New interests for ever, not just New Year
Try new things all the time
The traditional theme of most things we are bombarded with after New Year is usually about resolutions; making them; keeping them; what to do if you break them. I think this just puts more pressure on yourself at a time when a lot of people feel a little low for all sorts of reasons. It could be a little slump when Christmas and New Year is behind us and winter is ahead, a low mood, or you may suffer from seasonally affective disorder (SAD).
This concentrated focus on being a new you, or learning something new, can be too much when we need to be gentle with ourselves, and recognise getting through the long dark days when you might not feel so great, is a pretty good achievement in itself.
I believe a better approach to improving yourself and your life, is to try being open to new things and work towards a better you and life most of the time, not just as a New Year’s resolution.
This doesn’t mean constantly exercising, dieting and learning another new language, which is what the New Year’s resolutions approach can feel like, but just do something all or most of the time. Spend a bit more time on your yoga mat, or your pranayama breathing exercises, or update your skills or a hobby.
So, no big build up, no grand goals, just stay interested in and try things. If something piques your interest, try it. Continue with or find an exercise or sport that you enjoy and keep doing it. You will find things you enjoy and can stick at. If you vow as your New Year's resolution you are absolutely going to do an hour of exercise every day, and you manage it for two weeks and then stop, you will feel disheartened and be more likely to stop entirely.
If there is no great pressure, you will probably enjoy it more. It will become a habit that you enjoy and will keep doing. It won't matter if you don’t stick rigidly to say, walking for an hour every day if you walk for an hour most days, and maybe sometimes have a bit of time off. As the habit is consistently in your life it won’t feel like failure when you do have a day off.
Keep your mind open to trying new things at any time. Always wanted to learn a language, the piano, how to knit? then start when you want, find like-minded people who enjoy doing this activity (online only at the present of course), and keep having a go.
This is an approach I always try to maintain. At the moment, I am spending a bit more time on my mat, and my breathing exercises. I am also brushing up on long held skills to make sure they stay relevant and useful. I am updating my Pilates qualifications and refreshing my facial yoga knowledge.
Facial yoga classes
When I held the facial yoga workshops at The Fishponds they were very popular. And now that we can't get out to a spa, why not bring the spa to us? This is one of the reasons I have refreshed this diploma.
This revising and training means I am really excited at the prospect of offering new weekly facial yoga classes to my students. The classes will be about half an hour each week and include:
different exercises and focus on the face, such as eyes, mouth, forehead, neck etc
breathing and relaxation exercises.
A lot of the lesson plans are in progress, and I hope to finalise them by February and start offering the online classes in mid-February. Look out for more information about these classes coming soon. I plan to introduce the Pilates classes later in the year, when hopefully we can get outside and practice. I hope you find the new classes interesting, and if you want to know more contact me for a chat. I also hope you are making some time for yourself during these difficult times, and that you are finding things to interest and engage you, and are looking forward to the future. Remember to be kind to yourself as well as others. Namaste
#newyearnewyou, #newyearsresolution, #facialyoga, #facialyogaclasses