After achieving my TaeKwonDo Black Belt in April of this 2012, I thought I would try something different and new. So I started attending yoga classes at our gym. Nina and Angie are the two instructors that taught me how to enjoy practicing yoga. They both have such positive and calming ways of approaching yoga and life which has made yoga such a meaningful part of my life. Going to class is more than just an exercise, it is a way to let go of life’s demands and my own personal pressure to perform at a high level. Yoga lets me be me without any outer or inner pressure to be something I am not. In yoga, I do not pay attention to how others are doing in yoga and I do not worry how others see me do yoga. We are all individuals trying our best without the pressure to perform. Without this pressure, I believe I perform better and get more out of the practice of yoga.
Learning and practicing yoga has changed my thinking about how to approach other aspects of my life. When I am kinder and gentler with myself, I feel more positive and energetic about life and it’s possibilities. I also feel happier and kinder to others and the world around me. Life priorities get more focused. I am able to find a way through daily circumstance without losing my temper and getting angry about things that are not important.
What are you doing that makes you happier and be gentler to yourself. We live in a world that is 24/7 and full of got to do’s and have to do’s. This kind of pressure wears us down and make us irritable and cranky (at least it does me) which can lead to depression and illness. Try out this idea of taking the pressure off yourself and allowing the freedom to be who you are and accept yourself, limitations and all. You can do this by taking care of yourself everyday in a simple way. Examples are take your favorite lotion with a calming fragrance and use it on yourself, feel it’s moisture soak into your skin and let the fragrance fill you up This freedom actually helps you to bloom in ways that you couldn’t with the pressures of the world and yourself press down on you, Stress and demands squelch the very special person your were made to be. Each of us have unique and valuable abilities and talents. Let yours out and give them room to grow and bloom. Maybe you can try one thing nice for yourself and tell me how you feel?
