…and how to better weather life’s storms – (called Brian or otherwise) 😉
Choice is your super power, it’s your ticket to getting what you want out of life.
But this week, I come to you with a teeny tiny yogi observation…aka WARNING.
What gives you your power, can also slap you back in the face with a huge dose of responsibility, confusion and doubt.
Will you make the right choice? What if you don’t? Eeek.
Suddenly you’re aware there’s a shed load of options. A million and one endless choices, from the mundane to the life-changing – and you’re in charge…cue overwhelm, stress, anxiety. Relate to these feelings at all?
In yoga perform action
So, first up, don’t panic 😉 You can meditate, do yoga, right. It’s your anchor point back to the present, which is all there is.
And then (with awareness) you can choose. In Yoga perform action… I told you about that yoga gem in a previous post. If you missed it jump on in right here…
But there’s more… I got another tool for weathering anxiety storms.
This one comes from an ancient healing system derived from India, known as Ayurveda, and it will help:
- keep you grounded in your choice making
- build your emotional resilience to change, (seasonal or otherwise)
- roll with life’s punches/challenges/storms
- keep you level-headed
Now, before we continue, here’s a quick exercise for you. I invite you to notice how you react to the word that’s coming up now.
…routine.
Ok. Did you groan, or feel at home when you read that?
You see, depending on how nature ‘made yer’ you’ll find it easier or not to align yourself with some routine in your life.
But I’m going to give you heaps of reasons why it’s a good idea to start moving through life to a natural rhythm and set you up with a simple programme that you can follow and play with, until you’re feeling grounded in your choice-making, and making great decisions in life.
Trust that feeling
A daily routine is key to finding balance in your physical body, your mind AND what Ayurveda calls you’re extended body or the world ‘out there’. We also call it the environment (which by the way plays a huge, huge part in what’s going on in ‘there’ – in you). You know it makes sense, trust that feeling.
So, keep reading for more on:
- Why you need rhythm in your life
- Learn what might hold you back from loving routine
- What the makings of ideal daily routine might look like
- Getting to grips with seasonal shifts, challenges and storms
Let’s go.
Look out for red flags. Better ride nature’s waves.
I’m always talking about balance and being thrown out of whack. It’s not a medical condition – I get that. But you also don’t need your G.P to tell you when something’s off. Agree?
If you’re out of balance the body’s brilliant at raising some red flags.
Here’s a few you might be familiar with. Feel free to tick ‘em off if you do.
- your sleep quality takes a nose dive
- you’re irritable – (ok, more than normal)
- your concentration is off
- your appetite is all over the place
- your digestion isn’t good
- you’re not moving things along often – yep you know what I’m talking about
- you’re down, even depressed.
- you feel disorientated
These are also ALL the kinds of things you might experience when you go travelling long haul…it’s called jet lag and is a proper known health thing… our body kicks up because it’s out of sync with the rhythms of its new environment and it can take days to adjust.
The same is true when the seasons shift. Our external environment changes and we experience that internally. Right now, we’re shifting from autumn into winter and most of us has probably experienced the dis-ease that brings (sniffles, coughs, and colds).
So, what’s the solution? We learn to better ride with nature’s waves.
OK, being a lover of the Cornish coastline this talks to me big style, and maybe it will with you to. Go grab your board…
If surfing is not your thing, that’s ok. Just think about this instead. We are all living in and sharing an environment that supports us when we work with it, rather than against it.
Your job is simply to follow the cues you’re given in each moment that will guide you towards all year-round wellbeing.
I mentioned this may be easier for some of us than others. And that’s a whole other blog post too. But just for now, let me stress. I do not believe in any one-size fits all approach to anything. We are all created in nature and by nature, but we are all unique. There will always be an element of self-exploration to find out what is working for you.
For example.
If you’re an earth type – you’ll probably have difficulty getting up in the morning (nature built you with more heavy, solid qualities (water/earth).
