- Take three deep breaths through the nose, emphasizing a slow exhalation to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. This comforts your body in a “tend and befriend” spirit as opposed to fight, flight, or freeze.
- Remember — you are human. Give yourself a break! A quick time out can make all the difference.
- Look in the mirror every morning and say to yourself: “Good morning. I love you.”
- Write down three things you are grateful for.
- Speak kindly to yourself throughout the day. Even if it feels silly at first, give yourself a pet name. For example, when you make a mistake, tell yourself, “It’s ok, sweetheart; you worked hard today. You’re just tired — and we all make mistakes.”
- Place your hand on your heart. Simple, gentle physical connection like stroking your arm, petting a dog, or giving someone else a hug releases oxytocin (the hormone of love and bonding) and serotonin (neurotransmitters in the brain), which are two hormones that increase feelings of self-love, care, safety, and trust.
- Release stressful feelings by offering yourself unconditional acceptance in this moment. Consciously choose to be kind to yourself.
- Take one mindful breath to bring yourself back into the present moment. Breath and body are two anchors we always carry with us. We can always turn to them for refuge and a pause.
Guest post by studio BE Senior Facilitator Regina Kerschbaumer.
Regina Kerschbaumer moved to England in the early 90's (originally born and raised in South Africa) and currently lives in South London. She found yoga for the first time in 1996 — or shall we say, "it found her." She has been a bodyworker for more than thirty years, including over 1500 hours of certified yoga training, in addition to being a qualified Hypnotherapist.
Regina realized her true calling as a Yin teacher when she participated in her first Yin Yoga Teacher Training with Paul Grilley in 2006. She felt she had discovered the "link" between her knowledge of human anatomy, reflexology, meridian therapy and yoga. She feels blessed to further her training directly under the world’s leading Yin Yoga teachers, Paul Grilley, Sarah Powers and Anodea Judith.
Apart from her love for her family, dog, cat, cooking, and fashion: Regina's real passions in life are yoga and its philosophy, culture and travel. She annually shares her knowledge and love of yoga with her students on week-long yoga holidays in Greece, India, Morocco, Spain and South Africa.
Regina's intention is to inspire her students, to help them to awaken, heal and restore their physical bodies, connecting to their own inner wisdom, strength and power.
She encourages her students to modify and adapt their poses, to work with their individual abilities while using visualization to delve deeply into the chakras and meridian channels within their bodies. Regina's unique teaching style brings together student and teacher in an atmosphere of fun and well-being, empowering all levels to participate. This allows them to explore the relationships between mind, body and breath enabling stillness in their practices.
Feature image by stournsaeh/Adobe Stock