And breathe...

I haven't been practicing yoga for very long, but it's become such an important part of my life that I can't imagine going a week without it. When I first made the decision to move to Cape Town four months ago, I decided that it wouldn't be just a geographical and career move. I had become stagnant and needed the change - badly. I made a conscious decision to take little (or bold!) steps every day to change my lifestyle and thinking for the better. I've found that yoga, of all the little tweaks I've made, has had the most profound effect.

The universe works in mysterious ways and knows exactly what you need and when - something I was reminded of earlier today. I attended an exciting work event, which ended with a 20 minute introduction to Yoga Nidra. Since I was wearing my highest heels and a very limiting pencil skirt, I wasn't too excited at the prospect of getting active at first. Until I heard that 'nidra' means 'to sleep'.

This is the first time I'd heard of Yoga Nidra, but I knew right away that it would be a form of yoga that I would enjoy and benefit from. Jacqueline of Jai Yoga Studio talked us through a wonderfully relaxing, revitalising and energising 20 minute class - she has such a calming presence and a soothing voice, so it wasn't difficult to just let go and relax completely.

The little insights that push their way through the walls you've built up inside yourself and into your consciousness are by far my favourite part of practicing yoga. When I first started yoga, I found that I had many insights on a fairly regular bases - small, seemingly insignificant thoughts that don't seem like much, but that have the potential to change your view of yourself and the world completely.

Today, I had another one of those moments. Jacqueline asked the class to inhale and exhale deeply , all the while counting our inhalations and exhalations. She told us to try to keep track of the counts, but reminded us of the fact that making mistakes and starting again is all part of the process, something that I would do well to remember in daily living.

I think we're all guilty of beating of ourselves up and demanding too much from ourselves. I know that I've struggled with control issues in the past and I don't respond very well to being reminded of my own flaws, so being reminded of the fact that it's ok to make mistakes was an important lesson for me today, and every day. Nothing is so big or so insurmountable, and life will go on.


credit: pinterest