Himalayan pink salt relaxes the body and is soothing for feet and toes
Are you feeling as productive as you had been? If not as much, maybe this short article will help you to find more peace this season, do the things in your life that matter (and feel more relaxed!).
It’s okay to be uncertain, as we’re all pivoting in some ways. Embracing pivots is helpful for understanding a life of purpose and meaning.
And hopefully you’re still chasing dreams and desiring a better-than-you-started-future outcome, as your optimistic beliefs will carry you far. Believing today accelerates your getting to the other side.
These days you may have to work a little harder to break through the clouds for victories, but they’re there.😊
What could be helpful for you?
First, focus on the right things.
The better idea is to be daily productive and continually develop better ways than from your past. You’re a day wiser than you were yesterday and year wiser than last year.
Spend your time wisely, being conscious to not just take on anything or task put in front of you. We can change and design our paths.
We can remove old ways that don’t serve us anymore or we don’t want again. Evolving helps you grow. It’s a strength.
Sure, life can be easier in a routine and automatic existence, but trying to live in a predictable bubble is not the whole life.
It’s also unrealistic in our unpredictable world and can set up for disappointment.
…When you’re open, loosening the reigns allows you to explore and discover more about yourself and the world around you.
Letting go of the past makes life easier and makes you more nimble to be able to roll with the punches. Then the things that cause unrest can more easily roll off your back.
It’s also much healthier to not live with negative emotions, ongoing stress, anxiety, or irritation from situations or people.
Kind confrontation is better than showing anger, seething, or holding onto stress that no one else knows about.
I used to not like change because I’m a planner. That was the type of work I did too in food menu planning for events. But then I experienced situations where change turned out good so my “all change is bad” theory was busted.
And I realized holding onto the past was fearful thinking. When I let go of what I couldn’t change, life got better. And life is good. And that could be for you too.
And you probably know what that feels like.
Secondly, begin with the end.
From the time we were young kids, we were taught to think in a linear way and to look ahead at tomorrow (or at adult profession dreams when we were way too young to know the realities or what we really wanted).
Today as an adult, a better call is to look at the happiest outcome of your entire life… through the end.
Of course, your perspective will change over the years, but for now, you can consider the question: what legacy do you want to leave?
In other words, what do you want to be remembered for? When you look at it that way, you cut through the stuff you’re preoccupied with today that won’t matter or be as important in the end.
Here’s something you can do today if that’s something you’re trying to answer (or want to discover better ideas about your best life):
Be more relaxed.
You get your best ideas when you and your mind are relaxed and receptive to thoughts from your loving-productive channel.
You’re most relaxed when you’re sleeping, but you’re not able to process your thoughts then and there. Asleep, you can’t really work with those ideas that come in dreams even if they seem productive.
…Btw, I wanted to mention, this is a two-part post. The second part will be about changing, unproductive non-loving thoughts. I think it’s important because that’s where the daily brain can live a good chunk of the day and block out your good ideas if you’re not managing thoughts optimally.
So, getting back to productivity and being relaxed…
When you’re awake you can do two activities at once. Multi-tasking can be productive or counterproductive.
Maybe you’re a natural multi-tasker. That’s me too, my female-Vata side is wired that way, and to like variety.
But there are times when multi-tasking is counterproductive like when you’re trying to read and write at the same time, watch television or listen to a podcast.
Those competing activities create noise in your mind as you have to work twice as hard to drown out one to focus on another.
But when you pair a relaxing activity that you can put on auto-pilot, like thinking through an idea while taking a shower or making your daily tea, new ideas mysteriously and creatively emerge that weren’t there before.
That’s why it’s good too to take mindful breaks, switching up activities to recharge and let new ideas enter. One idea can set you off on a whole new path.
Recently over the past few years, people have changed their thoughts and perspectives on this life: seeing it more precious, valuing time more, and seeing how quickly it goes by.
In our western go-go-go society, it’s common to be unhappy in the corporate world. That’s where I came from.
The more you did and proved your value, the more you could be indispensable (although nobody really is).
The pressure was always there running as an undercurrent. Potentially losing a job for whatever reason was always a looming threat to job security.
And vacations were almost always too short and few. Relax was a bad word in those environments. Taking on stress was not described as life-shortening as it is these days.
Relaxing was associated with being lazy and there was no spinning the idea of laziness as productive.
Laziness was associated with old age, not working, and 4-legged furry pets. Today laziness is normal.
Unhealthy burning the midnight oil, drinking multiple espressos, sugary canned drinks, cramming food down, skipping meals to get more done, and eating junk to get us through, was a growing epidemic.
