Turns out you don't need Lulu lemon to take charge of your health.
About two weeks ago at around 3pm in the afternoon, I was sitting at my computer complaining about how sore and tired I was, and trying to massage my neck with a shiatsu device from Amazon. I then proceeded to have one of those spontaneous moments where I decided I was going to do something to positively affect my life, and I announced that I was going to do some yoga in the bedroom.
I proceeded to find my yoga mat that I’d stashed away in the back of the closet pre-pandemic, grabbed a big glass of water, and sat on my phone trying to find a decent app to teach me. I settled on the DailyYoga app, and turned on one of their free beginner yoga videos. Twenty minutes later, I’d completed the short routine and was feeling refreshed, laying on my bedroom floor in corpse pose. The rest of the afternoon, I felt quite good about myself, and how I’d actually done something positive. I decided that the next day, I’d start my morning with the DailyYoga app, trying out one of their meditation offerings, and then doing a short yoga session.
Skip ahead a couple of weeks and I’ve managed to form a little routine where I start my day with daily meditation and a yoga session (which has been growing steadily longer as my body gets used to moving again). I have to say, in the couple of weeks I’ve been doing this, I’ve been feeling more positive and more focussed on my personal projects and goals.
I’m hoping that I can keep this routine going and create a healthy habit, since it aligns with my overall goals for 2021, where I focus on myself, my goals, and my health. After all, moving even a small amount is better than not moving at all. I've also been finding that after yoga I feel more motivated and energized, to the point where I may start adding some more high energy exercises to my day here and there (Just Dance 2021 I’m looking at you).
I broke down the other day and purchased the yearly subscription to the DailyYoga app. I’m not sure how I feel about doing that yet, since I know there are plenty of ways to be active for free, but I have to admit that I enjoy their offerings and the user interface. I’m hoping that the monetary investment and ease of use will help me to continue using it regularly, but the frugal part of my brain is still reprimanding me. At least I got a promotional offer (I know there’s always an offer, but my lizard brain still feels satisfied).
One of the exercises I’ve been doing since upgrading my subscription has been the meditation sessions for overcoming fear of failure. This is one of the things that I’ve always known I’m susceptible to, and it’s one of the things that I believe hinders me the most. Oftentimes I’ll be interested in something, or want to try something new, but the moment I have the opportunity to start I find an excuse not to. Instead I'll procrastinate or decide to do extra research first, and instead of jumping in with two feet with the understanding that learning and working on new things is a process, I'll decide that it’s too much of a time investment, it's just a silly trend, or that it’s safer to just..not do the thing.
Since I’ve quit my job to write a book and focus on my creative endeavours, I’ve realized that I don’t want my brain to fall into this trap, and I’m trying to proactively teach myself that it’s okay to not be the best at something the moment I pick it up. I need to repeatedly tell myself that I’m not in any danger, and that it’s okay to not be perfect. The important thing is that I’m making an effort, and trying to move my life in a direction that I’m proud of.
It’s going to take some time until I’ve settled into this habit, and hopefully by then I’ve taught my lizard brain to see certain risks as positive opportunities. This will likely be a topic that I check back in with, so follow along if you want to know how this goes. I will most definitely let you know when I’m flexible enough to touch my toes again.
If you're interested in joining me and trying out the DailyYoga app, you can find it here on the Google Playstore
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a lovely day!