To keep the body in good health is a duty…otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. – Buddha
How do you feel about yourself in the morning, when you have the first look in the mirror? Are you thinking to yourself: “Hello gorgeous!” or are you just whispering “I gained some weight – again!”, or “My hair looks so bad!” or “Is that a wrinkle?”. No matter what your answer is, I want you to know: I was there! I had all sorts of thoughts in the morning and these were not all good. I’m not going to say that they are all good now, I am just going to tell you this:
You can learn to love yourself no matter what you think about yourself!
I am going to share with you some tips and tricks of how yoga helped me love my body. Try these steps and see how they work for you – it might be the best thing you did lately.
#1 Be flexible like water
Have you seen how water flows? Indeed, you know. No matter what comes into the path of water, it makes its own way. Be flexible like water. Stretching helps the body and the mind all together. Along with the yoga exercises you will notice how you become more and more flexible. Your moves will be full of grace and it will be easier to perform normal day-to-day tasks like shopping, dancing, cleaning or going up and down the stairs. It might seem like a little, but it’s actually a lot.
ALSO FEEL FREE TO TRY THESE 23 STEPS TO A HEALTHIER LIFE HERE
One of the most popular yoga pose is the hamstring-opening pose. Try this daily and you will see improvements. Maybe you will not be able to bend your hand behind your back, but you will surely be able to touch your toes. How cool is that?
TIP: When working on your flexibility make sure to breathe deep long breaths. Hang in there! Since yoga is also about the mind, not only about the body, try focusing on the muscles while they let go.
Janu Shirsasana
Found on Stylecraze.com
Adhomukha savasana
Found on Stylecraze.com
#2 Admire yourself constantly
Take time while you practice yoga to admire your body. You can do this by looking at a reflection of yourself while you stretch or simply by taking pictures of yourself while you pose. This is the new thing when it comes to yoga: yoga pictures. Get inspired from the below pictures and learn to appreciate your body. If you like the results, doesn’t that mean that you are starting to like yourself?
TIP: For the best results try to take pictures outside! It might seem weird at the beginning, but it will be worthed. You can choose a park, a balcony or even dare to venture outside the city. You will not only take amazing pictures, but you will also get to fill your lungs with fresh air and charge yourself with vitamin D and calcium from the Sun.
MORE ABOUT MAKING YOUR BODY LOOK GREAT HERE.
Found on Kyrinhall.com
Found on Landofyoga.com
#3 Workout a bit
This is pretty self-explanatory. You exercise, you burn more calories and therefore you lose weight. A healthy diet is also mandatory in order for this to work. After a week of exercise you will see that all that stretching was not in vain. Probably this is the most important self-esteem factor that will definitely make you fall in love with your body – that’s if you didn’t already.
TIP: Try mixing some cardio routines into your daily yoga. You don’t have to over do it, still make sure that you keep up the pace. Motivate yourself by listening to some work-out music in the process.
The routine below is the one I try for weight loss! Go and burn some calories!
#4 Practice inner and outer balance
Life is all about balance. It’s about doing all the things you love, but doing them from a place of balance. What does that mean? It means that if I want to eat chocolate today, I can eat chocolate, but if I eat a full jar of Nutella – that’s not a balanced decision and it’s not going to make me happy. It’s the same about sports, about food, about relationships, about sleep and last but not least about the relationship with yourself. If you are in peace with yourself and with the decisions and actions you take on a daily basis you will eventually love yourself. The good part is that yoga is all about balance as well. If your body is in balance, your spirit will align – this is what Buddhists keep spreading about yoga and the benefits of practicing it. Start with the basics – the Tree Pose.
Found on Elephant Journal
In yoga, there is a principle called satya (the practice of truthfulness) that teaches yogis to think, speak, and act in alignment with what is true. Because it’s a challenging balancing pose, Tree Pose offers an opportunity to practice this principle by aligning yourself with the truth in your own body.
Another pose that really can challenge your balance, but will also bring a smile on your face is the Lord of the Dance pose. This pose will make you feel like a million dollars and will also make you feel good in your own skin. Pose like the star that you are!
Found on Yogajournal.com
Here you have some useful tips:
- Move into your balance poses slowly and consciously
- When needed, use your hands or a wall for support or to gain stability.
- Pay attention to the position and movement of the head because an important part of our equilibrium system is located in the inner ear.
- Keep your breath calm and steady in order to stabilize mind and body.
- Don’t be afraid to fall dawn!
MORE ABOUT LEARNING HOW TO LOVE YOURSELF HERE
#5 Meditate meditate meditate
Found on life.gaiam.com
In Buddhist tradition, the word meditation is equivalent to a word like sports in the U.S. It’s a family of activity, not a single thing, University of Wisconsin neuroscience lab director Richard J. Davidson, Ph.D., told The New York Times. Your yoga practice shouldn’t be only about meditation, but it should definitely include it. During this session try to focus on the inner beauty as much as you focus on the outside beauty. It’s not necessary to sit in meditation for hours in order for it to work. Try to just take the meditating pose and let your thoughts wonder around for 10 minutes, like cars on a road. Don’t get stuck in the traffic, try to stay on the side, just looking at the cars pass by.
TIP: Always end your meditation with some good thoughts, that will help you make it through the day, Try having small conversations with yourself, where you understand yourself, forgive yourself and motivate yourself.
Do you have some tips to share that you use in your yoga practice? I can’t wait to find out what they are. Share your tips&tricks in the comments section below. And remember:
