Be kind to yourself...

I apologize I haven't posted in a while.  It is not because I am not learning, but rather life got in the way.  I have been really busy going to weddings, baby showers, and being a mom to my two lil monkeys.  I often lay in bed and think, gosh, I should have written about this or that, but I have not found the time to sit down and write.  Naturally, I have beaten myself up for my lack of entries, and in doing so I learned that my negative self talk is unhealthy, and not necessary... all which leads me to me lesson of the day, "Be kind to yourself."

When I was pregnant, I started practicing yoga.  I found it to be a peaceful and harmonious way to strengthen and stretch my growing body.  After I gave birth, I decided that yoga was healthy for not only my physically being but my mental being as well.  It made sense- yoga was a place where I could turn my mind off and focus on my breath.  However, in the beginning of my yoga practice, I found it really hard to turn off my mind and be present.  I would lay in shavasana (rest position- where you lay on your back with your palms to the sky, eyes closed, resting) thinking about my to-do list.  Although I would pretend to be zen, each pose I would self critique and push my body further.   I let the perfectionist side get the best of me.  It wasn't until about 6 months into my yoga practice that I learned the fundamental philosophy behind yoga is non-violence.  Non violence- a practical philosophy, it makes sense... little did I realize that my self critiques were violence to myself- and because I wasn't practicing the basic law of yoga, I wasn't practicing yoga at all.  After that day, I had to let it go.  I had to let go of my negative self talk, and just be- focus on my breath.

Let's face it... we live in a tough world.  A world where the cover of Time Magazine is "Are you mom enough?" and the only way to be "beautiful" is to fit into a size 2.  A world where we feel the need to constantly prove ourselves.  Just the other day, I caught myself boasting about how I had "breastfed my twins for a year."  Yes- that is a great accomplishment, but why do I feel the need to share it?  I was looking for a pat on the back, reformation that I am a good mom... well if I didn't breastfeed for a year, would I not be a good mom?  Absolutely not.  Society puts these hard standards on all of us, and you know what... screw it.  We need to love ourselves.  We need to reassure ourselves that we are good at what we do- whether it be being a mom, or a wife, a friend, whatever...  We need to be nicer to ourselves.  Embrace our flaws, learn from our mistakes, and love ourselves.   We need to be patient, and learn, and grow, and not hold ourselves to society standards, but rather our own personal best.  Why is that so hard to do?

From One Soul to Another:)