We all talk a lot about yoga “off the mat”, but what do we mean by it?
Well, to me it’s about finding that feeling of calm inside, that feeling of return that you get in yoga class, and taking it home with you. It’s about living the best life you can in spite of (or maybe because of?) the circumstances the universe throws at you. It’s about smiling in the face of adversity, and remembering to change every “f*** you” into a “bless you”!
Just for fun, here are 10 ways of living your yoga off the mat, even if it’s only for a passing moment every day.
1. Watch your breath, notice when it speeds up or gets ragged and slow it down, smooth it out.
2. Roll your shoulders up and back, open your chest.
3. Watch your posture, draw the navel into the spine, lengthen the tailbone and stand tall.
4. Laugh a lot.
5. Open your heart. When you’re stuck in traffic, or in the world’s slowest moving supermarket queue, and you feel yourself getting angry repeat the mantra “my heart is open”, you’ll calm down pretty quickly, I promise.
6. Stroke a passing cat.
7. Reflect regularly without instrospection.
8. Wear glitter and sprinkle fairy dust wherever you go. Sounds trivial but I genuinely believe that looking good on the outside makes us feel good on the inside and therefore more able to live a mindful, compassionate life.
9. Look after yourself. Make sure you sleep enough, eat well, drink gallons of water and that there is always enough of you to go around.
10. Let go. Sometimes you can’t control everything. I’ve learned this the hard way time and time again. Sometimes you just have to stop holding on and let the universe do it’s job. Trust in it.
How do you live your yoga off your mat?
Have beautiful weekends dear readers!
I really like how you put that:
‘Reflect regularly without introspection.’
It’s a good way to language a very difficult thing. Well, I find it difficult, anyway. Given half a chance I will overanalyse EVERYTHING!
Lovely “orderns” to end the weekdays and start the weekend with!
Yay for letting go of control!! Isn’t it a zen saying ‘whether you swim with it or against it, the river flows the same way’…
This is a brilliant post Rachel!!
Fantastic thoughts for this beautiful Friday, Rachel. Thank you!
Love it! It’s so important to take yoga off the mat. Sometimes I laugh at myself for choosing the blog title “On the mat” when one of my most frequently used tags is “off the mat”. : )
Lately, inspired by the Happiness Project, I have been focused on cultivating a spirit of generosity. Basically, “remembering to change every “f*** you” into a “bless you”!” I find myself happier when I choose compassion and patience over irritation. It can be very difficult, though!
Have a great weekend. Across the pond we’re celebrating our independence, which is hilarious to me, because I feel that we are one of the most dependent nations in the world.
I try to practice each of these things everyday, except the fairy dust one…I like that and may have to add that into my practice. Namaste~
This is lovely Rachel! What a great list! Every “f… you” into a “bless you” is hilarious, but so necessary
how did I miss this post Rachel? It must have been while I was moving.
Fantastic post