sense at all. You can ignore the whispers of the body and soul at your peril. Ok, a little OTT, but then again, maybe not.

You see, I’m all about living the life I love with a body that will let me do it, for longer. That means colds, flu, niggles, aches, low energy, feeling off, is all stuff that’s going to get in the way of that goal.

So, I want to be one step-ahead and doing what I can as soon as I can to figure out (A) What’s throwing me off balance, and (B) How to course correct and bring health back.

I do that (and you can do that) by tuning into your body through yoga and meditation. It’s always the starting point, but I’ll give you more than that. Here’s a little more of the nitty gritty.

 You need awareness and alignment.

This is the point where I get to translate the beautiful practice of yoga off the mat and catapult it right into your ‘real world’.

YOUR YOGA STEP BY STEP STRATEGY

I give you a yoga strategy for warding off winter woes. Start here to step into spring super resilient.

• Step 1.

Live a life in harmony with nature, and the way nature made yer. A yoga-inspired lifestyle is the antidote to stress (stress weakens your immune system by the way).  I started a conversation on this in A Yogi Guide to Riding Seasonal Tides, so jump in and read that here.

• Step 2.

When you get the first whispers of discontent. Pay attention. If your throat feels puffy, your head is stuffy and you’re tired all the time. STOP. This is your cue to course correct and start planning some self-care time, BEFORE something more takes hold.

• Step 3.  Support your immune system, which you find in the following areas of your beautiful physiology.

1. Nose and throat

Drink soothing teas. Ginger and lemon are great but my new ‘go to’ is fresh red grapefruit and honey.

2. Lymphatic system

Move things along and encourage elimination with a massage or dry brushing. Yoga poses that incorporate twists also do the job for you here.

3. Circulatory system

Exercise and get the blood flowing (choose a yoga practice that will get the heart pumping a little).

4. Digestive system

Take a good look at how you’re fuelling your body…I don’t just mean lay off the cakes, chocolate and wine. What does your emotional diet consist of? Meditation can help with calming the mind so you can respond better to situations that trigger unwelcome or uncomfortable feelings. This will keep you out of your stress response (which as I mentioned before, weakens your immunity).

There you have it. First you get still, pay attention and listen to the whispers of the body. If something’s up you stop, and course correct with some self-care practices that include yoga and meditation.

You become your body’s ally, supporting your immune system as it fights off invaders like bacteria and viruses. Thanks to all that, you become less susceptible to illness. You’ll find you’ll shake off annoying colds and coughs off sooner. And that means you’ll be free to enjoy all the things you love doing and perform at your best more often.

Groovy, right?

How to keep on track

Make a date with your mat today. Your health and wellbeing is your daily concern, your number one priority. If you need help with keeping on track, you like what I’m saying, and you want more of the same, I’m your yoga go-to-gal. Come and join me in class. I’ll make you super welcome.

If you’re not ready for that yet, make sure you’ll continue to get this newsletter. The sign up is at the bottom of my website home page. If it’s easier just drop me an email and I’ll get you in.

I’m truly here to share what I know and love about a yoga life, so send in your questions, feedback, experiences. I love these conversations and can’t wait to talk to you more.

Thanks for listening (keep that up).;)

I am aligned baby. Go tweet this. Namaste.

Josie