So hopefully those were our past ways. One good outcome from being more awake and slowing down (and maybe that’s how you are now) is people are taking the burden off their bodies.
We were never meant to have a 24-7-on all the time work-focused mind.
If the body doesn’t want to naturally do this, that’s a sure health warning. Now we’re reconsidering our lives and what we want now and in the future.
And you can leverage these evolving societal changes and reconsider time for your best use.
Finding time throughout the day to do nothing that needs broadcasting (like relaxed yoga poses, napping, meditation, or watching shows) is a good use of time that can lead you to new ideas. And then you can get back to being busily productive as part of the balance.
And if you’re a recovering 24-7 workaholic, you may never want to go back to a rat-race existence if that’s what you had.
You’ve learned some lessons and now know a better way. And you’re smart not to want to go back. You don’t get to redo any age.
Going back would be like wearing a worn-out and familiar old shoe that no longer looks right on you.
Today, you can retire those shoes, and run with a new pair to get to a better place. And don’t be too surprised when new ideas meet you there on your next move. 🎉
Bird yoga pose is one metaphor in life that can help you soar and help with your body balance, strength, and flexibility. Learn what these poses are below.
More about this “crouching tiger” looking photo below 🐯
Today I’m gonna share how bird yoga pose (and actually 4 bird yoga poses) can help you get some of the tight kinks out. Below I spend time on Pigeon Pose because I think it’s underrated for all the benefits (especially if your joints need some flexing).
And I believe everyone can use yoga no matter what profession we have or how active we are (as we tend to do repetitive actions that the body can get irritated with).
At some point, some part needs a stretch, and if you keep up with stretching, then the body cells remember the stretched feeling, and you don’t have to grease up the joints as much to get there.
I remember I took a season away from yoga at the beginning of my yoga journey and I thought I would have to start all over again.
I was surprised and happy to find that was not the case. I did lose muscle, but the time off actually restored certain smaller worn muscles. They appreciated the time off 😊
It’s like getting rest on the weekends. You probably need more self-care time than you initially think.
Like if you take a few days off, your body kinda can unwind but isn’t totally relaxed. It’s ready to jump back into busyness, but that’s not good for your body.
And if you take a purposeful year off like I did to discover, travel, and recoup, you may sleep like a hibernating bear (and bypass a mid-life crises later on if that still exists).
You could call it a gap year or sabbatical.
Then once restored and feeling like a million bucks, your body wants to get back in action.
Ignoring the body can catch up with all of us at some point, but the good news is we have a chance to make healthy changes along the way.
When we’re in a busy season, carving out time to work out is hard work, and so many of us don’t get to do it, or we prefer to spend our time with other fun or catch-up activities.
Plus, how exciting is it to talk to others about your workout instead of a fun outing event you had?
But like many good things for you, they are not exciting.
Like habits. But little by little (and in micro-habits) they make a difference and the sooner you do them, the sooner they stick.
Yoga fitness is one (less intense) way you can do and stay consistent with fitness habits.
And if it’s important for you to check off working out for your week, consistent yoga could be your savior… and you never know, could pivot you into other fitness areas as you discover more about your body.
You can do yoga anytime and anywhere without a change of clothing (or babysitter).
If I told you some of the places I did yoga, you’d probably laugh… like on a cold, swept restaurant floor and on a busy, warm sanded beach…
I found that adding fun challenges with step and move goals kept me motivated. And keeping the eyes on the prize helps… like staying energetically healthy as life progresses.
I think we all want that in our lives so we can have a high-quality life.
That’s where the bird yoga pose and poses I mention below can help. The poses can relax and stretch you (both body and mind). And since none of us can fly on our own (at least not today), this is the closest we can get to being a bird. 😁
An inspirational bird yoga pose (that can be goals) could help encourage you to work on all or one of these core yoga areas: strength, flexibility, balance (holistic fitness), and body alignment because one side is usually tighter than another.
Or, one slight tweak move in a muscle can be all you need for that nagging pain you or others have been complaining about in conversation.
Yoga isn’t a rigid practice (it’s individualistic), so you can call it stretching if it’s less intimidating and can stretch your imagination to wanting to give a GO.
The name of poses are really just to help you know which poses to get into, but your body and its needs are unique, so tweak the poses in a way that makes you feel good (and doesn’t hurt).
In case you’re new, yoga stretches should not give you a wincing pain or any agony where you’re biting your lip.
And if you’re not in alignment for certain poses (likes ones bearing the weight of certain body parts), you won’t necessarily feel the misalignment at the moment.
It could show up in a day or two, like when you work out with weights. So use good form in the pose moment.
Stretches should feel like you needed the stretch, and the longer you hold the stretch the less tight it becomes, wearing off the tight kinks.
