Awareness Before Anything

Imagine your computer crashing and shutting itself down. You restart and for a while, it works, but then it repeats the same action. Would you ignore and just keep restarting hoping that the problem eventually solves itself? Or would you contact a technician and sort the problem?

In our modern society, we often live on autopilot. We do the things we do unconsciously, without awareness, just because it’s a habit. Think of this simple question: ‘How are you?’ How often have you answered: ‘I’m good’ straight away, without thinking? 

Today, I’d like you to bring some awareness to how you really feel inside the body and the mind; emotionally and physically and, if you like, spiritually.

Train your awareness before anything.

During the day, your body gives off a countless amount of unpleasant sensations that are signals that you are very likely to ignore. A tingling in your limbs, shrugged shoulders, even losing your train of thought. They’re globally accepted and waved away as if it’s nothing. In the moment it’s nothing to worry about, but it’s your engine trying to draw your attention to your body’s needs which you’ve lost awareness of. 

Why do you want to be aware of your body?

Being aware of the body helps you to stay goal-orientated, waste less time (online), consume more healthily and eventually become happier, stress-free, and live a more fulfilling life. 

What stops you from being aware?

There are many factors that ask for our attention. Every day you look at your phone, laptop or whatever device, probably multiple times. You might have children, a demanding job, meetings and social gatherings (online). But, don’t start blaming all these external distractions! 

It’s the way you interpret these interactions. 

The number one factor that stops you being aware is stress. From mild  to chronic stress. 

Do you get stressed out by a full email box? A queue in the supermarket? Or your screaming (grand)children?

The way you handle so-called ‘stressful situations’ says a lot about how you feel in your body. When training your awareness you’ll find ways to calmly navigate these situations rather than letting them affect your wellbeing time after time. 

 

Fun fact:

Open posture and lifting the corners of your mouth lower your stress levels and increase your happiness! Ever heard of the term ‘herd animal’? Your mind works the same. If you smile, the mind thinks that you’re happy and follows what happens in the body.

 

Ready to train your awareness? 

Check out our Continuing Education Membership for multilingual yoga teachers. This membership offers professional and personal development for yoga teachers that want to start teaching worldwide; online or abroad. Develop your communication and teaching skills while obtaining continuing education hours with our live and recorded classes and teacher training sessions!

Have a look at all that’s included here.

How to stick to habits, routines and New Year’s Resolutions

And why you didn’t succeed before.

Isn’t it wonderful?! The new year gives you a brand new chance to start over! A new beginning and an opportunity to clear limiting beliefs, set goals and get excited about giving yourself a fresh start. 

Many, including myself, set new year’s resolutions. We’re optimistic and hit the new year thinking that this year everything is going to be better, healthier, easier or  whatever. 

Two weeks into the new year, these resolutions suddenly don’t seem that easy anymore. You fall back into ‘old’ habits, lose your excitement and they start to fade. 

Sounds like you? That was me year after year. But, not anymore and I’ll show you how to turn YOUR New Year’s Resolutions into a part of you as if it’s always been that way. 

Download this worksheet that will help you to really stick to your new habits and routines.

Let’s have a look:

1. Remembering your reasons why 

When doing anything in life, the most important thing to know is the reason WHY! Before we start a project or learn something new, there always IS a reason WHY we want to start it in the first place. Think of the reason why you eat. It’s obvious, because you’re hungry and need fuel for your body. 

Now, why do you practise yoga? Or why do you want to improve your English skills? 

The reason why is your motivation. When we forget the reason behind our wish or desire for change, our motivation starts to fade. We don’t see the importance of it anymore: we simply think it isn’t as necessary as we thought initially and, eventually, we give up.

Think or write down your New Year’s Resolutions or a desire or wish you have to change. If you have written them down with me during the New Year’s Resolution Setting Workshop, go to your page or paper and lay it in front of you to answer the following questions:

  1. When did you first think of this change you wanted to make?
  2. What was your motivation at the time? What is it now?
  3. Where will you be (physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually) after you’ve achieved this change?
  4. How will you feel after you’ve achieved this change?
  5. Who could help you or hold you accountable while you’re making this change and maintaining it?
  6. Look at the answers above and summarise WHY you want this change. 

If you’re doing this with a friend, exchange your ideas. Reading them out loud to yourself in the mirror could also help you emphasise your reasons why and motivation. 

2. ‘Replace’ instead of ‘restrict’

In ‘Blame the Brain’ we’ve already mentioned it. Restriction is asking for trouble. The more we tell ourselves not to do something, the more we want it. Just telling yourself not to  give in, especially when it’s a long-term habit, has a positive effect only for very few people.

Replace your habits, unwanted actions, thoughts and behaviour with the things, like needs and wishes, that you actually desire. 

When your body and mind are used to getting something or if you experience regular cravings, research shows that the easiest way to deal with these feelings is by  ‘tricking’ the body and mind. Going for a healthier option, but still meeting its wishes in a way.

This way it’s not only easier for you to stick to your new habit, eating patterns or resolutions, it will also help prevent you t from falling back into old habits

Example: 

If you want to ‘quit eating sugar’ – eat a piece of fruit when you have a sugar craving instead, or replace it with nuts, natural (pea)nut butter or raisins for example. Your body will still get some of what it feels it needs. If you replace processed snacks containing added sugars with the natural sugars of fruit or the beneficial fats in peanut butter and nuts, you’ve immediately replaced your unhealthy craving with a nutritious one. You’ll have satisfied your craving to some extent, so you won’t need your old habit so badly.

If you’re looking to limit your procrastination – go for a walk instead of spending hours browsing social media. During your walk your brain gets stimulated and most often inspired. You might even want to listen to a podcast that encourages you to keep up your good behaviour.

3. Turn your failures into a learning experience

During my yoga teacher training I learned to celebrate my wins and let go of losses. If you focus on the things you have achieved and let go of the things you didn’t do, you don’t only shift your focus, but it also stimulates and pushes you to do more. It helps you to cultivate a ‘gratitude attitude’, boosts your self-esteem which altogether leads to more success.

