Dear Beautiful Yogi,
A couple of weeks ago I shared 5 indicators you are living out of alignment. See that email here:5 Signs You Are Living Out Of Alignment. This week I want to give you three simple tools to support realignment. As I write this to you now, I am sitting on a train in route to Rome and then home. This email is as much for you as it is for me, as I am really feeling the effects of a month of travel. I could seriously use some realignment.
As much as I love it and crave it, travel is also very hard on the system. It’s particularly difficult for vata constitutions because everything about travel creates more vata in the mind and body. Vata is made up of air and space and is characterized by change, lightness, dryness, movement, coldness, instability, and irregularity. Travel is all of those things for sure.
So, here are three simple things you and I can do right away to help realign ourselves on all levels:
- Get still and meditate. Carve out a little time each day, preferably in the morning to be still and listen. When we are out of alignment, our imbalances speak louder than our own inner wisdom. If you want to hear that inner guidance, you have to have some silence. You have the answers, you know what you need down deep. But too much commotion and noise will drown it out. So, set aside 5 minutes, possibly even more and sit still. Close your eyes, take some deep breaths and pay attention. Sit with yourself and notice what you notice. Let this quiet time gently inform your day. You can do it and you will feel the benefits.
- Move your body with present awareness. It doesn’t have to be a yoga practice, but it could be. You can roll out your mat and do a simple floor practice coupled with deep breathing and mindfulness. It could be a brisk walk in nature without any distractions, taking in the air, scenery and sounds. It could be another form of exercise that moves your body and therefore flushes prana (energy) through your whole system. The point is to support your physical well-being and improve the energy flow within your body. You will feel better right away.
- Drink a lot of water!! Is this as hard for you as it is for me?? I never drink enough water even at home. I have to make it a conscious practice to do so every day. When traveling, I really don’t drink enough because otherwise I am constantly seeking the bathroom. I feel perpetually dehydrated as a result. As soon as I am home or situated somewhere for a good length of time, I try to drink a lot of water. I feel the benefits immediately. I tend to drink less caffeine. I feel my system flushing and my digestion improving. Everything just works better. It is extremely balancing for all constitutions and supports the basic and essential functions of the body.
There are so many more simple and powerful yogic tools to support our optimal balance and health but with too much on the list, we tend to feel overwhelmed and drop them all. Try these three today. They will change how you feel on the inside and therefore how you experience your life. I will start as soon as I am home. Will you join me? Let me know how it goes.
Love,