Of course, if you have any injuries, avoid those areas until they fully heal.
But other than those caveats, yoga can solve most daily and accumulated nagging sore muscle issues! I’m living proof 😊
So here are 4 inspirational bird yoga poses to work on and towards (and btw, you won’t end up on all 4’s even if you start out that way, so you can test out your flying ability just a little).
Crane Pose – is a good mat pose for building strength in arms
In this one, you’re supporting your body with your arms. Your feet start off on the floor and then lift off.
You want to be careful not to twist your wrists (the good form is keeping them straight on your mat and perpendicular to your matching left and right shoulders).
When I went through a short season where I stopped doing my arm exercises like push-ups, getting in a Crane pose was like starting over.
I had to build back the arm strength that this pose requires. Your body may feel that way or may not have those issues, but instead other ones in other areas.
Yoga is a journey and that’s what I think keeps it interesting. You’re always working on something.
For you, it could also be strength and/or a combination of flexibility and balance (or all of the above). We all start somewhere with our one and only body, so keep trying.
Pigeon Pose – is a floor or mat pose good for developing flexibility in the hip, legs, knees, and butt(ocks)
When you have tight quads or hips, this pose can help get you outta that quandary.
As with most yoga poses, there are many variations and if you want to keep your arms and legs on the mat the whole time, that’s an option.
You want to find the body spots that are tight and sore and work on those. You can do this by moving around your pointed straight back leg after you get in the Pigeon Pose (that btw, your leg isn’t supporting the weight of other parts of your body so it’s OK to move it around in this pose if that doesn’t offer your body any pain).
Pigeon Pose can help with your largest muscle groups like your quads, your glutes (butt), plus the tight muscles surrounding your knees that you wouldn’t easily be able to get to in everyday positions.
We underestimate how much we need our knees to easily work to be mobile.
In Pigeon Pose, each side won’t necessarily be equal in terms of tightness and you’ll realize that quickly. So give more attention to the side that needs the longer stretch.
The easiest way to get in this pose is to start in Downward Dog (your “V” with all 4’s planted) and then hinge your body and arms forward with one leg you want to have in front.
Then sit down on the mat focusing on squaring (aligned) hips to your shoulders.
The opposite leg will rest straight (not bent) back behind you with the top of your foot on the mat. You should feel long and that can feel good in itself!
With this bird yoga pose, you can also work on opening your shoulders if you can reach back and grab your bent leg and foot. This is a chance to look up to the ceiling or sky.
It’s a nice break for your neck.
If you regularly cook, clean floors, or work on a laptop on your lap, you may not realize how many hours you’re looking down all the time, and that hurts your neck that supports your head, brain, and reminder… your mind control center.
Well, when it’s put that way!…
But anyway…
In this active Pigeon Pose, there’s a good opportunity to look up (and restore your neck).
OK, this reminds me of movie theaters… have you ever sat in the front row of a movie theater? I haven’t been to one in ages. But when I was a teen, movie theaters were often packed and we’d arrive later and not having a choice, had to sit in the front row just a few feet away from the big screen.
That felt like the worst movie scenario at the time. We had to crank our necks and gaze up for the entire movie.
Looking back now, we didn’t know the yoga neck-posture benefits we were deploying back then. You may remember me next time you’re at the movie theater 😉
So deploy that head up move in your active Pigeon Pose… or you can gracefully go into a more passive Swan Pose (like in the theater production Swan Lake).
This is almost like a resting child’s pose, but a great stretch all around as your arms are stretched long on the mat and your one leg behind you.
I love this bird yoga pose as you feel graceful as your body is stretched from one end of the mat to the other (maybe why ballerinas love it too).🩰
If you have tight quads or muscles you can’t seem to get to in your regular stretch routines, this pose can do the trick over time or days.
The longer you can hold the pose (like minutes at a time), the better the benefit. You feel the healing working when you ever so slightly move and the tightness eases up.
It feels good just talkin’ about it 😉
Here’s a Good Reminder!
Eagle pose – is a good standing balance bird yoga pose
On earth, eagles are harder to come by in the world. They were an endangered species and can fly higher than their prey and vultures.
That’s the meaning behind: “I can fly higher than an eagle” song verse in Bette Midler’s “Wind Beneath My Wings” song.
This one takes a little body coordination memory. Just remember, the same side where one leg is lifted off the ground is the same side where the arm/elbow will wrap underneath the other.
Then in union (the definition of yoga), the hands will meet.
When you’re in this pose, you feel good for being able to stand on one leg in balance… and you can do this anytime and during commercial breaks.
