Two weeks ago, I took the opportunity to do a free week of yoga as a new client to CorePower Yoga. Although I have dabbled with yoga in the past, I went into last week with a different mindset. I knew my body would benefit from the practice but my mind and soul needed it more. With each class and each practice, came a new intention.
An over-arching theme that came through with each session was the importance of self care. There is no perfection in yoga, only practice. Here are a few practices that can be taken from the mat to our daily lives.
Be Merciful. On day one, the instructor shared an intention and quote, Mercy Triumphs Judgment. I focused that one hour on being merciful with myself. That I can’t be perfect with each move and I can’t compare myself to others in the room. Being merciful in class is important but having that same mentality is even more important each and every day.
You Are Valuable. My second session brought out seeing value in yourself which led to me to use “I am valuable” as my mantra for that practice. We often treat others we respect and cherish with value but when it comes to yourself, we are hard, relentless, and don’t tell ourselves enough that we are valuable.
Courage. Courage to try, to start, to take that first step with whatever it may be. Similar to being merciful, its not about being perfect it is having the courage to make a change and have faith in yourself.
“Yes you can”. Throughout my fourth session, the instructor repeated throughout the session, “yes you can.” These three short and simple words resonated very strongly with me. No matter what the position or where my body and soul where at, it was great to be reminded that yes, I could. A bonus to this pracitce were comments made during Shavasana. That in yoga, the fetal position represents a restart/rebirth after you have finished your practice. And from there it made me think that each day can be seen as the same thing, a chance to restart and refresh. That you have the power to change/adjust your mindset each and every morning.
Light and love. During my last practice during my week of yoga, the mantra was to breath in love and out to others that may need it. For me, I took that and made it more for what I needed, at that moment, on that day. I needed to breath in love for myself and exhale any anger and frustration I was harboring.
I went into that week having no expectation other than a free week of yoga and came out with so much more.
My goal is to check in each week to make sure I continue to honor these mantras and yoga insights. Thank you CorePower Yoga for showing me the yogi way!
Love for Laces 