Embrace the concept of trial-and-error and don’t be afraid of making mistakes or falling back into old habits/relapsing from time to time. Know that errors are necessary to learn, make progress and understand your path, yourself and those around you better. 

I can’t stress it enough: practise and all will come. And if you lose patience or feel defeated, remember all the things you have achieved already! A loss is only a lesson learned and has given you new experience to grow and improve for the better.

Example: 

You wanted to start the year productively, but it’s the 9th of January and you haven’t done anything on your to-do list. You feel useless, desperate and don’t understand how you’ve been able to let it get out of hand already. 

What did you do instead? Did you spend time with your friends or family? Self-care? Yoga asana? Nothing? Even when the answer is nothing, I’m pretty sure that maybe you needed it. Maybe you needed to charge your batteries to get started. Or you needed this time to realise that NOW is your time to do or start something new. 

Don’t beat yourself up. Yesterday is gone, and today is not too late to start! At least you’re rested and feeling less rushed now! 

4. The power of support and community

For a long time I used to be a lone wolf: a person who enjoys doing things alone, my way, simply because I was stubborn. 

Sometimes we choose to do things alone because we’re embarrassed or think these changes are too personal.

But have you ever heard of a one-man success? Have you ever heard of a one-man success? Neil Armstrong didn’t make it to the moon alone! How could any business be successful without its customers? We need each other.  

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in 2020, it’s the power of community and support. Surrounding yourself with people that have similar interests and beliefs or who are going through a similar process or phase in their lives, understand each other. They have something to share. They recognise themselves in you, and you in them. This creates companionship and the voluntary willingness to support each other, help each other AND hold each other accountable. 

People are social beings and want to share with and learn from others. Sharing and learning with others not only makes you feel part of something, it also makes you feel seen, heard, understood and cared for. 

 

Our community is loving, caring and very involved with each other and I would absolutely love for you to be part of it. But, go with your own gut and search for the people that you click with. You know yourself and your needs best, but don’t try to do it all alone, because this will set you up for failure. 

 

Continuing Education Membership

In the meantime, check out our Continuing Education Membership for multilingual yoga teachers. This membership offers professional and personal development for yoga teachers that want to start teaching worldwide; online or abroad. Develop your communication and teaching skills while obtaining continuing education hours with our live and recorded classes and teacher training sessions!

Have a look at all that’s included here.

Setting New Year’s Resolutions

And making plans you can actually stick to.

How are you feeling about ‘next year’? 2020 has been a whirlwind of emotions and happenings and certainly tested our patience and motivation. We spent hours watching and reading the news and having discussions, trying to understand this new reality. But no one really knew what was going on or which bits of all the news we received were trustworthy. 

We’ve spent our salaries (or savings) on masks, sanitising products and gels, comfy clothes for being at home, and probably ate twice or triple the amount of chocolate, crisps and other junk as we normally do per year. Thinking that maybe by the end of 2020 this joke would be over.

We’re approaching the end of 2020 and borders are being shut, again. Many of us are obliged to stay at home. We (still) can’t see our grandparents, family, friends and have to be inside the house at a certain time. We stay up late and play school camp at home, because our workplaces are closed or we’re on holiday anyway. 

This is just a brief summary of the year that, to me, sounds like that of a shitty fantasy movie about the world going under, but it became our reality.

I’m sure that in your personal and professional life much has changed as well, and now I’m wondering: ‘How do you really feel about this year?’. 

For many the answer is something like this: ‘It’s a year wasted.’ ‘I haven’t been able to do anything.’ ‘All my plans are being put on hold.’ ‘I can’t wait for this nightmare to be over’. 

Some may say: ‘I’ve never been more creative.’ ‘This was a sign from mother nature to start taking care of myself’. ‘I finally got my head round things around the house I’ve been wanting to do for ages.’  

Whichever answer aligns more with you, I’m inviting you to sit down with me and reflect on the year. Reflection, if done with an open mind and willingness to observe instead of judge, can boost your mood and positivity. It helps you to form a fresh perspective, express your gratitude and gives you insight into your wellbeing (mentally, physically and spiritually). 

If you’re reading this, you’re like me and interested in understanding yourself and the world around you better. Chances are that you’ve done quite a lot of reflection this year already. Chances are that you’ve opened up to new learnings and development, and now you’re ready to start 2021 motivated, optimistic, eager and ready to make it your best year yet. 

Before we start, let’s take a moment and acknowledge our past, become present to then dare to make plans for 2021.  

New Year’s Resolutions

I’ve always loved the new year, but I’m especially excited about next year, because I believe it’s full of new opportunities. It’s a new beginning that gives you the chance to clear limiting beliefs, set new goals and get excited about giving yourself a fresh start. 

Now, looking back on all that’s happened, how fast did this year go compared to others? Even though, from day to day, you noticed very little changes, this year has probably given you some new insights due to the little amount of external distractions

We’ve gotten used to meeting on Zoom, come up with brilliant inventions and started to work from the comfort of our own bed, online, or maybe found comfort in spending more time in nature.  

But who doesn’t want a fresh start? There’s always something we’d like to improve, right?

Here, I’d like to present to you my type of reflection and goal-setting for the year ahead. During our New Year Resolution Setting Workshop on the 30th of December, we’ll be going through this process together and we’ll share our experiences in a nice online gathering, as we do anno 2020. 

Here’s a little overview of what to expect:

  • Reflect on the year
  • What to improve
  • In-depth goal-setting
  • Planning for success

At the end of 2020, I did a live New Year’s Resolution Planning workshop with you in our Facebook Group. Still want to say goodbye to the old year. Click on the yoga class below to help you! 

 

If you’re busy, would prefer to do this on your own or make a start by yourself: download the worksheet.

 

Continuing Education Membership

In the meantime, check out our Continuing Education Membership for multilingual yoga teachers. This membership offers professional and personal development for yoga teachers that want to start teaching worldwide; online or abroad. Develop your communication and teaching skills while obtaining continuing education hours with our live and recorded classes and teacher training sessions!

