Winter wellbeing: taking care of yourself as a yoga teacher
As the days draw in and the cooler weather sets in, we may need to work harder at looking after ourselves! But in the process perhaps we can embrace the wonders of the winter months.
As yoga teachers our care and attention is often naturally focused on others. In the winter months, with energy reserves often already depleted, looking after ourselves can take second - or even last - place. Yet looking after others means we have to be feeling in a good place ourselves. Here are three pointers for maintaining physical and emotional health in the wintertime.
You really are what you eat
It may sound obvious but can easily get forgotten in the scramble of contemporary living! Eating well is absolutely fundamental to maintaining our physical health and energy levels, ensuring we are taking in enough of the right vitamins, minerals and fibre, and in maintaining our mental health. Think simple, home cooked food, free from additives and preservatives, sourced from the best ingredients you an afford, for the bulk of your diet. This is a brilliant time of year for home made soups and stews! As and when you can, organic options will benefit animal welfare, the environment and you! We’re great believers that treats are fine when chosen mindfully! How about replacing another cup of coffee or your afternoon snack with home made hot chocolate made with organic cocoa, milk (this works well with oat milk) and a dash of muscovado or brown sugar? Be extremely wary of hydrogenated fats (which have been linked to poor heart health and even to certain cancers) - hydrogenation being the process whereby manufacturers add hydrogen to a liquid fat, such as vegetable oil, to turn it into a sold fat at room temperature. Other foods made this way include most fast foods, baked goods such as cakes and cookies and most processed foods. Avoid too much sugar - little changes such as replacing milk chocolate with dark chocolate or sourcing sugar-free muesli, can make a huge difference.
Give yourself permission to rest
The colder, leaner months are the time of year when our ancestors would naturally retreat and rest; this was a sacred time for pausing and healing. Our contemporary lives rarely allow time to follow winter’s invitation to pause that is wired into our history and DNA, and that connects us deeply to the rhythms of the natural world. This, twinned with the realities of a busy schedule, mean it’s common for us all to feel run down and depleted, especially in the winter months. As a yoga teacher perhaps you are teaching many classes a week to make ends meet. Our own wellbeing can easily take a hit when we feel stretched and unable to make time for ourselves. The only way through this is to prioritise your own health and needs, so that in looking after yourself you are looking after others. Permission is a biggie - giving yourself that permission to stop, take an early night, luxuriate in a warm bath, recharge with an afternoon rest. Treat yourself to guided relaxation practices such as yoga nidra - the app Insight Timer is a brilliant tool for sourcing all kinds of rest and meditation-based practices.Live stream classes come into their own at this time of year - how about signing up to a mindfulness course (we highly recommend Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction or anything by Breathworks) or clocking onto YouTube for free Restorative Yoga practices. Remember: it is more than ok to schedule in rest - it’s essential.
Step outside in nature
With mental and physical health increasingly linked to spending plenty of regular time outdoors in nature, little steps can make all the difference to how we feel, physically and mentally. A quick walk in the park before work; a few minutes sitting in the garden or park with a cup of tea; a minute or so to stretch outside; a walk or run in a local forest - it’s incredible how spending time in nature can lift our mood whilst boosting our physical health. Those living in the much cooler Scandinavian countries seem to have perfected the art of venturing outside whatever the weather, weaving this into the fabric of their lives to feel better and as an unarguable way to maintain body / mind wellbeing. (Think saunas in gardens and cold dips!) As the days get colder, gather more layers! Remember what your wise grandmother said? ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather - just the wrong clothes!’.
How can reserVie help you?
An efficient, easy to navigate yoga booking system can help simplify and streamline one’s life, leaving more time for life’s essential things! Book a friendly, completely obligation-free chat with us at reserVie here! Remember: we’re yoga teachers and yoga studio owners so entirely understand your needs!