May 16, 2016
Photo courtesy/Christie Honigman
The Savasana pose in yoga will center you, sharpen your focus and help you relax in your own skin.
Each week, on Mindful Mondays, Christie shares three tips toward a healthier lifestyle. She proposes something healthy to think about, something healthy to eat, and something healthy to do. Give these tips a try to improve your health, wellness and quality of life!
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MINDFUL THOUGHT: Everybody falls, not everybody gets back up
To think that you will not fail at times along your journey is simply not a realistic expectation. None of us can be perfect all the time and sometimes we must do things that we enjoy as quality of life is a very important component to consider in your personal health planning.
"Failing Forward," a book written by John C. Maxwell, outlines the title concept profoundly and explains that, “in life, the question is not if you will have problems but how you are going to deal with them.” The strategy is that we must accept failure as inevitable and in fact, embrace it as, “an opportunity to begin again, this time, more intelligently.” This week, shift your perspective when things go wrong or you make a mistake. Accept what is and ask yourself what you can learn from the experience
MINDFUL EATING: Zoodles with turkey meat sauce
For many of us, pasta has not been on the menu recently since the dangers of hidden sugars in refined carbohydrates have come to light. The good news is that with the advent of vegetable spiralizing tools like the Veggetti, you can have your pasta and eat it too. Simply spiralize your favorite vegetables and top with your favorite pasta sauce and enjoy guilt-free bowl of comfort food.
Yoga can be beneficial at the beginning or end of the day to reflect. Take a few minutes' worth of deep breaths in a child’s pose, above.
MINDFUL ACTIVITY: Incorporate yoga
With the concept of failing forward in mind, this week’s physical activity is to incorporate just a few minutes of yoga into your week. The basic principles of yoga are a wonderful addition to anyone’s long term health plan. At it’s core, yoga is considered a personal ‘practice’, reinforcing the idea that no one is expected to be perfect and each individual will adapt to things differently. Find time at the beginning or end of the day to reflect and take a few minutes worth of deep breaths in Child’s pose or Savasana. This will center you, sharpen your focus and help you relax in your own skin.
Take the challenge a step further by trying a class at a local studio. If the idea of taking a class in a group setting is too intimidating for you, the teachers at Four the Love of Yoga will give you a private lesson in your home or theirs. Four the Love of Yoga also will host pop-up classes every Wednesday at 8 p.m. in June at Athleta on Walnut Street.