Have a look at all that’s included here.

Practice Self-Compassion for Self-Confidence!

4 techniques to say ‘bye’ to your inner critic, ‘hi’ to your inner nurturer and stop judging yourself.

 

Earlier, we spoke about feeling guilty after overeating or a moment of indulging. We explained that these negative feelings often have to do with the fear of being judged, either by yourself or by others. These opinions come from your upbringing, society and personal beliefs. The way you speak to yourself and decide whether to either love or hate yourself has everything to do with your inner voice. Your inner voice develops in childhood and is, among other things, shaped by the way we are spoken to. In this blog, you’ll learn to practise self-compassion to gain self-confidence.

Think of your thoughts and ‘that’ voice inside your head. We all have a voice that tells us whether things are good or bad. It decides whether you’re right or wrong. It also tells you whether to do or not to do something. It protects you, but can also ruin you.

 

What is your inner voice?

Now, before we dive into this, I think it’s important to highlight two terms you might have seen before. Your ‘inner critic’ and ‘inner nurturer’. 
Your inner critic is the voice inside your head that judges whether things are good or bad. Critic comes from the verb to criticise which means to judge. Makes sense, right?

Your inner nurturer is your support. It cheers you up, validates feelings, desires and thoughts. It offers comfort and soothes you. It’s there to help you grow and keep your feet on the ground. Think of it as your friend.

For many people, however, the inner critic is more present than the inner nurturer and on top of that, overly critical. A highly active inner-critic can bring you down tremendously. It has a massive impact on your emotional well-being and self-esteem. It causes your feelings of insecurity, embarrassment, guilt, fear and anxiety. 

What is your inner critic?

The inner-critic hides in your subconscious or your subconscious mind. It’s been there since you were a child, replaying the same thoughts and ideas like a broken record. Repetition will help you to remember and eventually believe. When we learn a language for example, we recommend repetition, but when you repeat thoughts and ideas that are negative and self-destructive, you create low self-esteem and those famous ‘limiting beliefs’.

If you don’t fight this voice, your inner critic will be most dominant and forever leave you with feelings of insecurity and self-doubt. It’s self-sabotaging and there’s no one to blame, because it’s all happening in your own head. Even though this voice is strong as hell and challenging to fight, it’s not impossible.

 

Practice self-compassion to gain self-confidence.

For years, I’ve been dealing with an extremely strict and over analytical inner voice. And I would never want to give you the impression that I’ve been able to completely win this game. But, by practising self-compassion and therefore developing my inner-nurturer I’ve overcome jealousy, controlling behaviour, serious eating disorders and extremely low self-esteem. 

What I’d like to share with you today are tools you could use to start training your inner nurturer, acknowledge your inner-critic, but detach from its limiting beliefs and feed your mind with new ideas and a fresh perspective to become more confident and feel at ease in your own head. This will not only help you to limit self-sabotage (such as overeating or not eating at all), but also improve your relationship with others. 

 

1. Write down your thoughts (every day).

This is by far the most used technique, and for a good reason! Writing about emotions activates a different part of the brain than inner reflection (the internal dialogue) or speaking out loud. The positive effects of writing 3 days in a row will remain for three months, if not more.

 

When you notice your inner critic downgrading yourself with thoughts such as ‘I’m not good enough’, ‘I can’t do anything right’, ‘I’m absolutely useless’, ‘I am a mess’, ‘I’m so stupid’ or ‘I will never succeed’. Write these things down.

 

Seeing your thoughts on paper instead of only hearing them will make you look at them with a different perspective (go to tool 2).

 

Reading your thoughts might be painful, especially if you’ve been dealing with self-sabotage for a long time (read your whole life), but here’s where your inner nurturer could give you some support.

 

2. Let your inner nurturer speak as if it’s speaking to your friend.

Your inner nurturer might have been quiet for a while, but you too have one inside of you. Your inner nurturer probably uses the same vocabulary as you use when speaking to a friend. Go to your journal and look at the things you wrote down during a moment of self-destructiveness.

 

What would you tell your friend, if they’d told you: ‘I’m not good enough’, ‘I can’t do anything right’, ‘I’m absolutely useless’, ‘I am a mess’, ‘I’m so stupid’ or ‘I will never succeed’.

 

Would you agree? Would you emphasise how bad they’ve been? Would you tell them to give up? Would you acknowledge their worthlessness? Probably not! But it’s often what you do when it comes to yourself.

 

3. What could your inner nurturer tell ‘your friend’ (yourself) instead?

Write down the support, compliments, and positive wishes you’d tell and share with your friend, e.g.: ‘It’s okay to feel shit, but it’s unrealistic to downgrade all your efforts. Instead look at how far you’ve come’. Or ‘you may feel useless at the moment, but instead learn from your mistakes. Next time you will know where you’ve gone wrong, so you don’t have to make the same mistakes twice’.

 

4. Ask yourself what you need and create self-compassion!

If you suffer from self-pity and feel like everything is your fault, ask yourself how realistic these thoughts really are. It’s easy to sink deeper and deeper and eventually lose all self-belief. Ask yourself positive questions to create more self-compassion.

 

For example: ‘What do I really need?’. The answer could be: ‘a listening ear’ or ‘a shoulder to cry on’. And know that that is okay! Another example: ‘What if I don’t have to achieve as much as I believe or tell myself I have to?’. The answer could be: ‘I’d be more rested’ or ‘I’d have more time for my family and friends’. And the last one: ‘What if I loved myself the same as I love my partner?’. The answer could be: ‘I’d be more accepting of myself’ or ‘I’d be more self-compassionate’.

 

Explore questions like these for yourself and come up with your own answers. You’ll be flabbergasted by how hard on yourself you actually are.

 

5. Gain self-confidence by cultivating a gratitude attitude.

In the modern world, it’s so easy to sink into an ocean of negativity and find yourself comparing yourself to others, their successes and achievements. We often strive for the same as they have and, preferably, even more. But don’t forget what you see is maybe 10% of what’s going on in their real life. You don’t see the efforts they make or the time and energy they spend on making things work. Instead, shift your perspective and focus on gratitude for what you already have accomplished, your talents, your skills and your capabilities.

 

Writing and expressing your gratitude not only helps you to lower the chances of depression, loneliness and anxiety, but it also stops you from comparing yourself to others, feelings of jealousy and envy.

 

It helps you to enjoy the little things more and make them more worthwhile. It’s contagious; when you are grateful, others pick up on it and, in the long run, causes a domino effect. It stimulates positive feelings, even when life is taking its toll, you’ll be able to focus on the positive side instead of the negative.

Continuing Education Membership

In the meantime, check out our Continuing Education Membership for multilingual yoga teachers. This membership offers professional and personal development for yoga teachers that want to start teaching worldwide; online or abroad. Develop your communication and teaching skills while obtaining continuing education hours with our live and recorded classes and teacher training sessions!

Have a look at all that’s included here.

Indulge Without the Guilt

Indulgence and the feeling of guilt are very good friends. Most of us have experienced this at least once. No matter your age, gender, origin, the feeling of guilt after a moment of indulging is human.

Indulgence is finding pleasure in something you desire or consume and taking more of it than is necessarily good for you. In principle there’s nothing wrong with it, though many of us experience guilt after such a moment. Especially when it comes to food and drink.

Around the holiday season (and maybe at birthdays, other celebrations and ‘that’ time of the month), we often indulge in food and drinks in the company of our family and friends or alone (secretly). And while there’s nothing wrong with indulging in food from time to time, many among us do so more than we wish and feel shitty about it. These feelings of resentment can build up so strong that we get restrictive. These restrictions then lead to obsessions and, if not taken care of, can result in serious mental and physical health problems, such as an eating disorder or addiction.

You’re not alone!

As I was searching for pictures to display the topic of this week, I had a hard time finding one of me eating. I’m not a fan of people taking pictures of me with food, because most of my teenage years I dealt with serious eating disorders which were part of me until my early twenties, they left a scar and still can be found in my sometimes unhealthy relationship with food and self-image. 

An eating disorder though, in the end, hasn’t got so much to do with your relationship with food, but more with characteristics such as perfectionism, a need for control and being sensitive to the pressure from our society as well as a negative self-image and non-existent to little self-compassion. When we feel out of control, we know or think we can be in control of our consumption which then leads to obsessive behaviour and could, for example, evolve into an eating disorder as described above. 

After I overcame mine, it still took me years to drink calorie-rich fluids other than alcohol and I’d force myself to fast and work-out after every moment of indulgence. Firstly, because I was fearful of gaining weight, secondly because I felt guilty and ashamed that I couldn’t eat like ‘normal people’ do. 

Though, there’s a standard and recommended consumption per day, but there’s no ‘one way’ that works for everyone, everybody or every body type. Given my experience, today, I’d like to share what I’ve learned to indulge without the guilt and hopefully inspire you to find your own way.

And literally, if I can do it, I know you can too!

 

Save these tips by downloading this worksheet.

First off, what is guilt?

Guilt is a self-conscious emotion that involves reflection on actions, thoughts and feelings. We interpret these reflections negatively, and believe they have caused harm to oneself or another person. This can be after a fight between friends, after doing something you know you weren’t allowed to and also overeating or indulging in food. 

Guilt is a natural emotional response and experienced in many different ways. This feeling of shame or embarrassment very often comes from the things you’ve been taught in your youth. When you grew up as a child, people probably told you to do or not do certain things related to cultural behaviour, morals or religion.  

For example, as a child, I was overweight. Doctors were trying to help me lose weight, and the kids at school bullied me. The feelings I experienced then were fear of not belonging, rejection, embarrassment about the fact that I couldn’t achieve to lose weigth and shame of my body because I was bigger than others or not the same. 

Sometimes guilt isn’t related to misbehaviour. In these cases, guilt could come from factors that are not in your control, but still feel like ‘your fault’ or ‘guilty pleasures’ – feeling guilty when you do something you enjoy. Some of you will think of singing along to ‘80s pop hits about heartbreak, others think of eating a tub of Ben & Jerry’s watching ‘The Wedding Planner’. 

Feeling guilty after something you sincerely enjoy doing comes from the feeling of judgement, either by another person, but also by yourself – again based on morals, but also productivity and self-control.

As you see, these feelings of guilt are closely related, but most often come from believing you’re doing something that ‘isn’t right, isn’t morally accepted or is being judged’. In other words: your inner-critic. 

What’s indulging exactly?

‘Indulgence is finding pleasure in something you desire or consume and taking more of it than is necessarily good for you’.

The things enjoyed in a moment of indulgence are often the things we enjoy in our moment of guilty pleasure. Think of types of music, films, food or drinks, spending a day in bed, spending hours and hours on social media trying Instagram filters or eating an entire packet of crisps by yourself. 

There are various ways of indulging, some people prefer to involve other people in their indulgences because doing it with someone else sometimes helps you justify it to yourself. Others are more secretive about it, due to shame or embarrassment and prefer to spend these moments alone. 

 

7 simple yet effective techniques to prevent extremity or limit indulging in food:

1. Keep healthy snacks with you.

Eating small amounts of healthy foods like nuts, vegetables, fruits or high-protein goods throughout the day will keep your sugar levels more balanced and your cravings weaker. Studies have shown that your willpower drastically decreases when you’re hungry and that it’s therefore terribly hard to make mindful decisions.  

2. Follow a mediterranean diet

I’m personally not a fan of calling your type of consumption a diet, due to my background. A diet to me has a negative tone which I think is unnecessary and useless. Following a mediterranean eating pattern which is rich in carefully prepared dishes like soups, purees, grills, flavoured vegetable dips, cheeses, oil rich salads, meat and even alcohol like a glass of red wine aren’t actually bad for you if you eat in a balanced way and don’t ignore your body’s sign of ‘satisfaction’.

