The only change is in ourselves

Part of the philosophy of yoga is that we can't always change the world around us. No matter what we do, bad things will happen and stressful situations will arise. The only thing we have control over—the only thing we can change—is ourselves. We can decide how to react to situations that challenge us. Will we allow them to throw us off center, or will we calmly deal with something unpleasant and not let it have a bad effect on us, taking it in stride.

Yoga teaches us how to respond to stress patiently. We must experience the physical challenge of the postures without fear, and use deep, calm breaths to move through them. If we can take that lesson off the mat and into our daily lives, we will move closer to the goal of responding to stress and bad things in a careful and considered way.

Yoga Journal 

Namaste,

Shaini

Take a Stress Test

Make a fist and squeeze it tight. Keep squeezing—as hard as you can—while you count to 10.

What happened to your breath while you did this? Most people find that they completely stop breathing, which is what typically happens when we're under stress. If you think about it, this response makes sense. The body seizes up in a mild form of shock.

But this response is exactly the opposite of what is healthy for the body. Instead of seizing up, we must learn to relax during times of stress, for only when we're relaxed can we find a solution.

Yoga can help you practice this principle in action. In yoga, the "stress" is the physical challenge of the posture. Although our first response to it may be tension, over time we can learn to deepen our breath and expand into the pose.

Yoga Journal

Namaste, Shaini

Be Present All meals a day

We've all heard that "we are what we eat." A more specific way to translate that axiom is to say that what we eat, to a great extent, determines our health. More complex is the idea that how we eat affects our health. When we appreciate and are conscious of our food, we derive incredible benefits from eating, in part because such awareness makes it difficult for us to eat food that is bad for us.

Discover food anew every time you eat. What you will find is that every apple, slice of toast, or meal in your favorite restaurant has its own unique, subtle qualities that often slip by, unnoticed, when you eat habitually or in a distracted state of mind.

If you can bring yourself back to the present moment for just an instant and pause to see how your food aligns with you deep in your core, you'll find you have an unfailing tool for knowing what is truly healthy and satisfying for you.

Yoga Journal

Namaste, Shaini