Self-care: a YOGI’S approach
At TLC we spend a fair amount of time reflecting on the true meaning of self-care. In a world where we are constantly bombarded with the newest way to feel and look better (you can imagine what our targeted advertising looks like on the TLC instagram 😆), what does it really mean to take care of yourself? And how can our yoga practice support this?
As we hastily move tHROUGH OUR LIVES, MET WITH all of the societal pressures and expectations that come with MODERN LIVING, now is the perfect time to start reflecting on the ways you can support yourself to feel your best and most radiant self.
What is self-care?
Despite what social media might tell us, self-care is not self-improvement – it’s not about changing or fixing yourself. And it’s not about buying every superfood powder or bathing in rose petals every evening (…okay sometimes it is). By all means, enjoy these things, and make them part of your self-care regime if that’s what nourishes you! But we want to spread the message that self-care is not another item on your to-do list, or there to add to any insecurity.
Self-care is the act of continuously making choices that align with and honour your worth, and that ensure you feel grounded and nourished to act on these priorities.
In the eyes of TLC, self-care offers practices and tools to allow you to discover and honour that there is nothing to fix. You are enough exactly as you are. Self-care is the act of continuously making choices that align with and honour your worth, and that ensure you feel grounded and nourished to act on these priorities.
At its foundation, yoga is a practice of self-love. It is a practice of coming home to oneself and seeing reality exactly as it is. Yoga teaches us to meet ourselves exactly where we are with love and acceptance. The tools of yoga keep offering us the opportunity to do this, again and again.
As beautiful and wonderful as this idea is, it can feel distant from our lived experienced. What does it mean to truly accept myself? And how can I do this?
Discover what nourishes you
Self-care is speaking to making choices to honour, respect and nourish ourselves. It’s about resisting temptations to abandon, sabotage or hurt ourselves and instead actively choosing to check in with ourselves with radical honesty, and show up in response.
To begin discovering what self-care might look like for you, at TLC we suggest setting aside some time for honest reflection after a practice that helps you connect with your body. This may look like a breath-work, meditation, or shaking it out – whatever helps you to release from the mind and drop deep into the body, welcoming your truth to rise up.
How do you spend your time, and does that honour how you want to feel, and what you want to achieve?
Our recommendations to help you dig deep into this self-inquiry:
Set aside 20-30 minutes to reflect on how your day is structured, and what you spend your time on.
List down all of the choices or activities that you know make you feel good.
Reflect on how often you do those things. Are these moments a part of your everyday? If not, why not?
Consider in which areas you could start making choices that support and nourish yourself more. (And remember that a collection of very small changes can amount to huge transformation!)
Make a commitment to yourself, something that feels achievable. For example, this could be to include one thing from your list every day, or maybe two a week. Start small and build it up!
At the end of a month, come back and reflect on your progress. Are you making more choices that are supportive and nourishing? If not, why?
Need inspiration?
To help you brainstorm, some of our favourite self-care practices at TLC are below. If looking for further inspo, we also have a whole host of free online self-love practices on our YouTube channel here.
Make committed time and space for your practice, whatever that practice is- a few minutes of deep breathing, a full yoga flow, or some time in stillness or meditation. Prioritise the time and space for you to connect. It is when you truly commit to your own practice that you will begin to bear the fruit of it. We call this our Sadhana.
Begin taking your practice from the mat into your life. Are you separating your practice from the rest of your life? Are there ways you can start to bring that presence and connection into the rest of your interactions? Can you be still and listen more to those around you, can you say no and put yourself first, can you enjoy silence in your life without always being distracted?
Small steps for big change. We like to avoid overwhelm by starting with one small thing and committing to doing it every day. As you begin to notice the beneficial impacts of this, it will encourage you to sustain the practice, and eventually, a habit will be formed. Don’t put the pressure on yourself with a big commitment, even 5 minutes of self care (a cup of herbal tea that you savour) every day will have big results.
Join and be active in a community that has similar values and interests as you, so that you create a network of support that encourages you to engage in activities, even when you lose the motivation yourself. Tell a friend what you are doing so they hold you accountable, or even better do it together!
Eat a nourishing, healthy and enjoyable diet. This is the first step towards self love, nourishing our physicality.
Drinking enough water, always! Most women are walking around dehydrated! Love yourself and drink a couple of litres a day.
Schedule in things that you love to do, whether that be meditation time, love-making (A TLC fav 🥰), or going for a walk – prioritise time for that in your calendar – just like you would a dentist appointment! Self care isn’t meant to be a chore, it’s a gift for yourself, every single day.
“How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you”
- Rupi Kaur
NEED SOME SUPPORT?
Take some of the effort out of your self-care practice with our Online Yoga Studio. Choose from over 400 practices to send some love to your body & mind.