3. Good old homemade

Cooking at home doesn’t only allow you to choose to make the dishes you like, it also gives you the opportunity to decide on the amount you make and the ingredients you use.
In comparison to the way they prepare food in many restaurants where they often make more use of salt, sauces, fat and sugar, when we cook at home, we are more likely to pick local and fresh products which automatically are healthier than processed foods.

4. Watch your plate(s)

The size of your plate and how full you make your plate can make a big difference when it comes to overeating. Using a smaller plate will automatically make you put less food on it. Though if you haven’t got a smaller plate, consciously putting less food on your plate and observing your portion instead of the size of your plate, could also work.

5. Quality over quantity.

One technique I learned from my mum, was that your second, third and fourth piece of chocolate all taste the same or even less delicious because there’s nothing like ‘the first time’. When you feel like the temptation for overeating is there, ask yourself ‘Do I really need this?’ ‘Is this going to taste as good as I think it will?’ or simply tell yourself ‘The next bite will taste the same or not as good, what’s the point?’.
I know this might sound like a joke, but try it and be persistent and experience it for yourself.

6. Make it a moment

What do you do while you eat? Do you watch TV? Read the paper? Scroll through social media? Do you speak to a friend on the phone? Or talk to your family if you’re eating at the same table?

What you do while you eat has a massive impact on how much you consume, your digestion, connection and relationship with food and whether or not you enjoy it.

The next time you’re eating, instead of just filling your mouth and stomach to stop your hunger, take a bite and ask yourself: is it cold or warm? Is it salty, sweet, bitter, or sour? What specific flavours can I detect? Does it melt on the tongue or do I need to chew?

Mindful eating: becoming aware of the flavours of your food, the temperature, the texture, the signals it sends to your body, the satisfaction and fullness you experience after eating it, all helps you to digest better, enjoy more and strengthen your relationship with food. 

7. Keep note or write down your thoughts and emotions

When you feel your craving coming and you’re about to give in, ask yourself what happened just before.

  • Are you actually hungry? Or is this your mind and body’s reaction on a feeling or something that’s happened?
  • What are you craving for? (e.g. sweet, savoury)
  • Do you feel emotional about something? (e.g. lonely, hurt, bored)
  • What could you do to distract yourself?
  • What could you do to limit your craving? (See ideas above)

Keeping a diary or note of these things, will not only help you to distract yourself and overcome cravings, it also gives you insight as to when they happen, what’s going on in your life, body and mind and help you understand your cravings for indulgence better.

Like with anything in life, yoga and self-development, this is a matter of time, practice, and trial and error. Be patient with yourself and take your time to explore these ideas to manage your indulgences. 

Check out more blogs to read about the things you can do to recognise your inner critic, turn judging yourself into acknowledgement and live life with less self-restriction.  


Continuing Education Membership

In the meantime, check out our Continuing Education Membership for multilingual yoga teachers. This membership offers professional and personal development for yoga teachers that want to start teaching worldwide; online or abroad. Develop your communication and teaching skills while obtaining continuing education hours with our live and recorded classes and teacher training sessions!

Have a look at all that’s included here.

Self-care for your self-esteem

You’ve all heard the terms at least once: self-care, self-love and self-esteem. In yoga, these terms are included in the Yamas and Niyamas. The Yamas and Niyamas speak about your behaviour, the way we treat ourselves and the world around us. They are the moral ethics of yoga philosophy. Complete the worksheet to really check your understanding and work on your self-care for your self-esteem!

 

Let’s first uncover the meaning of self-care and self-esteem:

What is self-care and what is not?

Self-care consists of activities that help you reach and maintain, mental, emotional and physical health. They could simply be getting a haircut, but they’re also about social, spiritual and professional experiences.  

Online, self-care often looks like a spa day: a picture of candles, bubble baths, a moon ritual, a silent moment of journaling or a walk in the woods. And yes, these are great examples, but don’t meet everyone’s desires or don’t represent what we actually have access to.  

Self-care can also be: ticking off your to-do list, going for a body pump workout, baking or gardening. It’s anything you do to reduce stress levels, make you feel relaxed (afterwards) and most importantly: something that you do for you, without trying to please anyone, because you see others do it, or because you think that ‘that’ is self-care. 

Your type of self-care is influenced by many factors. It may look very different depending on your age, interests, profession, your lifestyle, the place you live, the tools you have access to and the people you interact with. 

Self-care is often confused with being selfish, but being selfish means you do something at the cost of another. Self-care prepares you to be able to serve others better.
 

What is self-esteem and what is it not?

Self-esteem is usually defined as belief in your ability and value, and respect for yourself. But it’s actually got a lot to do with other people. 

Self-esteem is based on your own achievements, but more so on the achievements of your parents, your classmates and co-workers, as well as the love you’ve experienced in your childhood. 

Self-esteem has everything to do with your behaviour, your thoughts, your beliefs and the way you look at or even judge others and the world around you. 

Having achieved less than your guardian(s) will often result in low(er) self-esteem. Naturally, we want to show our parents what we’re capable of, to make them proud, and do better than they have or be better than they are or were. Achieving more than the people around you can make you feel like you’ve accomplished what you think is expected, and this sense of victory can result in higher self-esteem.

The same goes when comparing yourself with your siblings, peers and classmates all the way back to primary school. Hearing or seeing that people you grew up with are doing better than you can easily make you feel defeated if your self-esteem is something you’ve not really worked on.  

The way you were raised and the love you received in your childhood plays a big part as well. Conditional love; the love you receive only if you achieve high grades for example, will lower your self-esteem. Contrarily, unconditional love; feeling loved no matter what you do or have achieved, raises your self-esteem from a young age. 

That said, these are factors that influence greatly, but the character you’re born with also plays a role. Some people are naturally more insecure than others, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t work on it. Low self-esteem will result in living your life in comparison to others, instead of living your life for you, your family and your friends. With this blog, I hope to inspire you to practise self-care and boost your self-esteem to live a more fulfilling life.