Or even in regular clothes, like this photo of me below where I’m in a dress wearing big costume jewelry ready to go to a holiday event, but still getting the benefits of my eagle here 🦅…
Eagle Pose
Bird of Paradise – is a pose that challenges flexibility, balance, and leg strength (…and isn’t a bird at all. It’s a tropical orange flower that could be found in this type of paradise environment at the Miami Botanical Center).
When you can do this Bird of Paradise pose, then you can be thinking you reached yoga paradise
The Bird of Paradise pose is a complete mind-body pose (and not one in awareness where I want to be wearing a dress without showing too much of my flower if ya know what I mean!). So you’ll just have to trust me here and give it a try yourself.😉
And if you want to know the mind-body mechanics of the bird yoga pose, I wrote a past blog post on this great pose.
If you can do this pose, then you have a good shoulder opener, leg strength builder, and torso flexor, all-in-one. Plus your mind will be stretched in a good way (focused and in the moment).
Just something to consider especially if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed and stuck in life… Bird of Paradise yoga pose can be a nice little goal to take your mind off for a brief moment.
You can change your outlook one bird yoga pose (and day) at a time.
When you get tears of joy (😂), your body is set in joy motion. You feel something and that can get you to move and take good action.
You get to experience freeing moments like you’re on top of the world, and your mind is joyfully elevated. This helps your mental health and outlook. And when your mind is happy, your body feels the connection. That’s Ayurveda in a nutshell.
Well… except it’s not that cut and dry (…I don’t think anything is these days). I wrote some personal notes below at the end of this post, from over a decade of intentional-balanced and healthy-minded living
I think it’s safe to say, we all have different body goals. One of mine is to stay looking young for as long as nature will let me. I can’t stop gray hairs from coming, but I can avoid the stressful grays that started in my mid-20s.
And our preferences are different, like in music…
For me and maybe for you, that can be in listening to a song that strikes a chord inside, like Adele’s emotional songs or the empowering words from a Lauren Daigle song.
Lyrics matter to me more now than they used to when I’d hum along to anything that had an upbeat vibe. It’s a good idea to be choosier about what we put in our minds (and body) if we want certain results.
And in modern Ayurvedic living, you choose as it’s not rules-based but certain practices work because the body is intuitive.
In other happy moments, seeing someone else happy can leave us smiling. Or when they have tears of joy, we do too.
And in another moment, that could be laughing out loud (does anyone even use LOL anymore…besides me? 😊).
And btw, I get a good laugh in watching The Great British Baking Show. I’ll spare you the witty, but clean jokes swirling in my head. But, that’s what sets it apart from every other baking competition. It’s standup (filmed) comedy or silly, tongue-in-cheek banter… oh, and beautiful bakes too.🍥
And it’s easy to love and relate to all the friendly contestants (and be glad you’re not under the pressure!). Read-dy?…Now Bake.
Just kidding. (I can’t say lol since I just called myself out on it).
But, anyway… in life, you’re usually witnessing your life from and with other people even if it’s through a computer or television. Even if we feel like we live in a bubble, our energy permeates through social media and our connections made. It doesn’t take a plane ride… it takes nanoseconds for our energy and atoms to travel.
And that’s the relational power we have in this life. Along with our connecting breath.
Next time you think about it, pair your tears of joy (or routinely adding daily eye drops) with a special breathing exercise called Pranayama, that’s a controlled way of breathing.
Here’s how you do Pranayama breath. Blow out all your air through your mouth. And then inhale breathe in a big gasp of air through your nose. Hold your breath for about 6-8 seconds. And then let out a big exhale through your mouth as you had started with. You can feel a burst of concentration/clarity in your mind. The mind fog is lifted (even if it’s temporary) and it can feel like you just had a shot of espresso or strong matcha tea.
In doing the breathing exercise, you’ve just relaxed and massaged your body from the diaphragm muscles to your vital nerves that impact your brain, breathing, and the body parts that regulate your stress. Sounds like a big deal… it is.
But we forget. And living in purpose is everything to intentional balanced living.
You get to feel alive! And that may be the that’s-what -I’m talkin’-about prescription you need, especially if you have constant stress in your life. You can try to find areas of life where you can shed tears of joy.
You can practice breathing purposeful daily wherever you are, so remember to do this regularly or when you next feel anxiety or a breather moment.
This can be another purposeful move where you step outside where you spend most of your day. Like when you’re out and see a work of art that moves your heart and stirs your soul. That can be from nature or something that is living and breathing like a baby-making cooing sounds or a dog with a wagging tail you see walking outside.
