yoga – Page 2 – mayah's site

why I love yoga

For some, yoga is exercise. For me, yoga is so much more. Yoga is a chance to be still and relax. Yoga is a chance to stretch myself: spiritually, mentally and physically. It allows me to take a risk, knowing that if I fall, I can get right back up. It allows me to know that I’m on my own journey, so it doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing. Most of the time I close my eyes- focusing solely on my body and the voice of the instructor who guides me. It gives me the opportunity to grow closer to God, because I understand that achieving ultimate peace is how I am close. I can leave all of my worries on the mat and when I leave, I’m free of burden. I may be tired or hungry, but my soul is satisfied. After classes like the one I had today, I want to do yoga every day for the rest of my life. It makes me feel whole. So yes, it might be exercise to some people, but to me it’s so much more. Namaste.

incorporating positivity into my daily life

being positive is one thing that I strive to be. I strive to be at peace and happy with my life. There are a couple of things that I have tried to change in my life to make that possible. Below are just a few of them.

meditating daily

I really enjoy meditating. I’ve done various posts on where I like to meditate {I even found a tree at my school were I meditated at the beginning of the year but sadly it has been cut down 😦 }. I find that taking a few moments to be at peace with myself have been really beneficial to me. I make sure that I’m taking time for me, which has made me really happy. After completing a mediation, I’m at peace with myself and geniunely a happier person.

incorporating yoga into my life

At the University of Michigan, there is this program called Group X at the gyms on campus. I paid the fee for an unlimited semester, so I can go to as many classes they offer as I want. They have yoga, zumba, kick boxing and other classes, so I try to go to yoga a few times a week. I have gone to yoga twice this week already. In addition to just doing yoga, I’ve started to work out with my friend Katie (who pushes me to work out with her- which ends up being really good and fun for both of us). I’ve been working on taking care of my body. When you take care of yourself, you radiate positivity. Your confidence is higher and you just feel better about life in general. Also pay attention to your posture. Sit with feet on the ground (with my height at certain seats that’s not an option but try), with your shoulders back. Good posture will go a long way! It helps to keep the energy flowing.

sleeping good

Recently, I’ve found out that a lot of college students do not sleep. THIS IS NOT HEALTHY. Studies show that in order for your body to recharge, you need eight hours of sleep daily. Every one’s body is different though. I know for myself, if I sleep between 8-9 hours (closer to nine is better) I feel great in the morning. It starts my day off on a good note. I also wake up to “Excuse Me” by Jazmine Sullivan, which is one of my favorite songs. It just makes me happy. Make sure you are managing your time to take care of yourself is necessary! You are the most important thing in your life. Value yourself.

google chrome

I found this feature called Momentum from one girl in my writing class. Attached I have a picture of my screen today. I just love the positive quotes at the bottom. Every day I get a new quote and can put a new goal. I’ve just the goal space to place a little reminder to myself. You can even set a reminder on your phone! These little reminders make all of the difference!

october 2016

This month is the time for you to take care of yourself. As life starts to get busier, it’s important to make time for you. My goal is to have at least an hour of “me time” a day. That idea came to me when I went to yoga towards the beginning of the school year, when the instructor thanked all of us for taking time for ourselves today. Today my “me time” includes repainting my toes and blogging. I love to meditate outside and since it warmed up a little, I will probably do that later on. There are a couple things I’d also like to address for this month!

Self love

This is honestly one of my favorite topics. It’s the most important thing. It is important to note that self love is directly related to self care. Self care includes physical care as well as emotional care. Taking time for yourself is crucial. Life gets busy, especially once course work starts getting heavier. I think I’ve found a new place to do yoga and I am so excited about that. Doing yoga is good for me and the best part is there’s a package I can do that’s unlimited for less than sixty dollars for the whole semester. That works because I’m committed not only to doing my school work, but to taking care of me. Eating unhealthy is very easy here, but so is eating healthy (we have a vegan/vegetarian part of the cafeteria). Sleep is also really important. I sleep between eight and nine hours every night. But I know a lot of people who stay up really late. Eating right, excerising and sleeping are too important.

