This morning, after my coffee, I could not wait to get on my mat! A few days had passed and I’d not made time for my yoga practice and my body felt tired and achy. Hubby working from home, supporting our adult kids with Autism and our 3rd daughter home-schooling I was also feeling emotionally and mentally drained and knew that the one thing I must definitely NOT stop doing is my yoga. Of course any exercise is good to do right? I also like to walk, ride my bike, lift hand weights, dance and do callanetics, but the holistic nature of yoga makes that a staple for me. Something tucked away in my well-being toolkit!

As a Christian, however, I’m careful to ensure that I’m not involved in any aspects of yoga that don’t align with my faith, and focus on the therapeutic breathwork, physical alignment, flexibility and strength training. I also love the balancing nature of yoga as an exercise as it nourishes you mentally, emotionally and physically; and if you’re like me and place great value on your spiritual awareness and growth then it’s a beautiful way to bring greater focus, peace and personal closeness with God, our creator and Heavenly Father. Of course many people practice Yoga without the ‘God’ bit and find it balancing and grounding, amongst all the other benefits I just mentioned.

Another benefit of yoga is that it can be practised at any age and level. Some of the Yoga postures are super simple to do but bring great blessings to our well-being, including improving our posture, aiding restful sleep and alleviating stress and anxiety. You simply need to take your time, listen to your body and only do what your body feels ready to do. Correct alignment and posture is so important throughout. For example, when standing, your feet are parallel, making sure your shoulders are back and down, hips pushed slightly forward, pelvis tipped with knees aligned over ankles. So, when you choose a yoga practice, always consider the importance of safe practice and please don’t overstrain ~ your body will get there when it’s ready!

Use your breath as you practice. If you scroll through my blogs you’ll find one on the therapeutic breath and how to practice. With practice, not only will you improve physically but you will also learn how to calm your mind and soothe your emotions, as you connect in with yourself and create some awareness of how the body, mind and emotions are feeling. We honour those feelings and then process and let go of anything that is not supporting us. We also have the opportunity to express gratitude to our bodies as they carry us around everyday, and give them the much needed love and attention that they need.

In case you’ve never done Yoga and wouldn’t know where to start, I’ve added a link below to a heartwarming Yoga practice.

Grace x Strength’s teachings are both soothing and down to earth. There’s a gentleness about them that I like and they teach yoga sessions at differing levels so I’m sure you’ll find something that will be just what you need. I haven’t watched or practised them all so I can’t say with confidence that I fully align with everything they may offer, but like everything in life, you just find what suits you and your needs. Only practice what you feel at peace with and let your inner peace be your guide! Even if you decide not to ‘do yoga’, as such, I still encourage you to take some time to breathe and stretch with intention everyday ~ even just for a few minutes ~ your body, mind and emotions will …

thank you

Stretch our YOUR stresses today! Have a nourishing week.

Love and blessings to you, Sam xx