Why is self-care important for your self-esteem?

Self-care will help you to stay close to your needs, desires, and true self. It will help you understand what you need, instead of pleasing others. It will help you prevent burn-out, continue to improve and develop, make better decisions and face (daily) challenges. Proper self-care will recharge your energy to serve those and the things that you want to serve in the best way possible. 

Taking care of yourself, checking in with your thoughts, beliefs, needs, desires and current situation will help you understand what you actually want to do with your life. And when you do what you love selflessly and without showing off or asking for affirmation or the attention of others, I assure you that you can truly live your most purposeful and fulfilling life. 

 

Sounds romantic, doesn’t it? 

 

I know this isn’t always an easy task and it requires work, effort, time, practice, patience, acceptance and support. This theme I feel strongly about because, you might have guessed it, I used to have very low self-esteem and knew very little about self-care. 

 

I don’t regret or wish I had known earlier, because as cliche as it sounds, it has got me where I am now. The work, time and effort I’ve invested in myself has made it possible for me to work with you and, believe it or not, that plays a major part in my most fulfilling life.

 

But I’m not going to leave you empty handed now. 

Download the worksheet by clicking on the button below and receive 4 tools to boost your self-esteem you can start implementing TODAY!

Continuing Education Membership

In the meantime, check out our Continuing Education Membership for multilingual yoga teachers. This membership offers professional and personal development for yoga teachers that want to start teaching worldwide; online or abroad. Develop your communication and teaching skills while obtaining continuing education hours with our live and recorded classes and teacher training sessions!

Have a look at all that’s included here.

What is a Full Moon Ritual?

The full moon plays a special part in many cultures across the globe. While some associate the full moon with yin (calm energy), others believe it symbolises spiritual dominance. You have probably heard that wolves howl during the full moon and others throw dedicated parties, such as the full moon celebrations in Thailand.  The full moon is also said to cause insomnia and psychological instability – ever heard of ‘lunatic’? Luna means moon in Spanish and comes from the latin word ‘lunaticus’ meaning ‘moonstruck’.

Before we get off track and dive into all its different meanings, definitions, facts and other fascinating associations (which we will in the future), in this blog I’d like to give you a guideline for your own Full Moon Ritual at home. 

Where we set goals and intentions to start new projects during the new moon, the full moon gives you the opportunity to celebrate your wins (achievements) and release your losses. The full moon is bright and light which causes you to feel strong and powerful, ready to take action and act on your new insights. 

“In astrology, the full moon is a peak of energy that highlights opposing polarities and forces in your life.’’ (1)

A full moon ritual is meant to prepare your unconscious mind for transformation. During the ceremony, we often speak about four elements: resolution (willpower), intention (purpose), representation (symbolism) and ritual, which set you up for spiritual and psychological change. These rituals commonly include candles, incense, crystals and witchery ornaments, and though those things look very pretty on Instagram, it’s not necessary to completely decorate your space and buy loads of stuff you’ll only use once. 

It’s a very personal practice and I don’t believe there’s only one way to carry out this ritual. For that reason, I think it’s important to experiment, take the elements of each ritual you like and eventually make it your own.  

For example: I like to burn my losses and things I want to leave in the past. You might like to keep them to reflect on later or remind yourself of certain achievements. 

When it’s your first time, I understand you search for at least an idea of what you could do. Here’s an overview of what I do and would like to share with you. It’s a suggestion and can be used as inspiration for your own. 

Full Moon Ritual at Home

What you need:

Journal, pen, paper, and any nourishing objects such as candles, incense, matches music, crystals. , etc.

Guideline:

1. Reserve some time and create a space where you won’t be disturbed. 

Install your nourishing objects (if you use any), grab a glass of water or a cup of tea and put away your electronic devices. 

2. Make yourself comfortable and journal

Take some time to think about the things you’ve been struggling with lately and things you’d like to let go of. Write them down and be as specific and detailed as possible. 

3. Set goals and intentions

Once you know what you’re letting go of, you can create space for new intentions; write down the things you want to focus on, achieve, or make your priority during the coming cycle. 

4. Options to try

Option 1: find something that symbolises or belongs to your current stage in life and create a (temporary) altar. Perform your ritual by sitting in front of it and meditate, burn the object and visualise your life after the ritual. You could also place the object on your body instead of burning it. Perform a mantra and use a singing bowl to open and end your ritual.

Option 2: write down your losses and intentions on separate pieces of papers. While reading your losses out loud, watch your paper burn and submerge it in a bowl of water which represents ‘letting go’. Read your intentions to yourself and meditate, visualising your life having already achieved or completed your intentions. 

Option 3: check in with your senses and become clear on the things you let go of and want to manifest. Journal, write down your thoughts, sing, dance, cry, meditate, practice asana: anything that helps you reflect and let go to get ready for a new cycle. 

5. Close your ritual
It’s important to consciously close your ritual either with a song, mantra, meditation, singing bowl or a moment of stillness. Anything that shows your consciousness ‘the end’. This to prevent your subconsciousness from confusion. 

As you can see these are very different ways and definitely not the only ones. Listen to your intuition and try to understand your needs. Remember that when you do a ritual, it’s to nourish yourself, reflect and give yourself new perspectives, not to impress or prove anything to anyone. Take from it what you like and eventually make it your own. Don’t be afraid to experiment! 

 

Practice our Full Moon – Free Pop Up Practice on YouTube.

Note: this is a live recording of a Facebook class – for weekly classes and real-life experience join the Continuing Education Membership! 

Continuing Education Membership

In the meantime, check out our Continuing Education Membership for multilingual yoga teachers. This membership offers professional and personal development for yoga teachers that want to start teaching worldwide; online or abroad. Develop your communication and teaching skills while obtaining continuing education hours with our live and recorded classes and teacher training sessions!

Have a look at all that’s included here.