My first career job was in hotel catering. Those were the days where I learned the hardest management lessons. And as a young adult who was free to make choices, I could develop habits. These eventually evolved into the modern ayurvedic-inspired atomic habits I do today (that I share below).
You see… back then, it became obvious to me that I didn’t have a work-life balance as I missed all the new Friends (and my friends’) episodes, weddings, and any other current events happening other than the ones I was booking.
I didn’t have body balance (I was lucky I was young 😉). And I didn’t think about anti-inflammatory spices as they weren’t existing headlines in western world, metro-city area living.
Instead, I was surrounded by high-calorie, buttery-tempting, sweet foods from a daily chef-prepared food spread and kitchen where I spent most of my day.
I had a dilemma because part of me liked the rich foodie foods, and part of me just wanted to eat healthy every day. I knew I had to find a middle ground.
So when I left that job and decadent eating world and lifestyle, I entered another dilemma… Yup… fresh Doubletree chocolate chip cookies 🍪 that sat inches away from my office desk (how dare they!). They made for a good snack I thought back then, and was a filling breakfast, high-calorie meal.
Life back then was a blur.
My good habits were going to work, surviving, and trying to do better tomorrow. Little did I know that I was creating space for better work-life habits.
And life improved when I started getting a work-life balance after switching careers. I was able to have a normal work life more like my friends. Working on me, personal growth, the life I wanted, and getting better habits became real.
The previous work must’ve been a test and as far as I’m concerned, all that matters is I passed 😊
But that didn’t come without consequences. I had to replace bad habits I accrued working in a sometimes dysfunctional work environment and from my past.
And I didn’t become serious about better habits until I learned ayurvedic best practices and yoga (about 7 years after I went to a “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” workshop that Stephen Covey taught).
I think the habit stacking idea that James Clear introduced in Atomic Habits (I mentioned in last week’s post) is perfectly timed for what we need now in our complicated society and lives just so we can keep up with all of our habits.
Habit Stacking
Today, in a lot of ways, it’s much easier to develop and stick with healthy habits like eating healthier as we have better resources and tools (digital calorie counters), researched information at our fingertips, and better food options. It’s also easier to get distracted.
But if you focus and lean into the homecourt advantages in your daily surroundings, you don’t have to compete with your possible two critics sitting on your shoulder, and your digital devices staring at you.
Technology and conveniences help us develop automatic and consistent habits, that can eventually become a part of who we are.
Like: I have a writing habit, so now I’m a writer (and a blogger at heart ❤️).
Or, if you can prepare at least 1-2 healthy meals every day, you’re a health-conscious person. In his book, Clear describes these identity shifts as helpful for your atomic habits to take solid root.
For me in my story, I could’ve started a healthy way in my long, hotel workdays, starting each day with a homemade, healthy breakfast (not a cookie) and a light dinner if I had made the decision to create a process or system for healthy eating habits. (Not an excuse, but it’s extra hard for a Vata, as variety is our middle name).
That wasn’t my story though. That would’ve required body-mind agreement in the stressful life I had back then. And I wouldn’t have known how to begin in my life’s busyness.
And that’s how many of us are:
We delay our best life… We can fall into the trap of thinking, “I’ll get healthy (or happy) when… (fill in the blank with the perfect situation… retirement, kids grow up, I have kids, etc..). We don’t know we can do a little here and there to influence a lot.
To make changes, doing the small stuff regularly makes big differences (atomic habits).
James Clear makes clear (his name works for him!) 4 traits to creating habits that stick.
They are: make it obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying.
Your description of each of these will be different than mine but here is an example for creating a healthy snacking habit:
I purposefully set up a nice snack table (… festive decorating is part of the territory of someone who has worked in event planning 🎉). But you can set out a tablecloth and that would be just as good!
On the table, I set out a bowl of almonds or healthy nuts and other seasonal healthy snacks and fruits like baked apples and whole apples.
You won’t see a disguised trail mix, a bowl of M&M’s, or potato chips. That would defeat the purpose.
For the habit creation, I leave out healthy food items that can stay out (obvious food props) on a pleasing presentation (attractive display) that is convenient for a snack hankering (easy) and is enjoyable (satisfying).
And when it’s an afternoon snack or break time I can pull out any refrigerated items like this.
Healthy sweet snack: Sweet potato casserole with apple crisps, oatmeal, and lightly sprinkled toasted marshmallows.
You can take this same idea to other places or find a better way that works for you. In most cases, it’s up to you to create the work-life balance and lifestyle you want. Ideally, I try to make a short break, a small party. Life is short and I’m an Enneagram 7, so I lean into the enjoyable as a motivator and as often as I can.
