Self Care: Using Yoga Off the Mat

When was the last time you penciled in some time for yourself?

Not time with the kids, or your partner. Just time for yourself to take a breather from all that is around you. Self-care is important and necessary for your mental health. We can easily get caught up in our chores, taking care of the kids, cooking, shopping, working and more. But forget to take time for ourselves!

You Matter Too!

I know you are probably thinking Kenya, what does this have to do with yoga?

Well, the answer is simple. Yoga can be practiced on and off the mat. It goes beyond just practicing physical asanas/postures. It is about making yourself whole. In order to do this, you have to become more mindful of your daily choices and current habits and make a shift when needed.

Here are 10 Tips to help you get started:

1. Start a gratitude journal. Document the great things that happen to you to read later. You can get a Free 1 week Yoga Journal today!

2. Change up the way you make decisions. Decide something with your heart if you usually use your head. Or if you tend to go with your heart, decide with your head.

3. Connect with Nature. Take a nice stroll in the park.

4. Be selfish. Do one thing today just because it makes you happy.

5. Do a mini-declutter. Recycle three things from your wardrobe that you don’t love or regularly wear.

6. Unplug for an hour. Switch everything to airplane mode and free yourself from the constant notifications of social media and email.

7. Create a deliberate habit, and routinize something small in your life by doing it, in the same way, each day—what you wear on Tuesdays, or picking up the dental floss before you brush.

8. Fix a small annoyance at home that’s been nagging you—a button lost, a drawer that’s stuck, a light bulb that’s gone.

9. Start your day with a mini-meditation with one minute of awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and sensations; one minute of focused attention on breathing; and one minute of awareness of the body as a whole.

10. Try a new fitness routine. Take a new Yoga or Pilates class.

Which one of these have you tried? Share it with us in the Elevated Yogis Facebook Group.

About the Author:

Kenya Marsh is the founder of SimplyFitandCurvyYoga (SFCY), Course Creator for Elevated Yogi Academy, and Host of "From My Mat to Yours Podcast." As a wife, stay-at-home mom of two, and yoga teacher. Kenya knows how challenging and beneficial a steady yoga practice can be. She understands it can be hard to start a new yoga journey alone. She created this website, along with courses, books, and more materials to help provide support to help busy yogis elevate their yoga practice.