(1) Kahn, Nina, Bustle.com, viewed 27 November 2020, <https://www.bustle.com/life/november-2020-full-moon-eclipse-dos-donts>

(2) Swanson, Amanda, How to Set Intentions by the Phases of the Moon, Life Goals Magazine, viewed 27 November 2020, <https://lifegoalsmag.com/how-to-set-intentions-by-the-phases-of-the-moon/>

(3) The Astro Twins, Full Moon Harness the Energy Make it Work for You, Mind Body Green, viewed 27 November 2020, <https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-7531/full-moon-harness-the-energy-make-it-work-for-you.html>

Blame the Brain – redirect your routine!

Creating a new routine for a more fulfilling life.

Sometimes you get so caught up in your busy life and your good and bad habits, that you lose perspective and can’t see how anything could possibly change. However, a scientific study has shown two amazing things.
Before your start reading this blog, take a minute and think of your answers to the first 7 questions on your worksheet.

Write them down in your journal, to later reflect on.

Blame the Brain

…then be brave and take responsibility to teach it something new!

MIT neuroscientists have found that a small part of the brain’s prefrontal cortex actually has moment-by-moment control of which habits are put into action at individual moments. And some research has shown that our brains have the power to stop those same habits! (1) The study suggests that habits are not always inflexible and that they can be changed. Also, the brain prefers new habits to old ones, and often when habits are broken, they are not forgotten, but replaced with new ones.(2) 

So, this is great news for you if you want to get rid of old routines and habits, and replace them with better ones. Mindfulness meditation, which you can also experience during your yoga practice, has been shown to activate this very part of your brain! It is associated with concentration, decision-making and planning. (1)

It isn’t about changing your entire life and repressing old habits, but working with your brain and the realities you have. Habits are things that we do so often that, to our brains, they become automatic. First, we need the courage to admit to our bad habits. Then, it takes patience to unlearn things, retrain the brain and learn new habits. 

Be kind to yourself.

 

Your Routine, Your Plan

Some things can’t be changed, like washing and eating. So write down your current routine or, if you lack one, your duties (work, children, medication…). Write down only the necessities.

Example: Current Routine:
8am: alarm, check What’sApp and social media
8.15: get up, open the curtains, shower, hair, getting dressed
8.40: make a coffee and breakfast, settle in to start working from home
9am-1pm: work
1-2pm: make and eat lunch
2-5.30pm: work
5.30 -7.30pm: Spanish class (Tuesday)/yoga class (Wednesday)/dance class (Thursday)/homework/cleaning (other days)
7.30 – 9pm: make and eat dinner
9- 11pm: watch a series, film or read a book
11pm: go to bed

 

What you can adjust or work around to make (more) time for yoga, meditation or a mindfulness practice?
Create a clear picture. Highlight the things that always happen and the things that need to happen.

 

Example: Current Routine:

 
8am: alarm, check What’sApp and social media
8.15: get up, open the curtains, shower, hair, getting dressed
8.40: make a coffee and breakfast, settle in to start working from home
9am-1pm: work
1-2pm: make and eat lunch
2-5.30pm: work
5.30-7.30pm: Spanish class (Tuesday)/yoga class (Wednesday)/dance class (Thursday)/homework/cleaning (other days)
7.30-9pm: make and eat dinner
9-11pm: watch a series, film or read a book
11pm: go to bed

 

Now, consider your routine a jigsaw puzzle: what changes can you make?

  • Are you able to add a yoga practice or meditation to one of these consistent events?
  • Could you shorten one of these events? Or do them earlier/later so that at that moment you can do your practice?
  • Can you order these necessities differently to create some extra time for you and your yoga or mindfulness practice?

Suggested changes:

  • I’m able to shower and wash/dry my hair at night instead of in the morning
  • I could make my dinner for the week at the weekend.
  • I can practice an evening yoga class and mindfulness before bed instead of watching TV.
  • I will practice a morning yoga class or mindfulness practice when I get up, instead of checking social media.

 

 
Example: New routine:
8am: alarm, get up, open the curtains
8.10: practise mindfulness to start the day OR practise an energising morning yoga sequence
8.40: get dressed, make a coffee and eat breakfast, settle in to start working from home
9am-1pm: work
1-2pm: make and eat lunch
2-5.30pm: work
5.30-7.30pm: Spanish class (Tuesday)/ yoga class (Wednesday)/dance class (Thursday)/homework/cleaning (other days)
7.30-9pm: make and eat dinner
9-10pm: watch a series, film or read a book
10-10.30pm: practise a slowing down evening yoga  sequence OR practise gratitude to end the day
10.30-10.45: shower, wash hair, prepare clothes for tomorrow
11pm: go to bed

 

It’s all about being conscious about what you do and how you do it, priorities and good planning!

 

Your Turn!

Download the worksheet for a summary of steps you could take.

Remember this is trial and error. You aren’t looking for the perfect solution in 24 hours. Retrain your brain, experiment with your reality and find the right adjustment(s) that will nurture you, not stress you or tire you out.

Remember why you are here.

  • Set your expectations lower, but do prioritise making it work.
  • If you find yourself getting distracted or prioritising other things, acknowledge this. Pay attention to when you’re going off track, recognise it, try to understand why and redirect yourself, remembering why you started this journey in the first place.
  • Don’t resist failure or difficulty as this creates tension and anxiety. The more mistakes you make now, the more progress you’ll see in the future!

When you’re done – grab your journal and answer the reflection questions at the bottom of your worksheet.

Continuing Education Membership

In the meantime, check out our Continuing Education Membership for multilingual yoga teachers. This membership offers professional and personal development for yoga teachers that want to start teaching worldwide; online or abroad. Develop your communication and teaching skills while obtaining continuing education hours with our live and recorded classes and teacher training sessions!

Have a look at all that’s included here.

