That is Self-Care for me, summed up in 5 words.
I struggled to write this piece, probably because I, myself find it difficult to surrender, soften and slow down.
I meditate. I do yoga. I journal. I walk daily. I go for massages. I get my nails and my eyelashes done. I dance.
And yes I have all this unlimited self-care practices in my toolbox, and yet I still struggle.
And that’s okay.
EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY
I acknowledge that it’s okay to feel how I feel.
I acknowledge that I’ve lots of worries.
My husband always ask me why I worry so much? And I reply with – I can’t help it. It’s in my DNA. I know I’m in my worry zone when I can’t sleep at night; when I start to procrastinate or when it’s the time of the month.
And I’m in the work of letting things go. I’m also in the work of being with whatever I’m feeling because the truth is that the struggle ie the suffering is temporary.
That’s the good news!
I just have to be willing to surrender, soften and slow down; often.
And that’s one of the reasons why I started teaching Yin Yoga + Meditation online.
YIN YOGA AS A SELF-CARE TOOL
Yin Yoga is a contemplative practice, where the poses are held for 3-5 minutes, and it taps into the connective tissues of the hips, thighs, pelvis and lower spine. It’s perfect for beginners and yet it’s not an easy practice even for regular practitioners.
It requires us to be still, in an uncomfortable position for a considerably amount of time. Stillness is something our urban bodies find hard to fathom, because we are so caught up in the DOING, we always have to be doing something, if not – “we are not productive, or not good enough etc.
And that’s why this class is needed in our lives, because you’re doing something (yoga), kinda and you are on your way to finding stillness.
“Stillness is what creates love. Movement is what creates life. To be still and still moving – this is everything.
Do Hyun Choe
And in the busy-ness of life, I stopped practising Yin because I didn’t think I had time for it. (and there’s the inner struggle of course, to surrender, soften and slow down.)
The main reason why I’m inspired to start teaching and practising it again is because I want to be able to teach Fertility Yoga and be of service to the IVF community. There’s a saying in the fertility yoga world, that all yoga is fertility yoga.
But I was afraid – of not being able to hold the space for myself and for others ; And I’m still healing, and if I’m still healing, how can I be in the work of healing others?
And my teacher, Baron Baptiste’s voice came into my head – “if not you, Sophie, then who?”
I acknowledge that I will never arrive, healed. And the irony is that we all come to yoga hoping to be healed or fixed or feel better, where in fact there’s nothing to fix. We are all whole and complete.
“You are whole and complete!
Baron Baptiste
In the midst of all this thinking, I attended an online Yin Yoga Class by my teacher Paige Elenson and…………. I got reminded of what was missing in my life …… the stillness that gets created with the surrendering, the softening, and the slowing down.
One of my biggest takeaways from my IVF journey and the COVID-19 pandemic is that there’s always time. It’s never too late.
“Stop Rushing! You got time! It’s not too late.
Sophie Sanders
And so ….
MY INVITATION TO YOU
If you’re always feeling angry, or if you are constantly in a reactive state or you are always rushing to get things done – I invite you to make time to Surrender, Soften and Slow Down.
You may think, you don’t have the time. But you’ll make time if it’s important.
Do Yin Yoga, meditate, journal etc – find a self-care practice that you can do consistently and do it with fiery determination.
So that in the days, when the negative thoughts come, and they will come – you have access to what you need to get out of your old way of being and re-create a new energy and be 100% for what you want to make happen in your life.