If you’re a wind type – your nature (literally moving air through space), means you don’t stick at much for long, so you’ll find any routine hard to commit to. But sorry, you guys need routine the most.
If you’re a fire type – you will probably override your body’s signals to do things, or get jobs done (your qualities of fire and water tend to make you burn candles at both end).
So, all I’m saying is you may need to adjust what you do to suit your own nature in nature. That’s called living with awareness right, which we cultivate with….? Yep. Hope you guessed it. Yoga and Meditation.
Ok, let’s get to the routine bit.
Are you up for living a life that’s more in harmony with nature?
Are you ready to feel healthy and vital more frequently in your life?
Then a daily routine, that works with nature, is what you need. And this very simple framework, can help get you started. (And just because it’s simple, don’t kid yourself that implementation is easy, so start small and build up).
IDEAL DAILY ROUTINE
MORNING:
Rise and shine. Wake up between 6am to 8am (or with the sun) as often as you can. Open the curtains a fraction so any morning light can filter in. Fight the urge to snooze. Get out of bed as soon as you wake.
Encourage elimination. Drinking a glass of water or hot water with ginger and lemon can help move things along. Sometimes just brushing your teeth and swilling with water does the job.
Massage. Ok, before you start rolling your eyes (Yes, I can hear you muttering ‘chance would be a fine thing’ under your breath), all I’m really saying here is get the circulation and lymph system going. A dual massage and body brush has this covered. If you can oil up a little too. Perfect.
Stretch/Practice Yoga. Reduce stiffness and prepare the body for meditation.
Meditation. Whatever works. From five to 20 minutes you can get clear, calm and still and be set up for conscious action.
Breakfast. Eat when your appetite is strong. Earth types may not need breakfast until mid-morning if at all (see lunch). Listen to your body.
NOON:
Eat. Midday is when our digestive system is most active (we’re secreting more gastric juices apparently) so if you can, eat your biggest meal at noon. If you can take a walk after it will reduce any afternoon drowsiness.
AFTERNOON:
Meditate. A 20-minute mediation will help you let go of the day’s accumulated stress and put you on a great trajectory for finishing work/jobs in the afternoon.
EVENING:
Eat. Go for a lighter meal than midday and time it between 6pm and 7pm or at least two hours before you sleep. If you can walk it off when you’re done.
Activity. It’s best to keep your evening activities moderate. If you do want to include vigorous exercise in your day, work it into your morning routine after meditation or in the late afternoon, before meditation. Think about what you are fuelling your body and mind with before bed, especially if you’re not sleeping great (no zombie movies – shame).
BEDTIME:
Sleep. Lights out by 10:30pm. To have a day in rhythm takes a night in rhythm. The body’s systems mainly rejuvenate at night, and we have various cycles of sleep, which if missed, throw us off and leave us drowsy first thing. Sleep is recovery. Don’t skip it or underestimate its benefits.
It’s a 24/7 world, so do your best
Remember, this is just a simple framework and I appreciate your 24/7 world means your day may not come close to this, but you can’t override nature for too long without feeling the consequences. So, do your best whenever you can and course correct back to a daily routine whenever you can.
A week of self-discipline could be all it takes to experience a more vital, healthy, energised life. It has to be worth considering at least right? Your health is your number one priority. No one is going to take care of you like you can.
I challenge you to give it a try, and find what works for you. Start small if you need to. Introduce one thing at a time and notice how you feel.
I know we’ve covered a lot, so thanks for being interested enough to get to the end. I really do hope you get up and away on life’s metaphorical surfboard and ride more effortlessly on life’s seasonal tides. I’ll be out there on the waves with you and yes, we’ll probably fall off, but who cares, we’re doing it.
I cannot wait to bring you more yoga inspired tools next week and if you’re interested in working this wisdom into your physical practice, now’s a great time to get started as there are two new yoga programmes just about to get going in Little Houghton. Check them out in the info below or on my website. The link is right here.
Thanks for reading, bye for now.
Josie X
