“How do I YOGA, off the mat?” you ask. Well, it’s simple really. You live your life, because that’s the journey. And THE JOURNEY is in everything that we do. Only, you do it very mindfully and full of intention. In a nutshell, you get really clear on what you believe and want, and then you live according to those principles. It’s congruent, you see?
We access the depths of our experience when we bring our whole selves to the table. To some degree, we all believe that we need to be certain things, in certain ways, and that’s okay, but yoga helps us to dissolve those judgements & expectations that aren’t really true. This frees us from what isn’t ours & opens us up to what is.
Here’s How
- Just be the you that you are in every moment…that’s hard enough, intricate enough and incredible enough for me!!
- Think about how this threads thru your life, or could easily with a little intention:
- This life, and all of it’s layers, aren’t something that we HAVE to do; they’re something that we GET to do.
- There is only one you, and the thing is, YOU are in charge of your experience. Don’t let life jostle you around to the point where you forget that.
It’s a “Lifestyle”
*Pro tip: it’s a thousand different choices daily that comprise your “lifestyle”.
So, we don’t want to subscribe to just any garden variety lifestyle that we see paraded around on the web. We want what really honors who we are as people. In yoga, we’re realizing that no lifestyle choice can be chosen for you. We may get used to things that we later learn are unacceptable. However, as adults, WE CHOOSE what is what and put it in to action.
We live with this delusion that saying things like “I’m an influencer” or “I’m a yogi” is supposed to paint some intricate picture of who you are….and it’s the same social atmosphere that rejects stereotypes, so??? What are we doing? Lol. If you really like using labels to help you identify groups of traits or desires of yourself that’s fine. Just don’t let any one particular label define you. Life is fluid, and as people, we’re always evolving.
I’ll be honest, while I do think that yoga, parenting, mental health and say, gardening are lifestyle choices, what that means from one person to the next is VARIABLE, as it should be.
IRL Actions
Essentially, living your yoga off the mat means carrying the same level of Zen and mindfulness into your everyday life that you feel during your yoga practice. So, when someone cuts you off in traffic, you resist the urge to honk and instead take a deep breath. When your boss gives you an impossible deadline, you stay calm and focused instead of freaking out. It’s basically being a chill, flexible, and centered superhero – with awesome leggings. And even when things successively don’t go as planned and you totally blow a gasket; reel it in, ground down, and bring yourself back to center.
Yogi TIPS
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Greet the morning
- Mindfulness, Moment of silence, drink tea, meditate, journal.
- Check out our 5 Steps To Boost Your Morning Mood
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Immerse the Senses
- Touch, taste, see, hear, and smell everything you can to its fullest.
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Breathe
- It’s really that simple.
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Make Connections
- Talk to people, reach out, give hugs, share something that you usually wouldn’t. A lot of times, we retract from relationships I’m order to grow, learn about boundaries and to change in the ways that we need to on our own. But, it’s okay to make connections again when you’re ready. You’re not a drag, and you may be surprised when other people want to embrace you and lift you up in partnership.
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Be Mindful
- Know your WHY. What are you doing? How? Where? Where? Why?
- Yoga, off the mat encourages you to examine why you found the mat in the first place.
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Be intentional.
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Activities of Daily Living
- We all have roles and responsibilities… be present for that, but be brave enough to do it your own way.
- Take a Shamans bath, play like a child, meet chores like an invigorated participant of the Householder’s path. You think monks don’t have days when they think, “crap…I don’t want to do this today?” THEY DO! I read it in a book, thus it is 100% true. Be creative, allow yourself to be lazy, scheme up dreams and act on them, and definetely take long naps. Do everything that you can, when you can, it balance, with your full awarness. And take it easy on yourself. You’re amazing! We’re all quirky and different, and that’s the best part of it. And then, at night,
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Release the day
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Say an affirmation, breath, journal, read, reflect.
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Bring awareness, intention, and awe to everything you can.
- Give yourself permission to do that. That’s yoga. It’s ALL yoga, as long as we are aware of it. Make it supple and sensuous. Make it sacred, and do it on purpose when you can. Walk this journey with all that it’s infront of you to its fullest.
“Yoga is not about touching your toes, it’s about what you learn on the way down.“
– Jigar Gor
Can you see it now? Yoga, off the mat is actually quite simple. It’s a journey of mindful authenticity. Still need more? Check Out our New Online Course:
