The Holidays are Here
If you're looking for a new way to do things this holiday season check out my Ayurveda for the holidays 31 day challenge. Which includes daily intentional practices, a private Facebook group for accountability, and a group coaching call to get us centered and set intentions for the month ahead.
Join Ayurveda for the Holidays
How do you handle the in between?
In yoga classes there is often a pause in between poses. Sometimes we rush through from one pose to the next and sometimes we pause and honor the body.
As a yoga teacher it's taken me many years to feel comfortable honoring the pause when I teach. When I felt uncomfortable in silence I would fill it with my voice, another pose and not feel okay taking my time to transition to the next thing. There was no honoring the transition.
What I overheard that made me a better teacher
When I was about 2 months postpartum I auditioned to teach at a yoga studio. They were really in need of teachers asap so I was on the schedule pretty early postpartum. I really didn't feel comfortable teaching quite yet and told her I was a bit rusty as it had been 6 months or so since I had taught. She said it will come back (it did but it took a few more months).
Another teacher attended my class one day and I overheard her telling the studio owner the class was good but she rushed through each pose and didn't give us space. That was such an aha moment and I wish she would have told me that directly as that's great feedback. I did note that and knew I was rushing but wasn't quite comfortable slowing things down and really sitting with myself yet so it showed in my classes as a teacher.
How I started becoming okay with silence
Once I started practicing slowing down and pausing in my day. I didn’t feel the need to fill my class with the what’s next energy that can feel more Vata aggravating vs pacifying.
Ways I practiced pausing in my daily life:
💖Mauna
💖Yoga Nidra
💖Meditation and Pranayama
💖No radio in the car
💖Silent walks in nature
Transitions are Everywhere
Transitions are everywhere and they happen all of the time. I was sharing how I transition out of the sauna I lay on the floor for 5 minutes to collect myself before leaving. It's a pause to honor my body and let myself regroup before going on with my day.
Seasonal Transitions
The seasons are one of the biggest teachers when it comes to transitions. They never rush, they are never late they are right on time when they feel ready. Living in a state with four seasons we really notice the transitions. The subtle shifts from fall into early winter.
It's a wonderful time to pause and notice how each season works and feels in your body. It's a great time to switch up your practices and change your routines.
It's why what you do in summer doesn't work in the depths of winter. It's why getting up early at 5 or 6am in January and doing your routine might be slightly different than a July 5am practice.
The Holidays
As we are approaching December it's often a month we rush to get things done, we need to shop, cook, decorate (if we haven't already), wrap and try to make memories with your family. We put so much on our plates we rush from one thing to the next sometimes we don't even honor the holiday itself. We think about all the things that could go wrong, or the food we still need to make or order.
If you often feel burnt out and overwhelmed during the holiday season how can you slow down and tune inwards. Are you doing traditions because you love them or simply because you've always done them and you feel pressure to continue them?
In the Ayurveda for the Holidays Challenge I'm running this December my intention is to help people realize what really brings them joy, and help remain balanced all month long. Instead of starting January off with feeling like you need to do something drastic to change your entire life live intentional all month long.
Everyday I will be sending out an email with an Ayurvedic or yogic practice to help you nourish yourself mind, body or soul. We are also doing a kickoff call on December 3rd to meditate, set our intentions and go inwards to how we want to feel this holiday season. Along with a Facebook group to hold us accountable to the practices.
Join the Ayurveda for the Holidays Challenge Here
Download your free guide to the Ayurvedic approach to the menstrual cycle
Get to the root cause and implement basic wellness practices that will make major shifts in your mind, body and soul.
view + leave comments . . .