…I have a smiling photo of me (on my about page) where I’m holding a Strawberry Twizzler, one of my favorite non-fussy sweet treats I can just pull out. You don’t see me holding a healthy baby carrot because that’s not a happy reward unless you’re a rabbit.
Carrots and almonds are the healthy snacks I default to the majority of the time. Because we all want a healthier body as an end goal, so beginning with the end in mind, I have a process (eating healthier most of the time) that supports that.
I keep the end goal in my mind as the compass pointing north.
If you want to be healthy and happy, and ultimately both, then maybe these unwritten rules can help you.
Let me start with… You can cheat along the way with unhealthy foods, but be mind-body aware that you are doing so, so you’re the one in control of your decisions. Make sense?
…Happy is happy (healthy or not), and most of us healthy-minded also want to be happy.
With my healthy identity, I’m no longer fully happy if I’m not overall healthy and I’m not happy if all I’m eating are bean sprouts and edamame pods. So having this happy-healthy (working with each other) attitude helps with daily micro-decisions that become overall atomic habits.
This mix of healthy and happy I believe is sustainable, balanced living and the right environment for creating healthy habits. Because if you diet or go to the extremes or deny yourself, then you can end up yo-yo dieting, quitting, or reverting backward. It starts out good and then is worse than when you started.
I use moderation as the measuring stick. So my internal dialogue can be something like this, where I ask myself, “is it satisfying enough?” or…”will a piece of fruit satisfy me now as much as a biscuit or cookie?”
And if you think you’re missing that gene or self-discipline, you’re not alone. But then you accept the consequences that instant gratification brings.
I know this isn’t new news, and if it’s a struggle for you, then it’s probably a touchy subject and especially if you’re trying to lose weight. But the less aspiration and more awareness you can apply to your situation, the more it can help to break down disconnects from getting you what you ultimately want in your life and what ends up happening.
Some may think who know me…”OK, that’s easy for you to say because you’re naturally trim.”
That btw, is a natural Vata body trait. But that’s not the complete picture…because back in my hotel catering days before I discovered my ideal weight, I fluctuated in my dress size.
Back then my daily dress size was at least a size or two larger, and I couldn’t fit into the clothes I wear today. There shouldn’t be comparisons because it’s all relative to your body because you only get one in your life marathon.
But, that’s how I know in my experience, that it is a healthy habit that makes the difference or at least gives you that edge to what you want, body and all. The body is important because without good health you can’t live your optimum life. And ideal weight is one of the medically accepted measurements to determine this. And low blood pressure is another.
So to me what our hearts look like is more important than how we look in jeans. So cardio is the ultimate for all. But to stay the same jeans size, here’s what I do:
I think of the small, regular daily habits as healthy ones that will make a difference (atomic habits principle)…and the rewarding, happy habits like having a weekly treat, as special celebratory ones.
You are better off when you stay sustainably moderate and don’t deny or go overboard either way. Staying consistent year-round is the ultimate test to seeing if a healthy-happy attitude (like I described above) is stacking into habits.
If you apply the 80/20 rule, then 5-6 days of the week you are eating healthy, and 1-2 days you can be roughly taking off. Like a yo-yo, you resiliently let your string out and pull it back in, and you say no thank you to any yo-yo fad diets that come your way.
I think it’s much easier to do this without keeping score. Your body is always keeping score, but you don’t know what the exact rules are or what the magic number is.
It’s a guess as to what your calorie balance or deficit goal is.…If only your body could give you those exact formulas at any moment?
So, in my opinion, artificial calorie counters or counting sugar grams take the enjoyment out of life when you could use that same useful time and energy to create natural atomic habits.
You can more or less feel the middle balance (and that becomes a worthwhile habit). It’s like training your brain to do quick math without a calculator, but much easier as you’re just using binary numbers 1=yes (eat) or 0=no (don’t eat).
In my world, that’s cutting down the sweets, cookies, and cakes (like those that used to be in open sight in my catering sales days). And now, not indulging in The Great British Bake Off recipes no matter how much I’m a fan of the show! The Jammie Dodgers will have to wait 😉
But I digress.
Healthy and Happy Atomic Habits
If we evaluate our current habits and see which ones are replaceable, tweakable, and what we want to happen, then we can have a balanced (healthy and happy) outcome in life.…And nowww we’re getting somewhere!
Here are 5 atomic habits you can also do if you want (that started small for me and made a big difference):
1.Daily Morning Atomic Habits:
Last time I talked about my morning yoga habit I created from habit stacking that took a lot of tweaking for my Vata self.
For you, maybe you just need to reframe and substitute “yoga” to “a stretching habit,” and then it’s doable and not a formal or intimidating practice that you’re not ready for.
