Gentleness, Kindness, Compassion

     During the yoga class I took this morning I re-learned an important lesson. I learned that it is important to listen to your body. When you listen to your body, you have the ability to find out what it needs and give it those things. I’ve been caught up in my own personal stress and anxiety that I let my health and fitness go by the wayside. I stopped paying attention to my eating, I stopped exercising, and I sat more, stopped being creative, and became anxious when thinking about exercise. I convinced myself that exercise and eating healthy had something to do with beating my body up and depriving myself. I will be the first one to tell you that I’ve allowed myself one too many treats in the food department, but in the end, health and vitality are never about deprivation. They are about putting only what’s good for you into your body. That means fresh food, consistent exercise, hydrating drinks, time with your social circle and a chance to have fun doing the things that bring you pleasure. That does mean saying no to you sometimes when it comes to the second glass of wine or the ice cream at the grocery store. It means making decisions for the greater good of your long-term goal than feeding instant gratification. It means making the little choices as well as the big choices that move you toward a positive and healthier you.  The yoga instructor at class today talked about treating yourself with kindness, gentleness and compassion. She also spoke at one point about changing the inner dialogue in your head to something positive that would help you hold the pose just a little longer. It brought me back to the point in which I was reminded I needed to connect with my heart and soul, spend time speaking nicely to myself (admit tingly not my strong point), and taking time to meditate and bring my body and mind back to peace. I have ignored the signs for far too long. When you’re body hurts, your muscles and joints ache and pop and crack, you experience weight gain, and are consistently stressed or anxious…THAT IS NOT NORMAL! Take a lesson from a stubborn mule like myself; doing small changes that positively affect your outlook and gently help your body back to health and vitality are essential. They are of the utmost importance and should be your number 1 priority.