References:

(1) Kelly, Diana, ‘How to break bad habits with your brain’, Headspace, viewed 24 November 2020, <https://www.headspace.com/blog/2017/08/07/break-bad-habits/>

(2) Trafton, Anne, 2012, ‘How the brain controls our habits’, MIT News Office, viewed 24 November 2020, <https://news.mit.edu/2012/understanding-how-brains-control-our-habits-1029>

Yoga Myths

There are lots of myths surrounding yoga. Sometimes your mind looks for any excuse not to do something that challenges you. So, if you excuse yourself for not having to practise yoga for whatever reason, let’s clear up these yoga myths before you go any further!

***Download here a free worksheet to check your understanding!

 

1. I have to be flexible to do yoga.

Not true:

We are all flexible to some extent. Opening your eyes requires flexibility, and so does yawning! Many yoga sequences aim to increase flexibility slowly and safely. You can also adapt many poses to work with the flexibility that your body has already. Most yoga teachers explain these variations in the classes. Yoga increases your flexibility and builds your strength over time. So have patience with yourself.

2. I’m too old to start yoga.

Not true:

Generally, yoga is quite an accessible activity, adaptable to most ages and abilities. For example, if you can’t stand, there are plenty of yoga poses for sitting down. There are many studies that show doing yoga improves health issues. Osteoarthritis, for example, which we can develop as we get older. (5) Yoga can improve your bone health, support your immune system and prevent cartilage and joint breakdown. (6) The yoga market is growing and growing, meaning that there’s a type of yoga and a yoga teacher for every body type. Remember, too, that yoga doesn’t have to be physical. It can be a lifestyle more than a physical practice, so if you can’t find the right asana practice for you, you can always start with the morals (Yamas and Niyamas), Pranayama (breath work), mindfulness or meditation.

3. Yoga’s religious and I don’t identify with this.

Not always true:

While there are yogic systems of philosophy, you don’t have to know them or believe in them to practice yoga sequences. Asanas often concern unity of the body, mind and breath, and this concept doesn’t have to apply to a specific religion. To you, your body, mind and soul might exist outside a religious context, so you can choose if your yoga offers you a belief system, personally. But beliefs and yoga can be totally separate experiences if that’s what you feel.

4. Yoga’s religious and it clashes with my own religion.

We think this one’s for you to decide:

It depends on you, your yoga and your religion! There are books, theses and lives devoted to understanding this encounter.

To be cautious, we think that yoga does involve belief systems that could, at times, clash with some religions. However, the practice of yoga is too different from person to person, for us to advise you personally. Perhaps this is first and foremost a point of self-growth for you to explore on yourjourney.

To start with, it depends on the type of yoga you are practising, down to where you are practising, and even who with. Many forms of yoga asana, especially in the West, don’t have to dominate your belief system in order for you to benefit from physical and breathing practices, though some would say you lose the essence of yoga if you consider it only physical. We asked yogis around the world what they thought, and they all had diverse answers. Some say that yoga doesn’t require you to believe in anything specifically, some say yoga has nothing to do with religion; that it is a science. Some do not see yoga outside its beliefs or spiritual experience at all and say the opposite, asking how yoga could be experienced at all without its original and historical spiritual aspects.

We are fascinated by this question but won’t pretend to have an affirmative answer to it.

5. Yoga’s time-consuming and I don’t have time.

Not true:

Yoga sequences are creative, meaning that you can create your own at home that suits your body and your timetable. It can be difficult to make the time you want to spend on yoga if you have a busy life. But even a practice of 10 minutes is a great success! Every day is a day to practice yoga. Every day is a new day to make a change. A little goes a long way.

6. Yoga’s is too slow and easy for me:

Not true:

Like with anything, there’s always room for improvement! If you think you’ve got everything perfectly, do that sequence again but focus on something else. Bring your attention to your breath, the speed of your movement, or the way you transition between poses. Play and discover your body. Challenge yourself to find more advanced variations. And while you’ve been worrying about the physical aspect, what about your body’s unity with your mind: body-mind connection? The process is never-ending; make it your own.

7.  I find breathing patterns uncomfortable or dangerous:

Your breath is for you to take when you need it!

But first, let’s tackle any anxiety. In a yoga class, the yogis aren’t breathing to be in synchronisation with each other. They’re taking a breath that’s comfortable for them personally. The yoga teacher instructs you to transition to a new pose on your next exhale – not NOW! Yoga asks you to listen to what your body needs. If you have a condition, physical or mental, that affects your breathing, remember that your inhales and exhales are on your terms. Breathe when you need to, but breathe well.

Make the most of your breath and enjoy it! Don’t do anything that increases your anxiety: if you need a pause, take one. If you suffer from injuries, mental or physical illness or if you’re pregnant, mention this to your yoga teacher. Most instructors will be able to tell you which breathing exercises you could or shouldn’t do.

8. I can’t do yoga because I’m on my period.

Not entirely true:

This is a very personal subject. Everyone who menstruates has a different body, different cycle and different hormone levels. So this is one you really need to decide for yourself. However, even those of us badly affected by our periods can still do yoga.

Imagine: you’re in bed with a hot water bottle or castor oil pack, ready to sleep until your period’s over. Before you do so, lie down, relax the body completely and focus on taking deep, long breaths. There you go: Savasana. You’re doing yoga. Then there are specific poses such as ‘butterfly pose’, wide-legged child’s pose with a pillow between the legs, and yin practices that help to relieve menstrual cramps and stomach aches. It’s about adapting your practice to what you can benefit from at that point in your day.

 

 

 

Check your understanding of the yoga myths by downloading the worksheet and doing the comprehension exercise on our Continuing Education Membership. 

Continuing Education Membership

In the meantime, check out our Continuing Education Membership for multilingual yoga teachers. This membership offers professional and personal development for yoga teachers that want to start teaching worldwide; online or abroad. Develop your communication and teaching skills while obtaining continuing education hours with our live and recorded classes and teacher training sessions!

Have a look at all that’s included here.

References: 

(5) National Health Service (NHS), 2020, (rev. 19 August 2019), ‘Overview: Osteoarthritis’, NHS, viewed 5 November 2020

(6) McCall, T 2017 (rev. 12 April 2017), 38 Health Benefits of Yoga, Yoga Journal, viewed 5 November 2020