Maintaining Long Distance Relationships

Distance changes relationships. It just does. This isn’t a bad thing though. I know that I’m the type of person who likes to communicate. I’ve been working on my communication skills for a while and I like to communicate. But it’s important to understand that everyone has to put in effort. During retrograde I mentioned how I stopped putting so much of an effort and that has affected relationships for me. What I suggest is talking it out. And remember that you’re too important to be forgotten, so no one forgot about you. In addition to that, remember that you set the standards for how you’re treated and being upset is natural. Communicate how you feel. You deserve to be heard and treated the way YOU want.

Adjusting post culture shock

This election has brought out a lot of issues. It has also brought out a lot of hate. On campus there have been some incidents where groups like the Alt Rights, have posted hateful things about African Americans. Honestly I feel like it made me more anxious about being here than I was before, but then I realized that was the goal. I’m a part of a few groups specifically for black students, and I’ve realized that I’m not the only person who was/is upset or scared. A couple of my teachers have reached out to me (because I’m pretty open about the fact that stuff like that upsets me) and I really appreciated that. I think that besides like just talking it out with friends that I should maybe go see a counselor. Yesterday I did go to the counseling center, because they have these really nice massage chairs so I tried it out. The picture of the wooden block is what I got there. Outside the office they had a wall of positive sayings, with a sign instructing you to take one and leave one, so this is the one I look. It’s currently hanging on my desk. I think that if I do decide to go to the counselor, it’ll ease the transition for me. Sometimes you just have to see what’s best for you. But still we rise.

healing

After a breakup it can be kind of challenging to understand how to start the healing process. Below are some tips to help you heal from an end to any kind of relationship.

Be open to your emotions

When relationships end you’re naturally sad. Allow yourself to really feel your emotions and get them out (crying is a great form of release). Sometimes it’s easy to think “I shouldn’t be crying over *insert name*.” But if you’re sad you should be. If you don’t, the emotions will get stuck which can lead to imbalance and illness. If you are at the point where you’ve gotten sick, I recommend Louis Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life book. It is a free pdf and towards the end of the book she explains the illness, the cause (emotionally) and a positive affirmation to repeat. You should repeat the affirmation multiple times per day, and when you do repeat it do it at least three times.

Meditation

Meditating allows you to clear your mind and release old emotions. I spoke in my post on meditation and healing how I love to meditate outside because it just grounds me so well. Here’s the link to that post- https://lovemayah.wordpress.com/2016/07/01/meditation-and-healing/. Also taking a warm bath with salt water helps to ground you. You need to take care of your body, especially after the end of a relationship. It can be easy to stop taking care of yourself if you’re upset. You just have to remember that the relationship ended for a reason and you’re on the right path.

Exercise

This is an important part of taking care of yourself. Good exercises are yoga (which calms you down) and walking (and I mean like long distances (like I walk about three miles). It’s going to keep you healthy. This is a very important time to take care of you!
Everyone heals differently from different situations. Remember that judging yourself and suppressing your emotions only hurts you in the long run. So express how you feel and understand that you’re going through a healing process. In time all will be well.

Rest, Water and Food

Those are the three most important things you need to stay physically healthy. Doctors say it’s good to drink half your body weight in water, rest 8 hours a day, and eat all the foods on the food plate (which is posted below). Your body needs these things to function properly. Recently, my sleeping pattern has been off, not to mention this past weekend I worked 14 hours. Last night I slept around 13 hours, and only woke up three times (the second time was at 1:30, and I ate a small dinner). I’m saying all of this to say, take care of your body. Sleep. Eat. Drink. I know that I normally only drink water, so I drink around 90 ounces a day (which makes up for juice and stuff). Also, mediate. Meditation is super important in order to stay grounded and stay positive. Yoga also helps with this. I find that for me, working out also helps me to balance myself. I love to excerise (yes it’s a little hard to get into, but it’s worth it). Make sure that you are at peace with yourself and your life and you will always stay healthy. Have a great day!