When you get up, you’ve already stretched at least once or twice (so why not give a new name called “habit?”).
And from there, you can keep habit stacking, like doing a few situps or pushups, etc… your mantra here can be: a few adds up!
-Create a habit to be intentional for the day. Getting intentionally grateful for something or everything changed everything for me.
I used to have a weekly gratitude journal so I could really take in appreciation for the small stuff… and I mean small relative to my part of the world where people are blessed! (We all start somewhere as it keeps us humble, hungry, thirsty, and wisdom-seeking).
You can journal or simply look at a joyful image like a framed artwork, photo, or outside your picture window for inspiration.
In this place of gratitude, you find peace and contentment. There’s no room to complain. Or to put up with gossip. That changes your joyful outlook and what happens in your day as you create your next forward step. Don’t just look at what happens to you. See how you react and what your attitude and beliefs are, that will shape your habits.
-Check-in with yourself. Take at least 5 minutes in the quiet morning and scan your mind for any ideas and anything that isn’t in a place of appreciation for your day (or sitting as neutral thoughts)… remember, we all start somewhere.
Get up a little earlier if you have to, in order to claim your quiet minutes.
If you didn’t sleep well, shake off any negative energy, thoughts, and nightmares. You will be okay if you don’t hold onto those thoughts. Let your mind know that your skull is protecting your brain and your thoughts, so it doesn’t have to. I’m serious.
Forcibly if needed, let unforgiveness go. Let the world just be as is in your brand new day – no judgment or comparison to other days. That’s where peace is and you can save yourself the time from eye-shutting transcendental meditation (that I don’t do).
Decide to rise above your insecurities and let go of your worries. Shift to a loving higher road lens that ends fear. (I know because I started out in life afraid of just about anything and everything).
Reset to a day full of abundant possibilities that rely on your hopeful beliefs.
Then check if you feel something physically off in your body? Maybe your stomach needs food. Get to the bottom of what’s not feeling right, and stack onto your other healthy body habits like drinking water first thing.
And notice your bathroom habits in the morning. Are they regular? How can you healthily make them more regular? Depending on if you have a pronounced body imbalance, there are different fixes for each Ayurvedic body type.
Some interesting differences I can point out…
Vata, Pitta, and Kapha
Vatas are naturally alert, light sleepers, so having a lot of worrying thoughts is common. Not all worry is bad, but worry as a habit is.
As a Vata, we like a lot of variety. I think I could be a Vata poster child. Loving variety is my favorite Vata feature if I had to pick just one. But then there are times when this can go awry. Like if you’re in a relationship and your partner is a Pitta (a lot of men are).
They may not understand why there are so many different choices and cups of beverages around, and for different drinking desires.
For a pure Pitta, they like to drink their drink and move on.
A Kapha will leave things be and to what makes another happy (unless they’re not).
But that can be too stereotypical. …what was that movie line where the actor mentioned pigeon-holing or generalizing saves time, lol?
…ok where was I anyway?
Oh right.. we’re not just one type or the other and we can get imbalanced and change at any time. And that helps us build better habits.
As Vatas, we too have experienced impatience, being critical or more judgmental than usual, which are more Pitta traits. And have accumulated in every sense of the word (that’s more of a Kapha trait).
No one is 100% all Vata, Pitta or Kapha, ever.We can have our Vata, Pitta, and Kapha days and strengths or weaknesses (imbalances) happening all at the same time. But usually, it’s just one or two.
These human nuances I think are part of the fun in learning to read in Ayurveda 😊 (and not having to learn Sanskrit).
So then continuing on with habits… You (and I) can…
-Check in with breathing. After you’re fully awake, get in the habit of focusing on your breath so you can be more aware of this moment.
I often find I wake up with a slightly stuffy nose. If that’s you, practice breathing in and out of your mouth so you can get full breaths. See if that improves your mental clarity and from being slightly forgetful. Our brains (not just our lungs) need oxygen to optimally function.
You can also add a plant (adds oxygen), humidifier, and steaming (from the shower or in a pot on the stove). Watering can be part of the atomic habits you adopt for a more whole life.
2. Afternoon Atomic Habits:
Sandwich the news in the afternoon and early evening when you’re in the swing of things or eating lunch. I don’t recommend news in the early morning or late night (to start and end your day with other worries and gloomy thoughts).
Eating a heavier lunch will help carry you through at least part of the afternoon. I don’t combine breakfast and lunch (brunch). I actually eat breakfast, brunch, and lunch. And the afternoon snack already mentioned. And I add spices.
My body runs efficiently that way as I’ve taught it to work and burn calories when I feed it regularly, and it’s hungry for more.
