Ring it in Right

I've never been overly interested in celebrating a random calendar date, but I do like the idea of new beginnings  Any day could be celebrated as a new year. After the whirlwind of the holidays, now is an excellent time to relax, restore and rejuvenate.

Now that it's certain the world isn't ending (whew!), it's the perfect time to commit yourself to taking care of yourself. It's so easy to get wrapped up in your responsibilities  Then, when you finally have a couple minutes to yourself, you're likely vegging out; watching TV, messing around on the computer, having a drink or something less than healthy to eat. I got a video game for Christmas. It is the ultimate time suck. We choose things that aren't the best for ourselves under the guise of a reward for hard work, but they don't really rejuvenate us. We aren't relaxed after watching TV. In fact, we are advised by people who know to eliminate TV from our nightly routine. Imagine what you could do with the time freed up by turning off the TV. Not to mention being less stimulated, so being able to fall asleep easier. Ultimately, you decide what you spend your time doing. Choose to fit something relaxing into your schedule.

I can not stress this enough. Get a massage!

So this week is dedicated to the three r's. And while the idea of relaxation is an enticing one, restorative yoga comes with its own challenges. It's hard to keep the mind steady. We use so many techniques to harness the wandering mind: breath awareness, body movement, special kinds of breathing patterns, imagery, mantra, meditation. Yet we can still find ourselves off on a tangent even in the middle of these practices. Once the body is restful, it's even easier for the mind to set off after whatever story line it finds in the moment. Practice is everything. Settling yourself into a restorative pose is an excellent way to practice keeping your mind on the task at hand.
Then your only problem is staying awake.