Self-love calls for us to self-care — mind and body. Taking care of ourselves is an intimate form of self-love. One way I self-care is by daily yoga practice. Yoga has taught me about mindfulness and has improved my overall well-being. Here is what yoga has taught me, and how you can benefit from yoga as a form of self-care.
Benefits of Yoga Practice
Challenging the mind and body via yoga practice is a form of self-love that simultaneously promotes physical and mental strength. Moreover, experts agree that yoga practice has significant wellness benefits. Namely, some of these wellness benefits from yoga practice include:
- Easing back pain
- Strengthening balance and flexibility
- Relaxing the body and mind; relieving stress
- Improving body and mind awareness
- Sharpening concentration
Finding Awareness & Focus
The word “yoga” originates from the word “Yuj” of the ancient South Asian language of Sanskrit. In fact, “Yuj” translates to “to adjoin” or “to unite.” This direct translation perfectly symbolizes what yoga holistically represents. Yoga represents uniting the mind and the body through intentional movement via mental and physical strength.
Awareness through intentional movement in yoga helps me to mindfully concentrate on myself. (This is an essential aspect of self-care.) As a result, I feel grounded and centered.
Daily yoga practice encourages my mindfulness and my determination as I move on my mat.Gaining Balance in Baby Steps
With yoga as self-care, you can gain confidence, determination, and a growth-oriented mindset.
Additionally, the mindfulness of yoga has taught me to take things slow and to value the process. At the beginning of my yoga journey, I was carving out 20 minutes per day for yoga as self-care.
As I found my interest growing, I saw improvement as I stuck with my morning yoga practice. Consequently, I became more cognizant of my yoga poses while my confidence was rising.
Recognizing and gaining physical strength pushed me to work harder. As a result, yoga has impacted other areas of my life. Yoga practice has motivated me to work harder, even in my smaller, day-to-day tasks.
Recently, I nailed down the crow’s pose. I am proud of myself for perfecting that pose, it’s not easy!Learning to Let Go
The mindfulness of yoga is not always about being focused or determined to gain something. By the same token, yoga can also be about intentionally unwinding and letting go of whatever consumes your mind.
Therefore, I bring any stress or uncertainty to my yoga mat — rain or shine. These moments of letting go eventually help me collect my thoughts and attain balance.
Yoga Practice as Self-Care
Yoga is an effective way to practice self-care. Ultimately, it has strengthened my ability to be aware and mindful. Furthermore, I’ve applied this mindfulness to other self-care activities, which has improved my mental and emotional well-being.
I see how the positive ripple effects from my morning yoga are changing my daily outlook. In the midst of a difficult and confusing year, I was still able to practice self-care. I challenged myself to grow in a hard season. Altogether, that is worth celebrating.
