I am typing this blog as I sit in my bed having just completed my nightly-ish yoga routine wondering what the fuck happened to this weekend and if we can just collectively agree that its Saturday and give ourselves another chance at Sunday. I have been feeling quite anxious and rushed. There is this urgency inside of me which I am not sure where it is coming from. I suspect that since our weekend was pretty go-go-go that my mind is having trouble stop-stop-stopping since we finally landed home for the night a couple hours ago.
My #3 said it best:
“It’s not fair that we have to go to school for five days and then only get two days off.”
Preach child, preach.
Anyway. I wanted to get in the mood for my yoga time so I started out with dousing myself in my fancy schmancy lavender spray. Which is to say I took a few drops of a lavender essential oil that I had previously put into a miniature spray spritzer deal that are like 10 mini bottles for $10 on Amazon and then filled said mini spray bottle with water.
Next came the task of picking out a practice that was calling my name. I basically have a handful of practices that I go to when I am feeling indecisive or stressed or rushed or anxious. But I thought I might try a different one because sometimes I feel guilty picking a practice that I already know because it feels like I’m cheating yoga.
Don’t ask.
So I scrolled and as I was scrolling through the gazillion Yoga with Adriene practice options I thought,
“Nope. Fuck this. Going with old faithful.”
And then I thought “If I didn’t know what I was looking for I might get paralyzed by this decision making process” which is to say that I am often paralyzed by any decision making process. But yoga specific, when you only get 15-20 minutes a day to yourself, you want to make sure you pick the perfect video that just speaks to your soul based on the three word title and still image cover photo. Which is basically impossible so you spend your 15-20 minutes scrolling through videos and then your kids find you and then you’ve missed your window for quiet yogi time and then you’re pissed and frustrated and annoyed and aggravated.
No? Just me.
Welp, just in case I’m not the only one… I thought to prevent that from happening to someone else with precious limited time and who also finds themselves incapacitated by simple decision making (AKA my target audience) and in the spirit of Mental Health Monday, I am going to narrow down the options for you and give you my favorite go to practices. They vary in length and intensity but based on my mood and body’s needs, always give me exactly what I need.
Take 5 Yoga Break. This is literally a five minute practice that somehow leaves you feeling rejuvenated and restored. It hits all the high points that you wanna hit when you are feeling tense and tight.
Yoga for Comfort and Nourishment- 25 Minute Practice. This practice is yummy for slowing down while simultaneously stretching and meditating and bringing awareness to your spirit. This may be a strong statement but I think this is my favorite YWA practice. I have found myself turning it on every time I have a good window of time to do the yoga. It is a full body practice that lives up to it’s name of providing all encompassing comfort and nourishment.
Sunrise Yoga- 15 Minute Morning Yoga Practice. If you want to wake up and feel bright and alive, give yourself an extra fifteen in the morning and turn this baby on!
6 Minute Yoga Chill. Lately, this has been my go to night night practice. It really only takes six minutes to let your nervous system chill out and go from anxious as fuck to someone just hit me with a tranquilizer dart. I sleep better, I wake up feeling better and I feel looser and calmer and it really is only six minutes.
Pranyama Potion. This. Friends. If you struggle with panic attacks or borderline panic attacks or chest tightness from panic and anxiety, do this. And if aromatherapy is your jam, get you an essential oil that you can rub in between your palms before you get started. It works better and faster than a Xanax. I swear it.
Side note: I am biiiiig on aromatherapy.
If I’m being completely honest I am struggling with panic tonight like a mother fucker. I have no idea what prompted it but I kind of think it was some serious thunder that was banging on my windows. I hate storms and thunder and anything that I can feel pounding in my chest and sometimes it sets me off.
Case and point: My #3 just walked into where I writing and said:
“Are you stressed?”
I looked up at him and nodded. He said, “I can tell. You have that smelling stuff on.”
So yea, when I smell like an Adaptiv billboard you can go ahead and do as the GIF says.
Insert an lol here but also it helps so if you are on the fence with essential oils but need help managing anxiety, give aromatherapy a go.
So anyway. There you go. If you don’t know where you need to start with yoga, start here. And then as you find your groove, you can curate your go to practices. There is literally something for everyone in the online yoga realm and like I’ve said 17,000 times, yoga makes everything better.
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