Call it healthy snacking or what you want, but if you try small bites, that could be an atomic habit that works as it has for me.
I also turn music on in the afternoon and you may find that enhances your mood if you select the right genre.
3. Evening Atomic Habits:
Eat a light dinner. This works better for most body types because naturally, your body is winding down, getting ready for night and sleep that are just hours away. This is where I like to keep a light protein or plant-based meal based on the season. So that could be a homemade soup (low sodium) or a salad.
I reserve the lasagnas and similar heavier meals for leftovers. They taste better the next day anyway. I don’t eat the way I did growing up where we ate our heartiest meal at dinner.
And if you watch nightly media shows or television, end on neutral or warm and fuzzy thoughts. Watch a light-hearted comedy, cooking show, HGTV, or Friends.
4. Weekly Atomic Habits:
I moisturize A LOT. If you’re a Kapha, you don’t need to as much.
While I’m sitting down, I also make a list of revelations and progress that I made in the past week. They help me feel good and keep me focused on what I need to grow or start (that can become a good habit).
And I feed my mind-spirit with a weekly church where I hear stories and messages I can relate to (like podcast messages). I know I’m not alone. But I know a lot of people out there who feel they are.
So, frequently throughout the week in my quiet mornings and minutes I include outward prayer, higher intellect self-talk, and meditation as absorbing thoughts I get from the Universe while my eyes are open and I’m fully receiving and present.
I started this habit and process of attending church throughout the week, and spiritual identity around when my healthy identity changed. The practice makes everything else work and come alive.
5. Check Your Process (Are you missing anything?)
And FINALLY… homestretch here! For all of us, once you start a process you can recalibrate from that standpoint.
Like, when I restored my mind-body imbalances from Ayurvedic practical habits after I first learned what to do… and then I noticed sometime later, a new set of imbalances settled in.
It was like: Ok, you got this one down, nowit’s time to learn and be tested with another.
…Isn’t that how most of Life feels?
I found sometimes the imbalance combinations overlapped like feeling tired in the morning and anxious heart palpitations in the afternoon, and sometimes lingering irritation thoughts from a previous season.
So I started paying attention more from the lens of healthy Ayurvedic habits I formed that complemented my spiritual-faith-based ones. Daily and seasonal restoration work is now natural to me and doesn’t feel like work, but they too have become atomic habits, when needed.
…but I am ALWAYS checking to see (and aware) if I’m missing anything in life (similar to checking if a jean zipper is pulled up).
A balanced mind-body-spirit supports a healthy, whole lifestyle, where you’re open, but not unsure of the most important things about you and your life.
It’s never too late (or too soon) to find what completes you. And, I hope I inspired you to never give up on your healthy life and the small, atomic habits you can start that can grow wings especially if you believe the Universe has your back.
You just never know how a split-second and tiny action can help lead you to what you’re wanting most, and even when you don’t know what that might be right now.
Ayurvedic habits was introduced to me 13- years ago to date when I embarked on a new healthy way of doing life. Yoga was still a new concept to the western world. And I was about to start my first blog.
Those were the days before personal awareness,#metoo movements, and before western Ayurveda ways caught on with some (like me and maybe you?).
I’d been striving for balance ever since the day I realized I didn’t have any, and in my memory as far back as when the popular Friendssitcomshow first came on.
Those were pre-internet days where you never saw a laptop atthe Central Perktelevision set or anywhere for that matter ☕️
You and I can laugh at the wired phone cord that would be fun to untangle now. Phones back then weren’t wireless or smart. And watches were used to just tell time.
Technology and life are interesting in how it’s constantly evolving, and never going backward. Along the way, your tastes and wants can also change as you grow up.
I’m not a traditionalist, soI lean towards growth and doing things differently.
…but I started out ona traditional college to the corporate work-life path(with no work-life balance). And through life’s swerves, hidden turns, and purposeful career switching, I gradually turned around the tide.
You know when you don’t have the life you want when you run into dead ends, and that makes you search for the unknown. You know there has to be better if you use the right optimistic attitude. That btw, teaches you to steer away from sarcasm and Murphy’s Law thinking that was common during the Friends and Seinfeld show era.
Starting out in my career in hotel catering management taught me that not filling hotel rooms with guests was the biggest (opportunity) cost to the bottom line. I carried that way of thinking into my life even back then when I wasn’t aware. I realized not doing my highest and best use (that was taught in college) was my biggest loss.
That concept became my motivator to leave jobs I was unhappy or miserable with that had no rewarding path I could see for personal growth or in their business improvement.
In my late 20’s I wanted work-life balance, and to end the 50-60 hour workweek rut I was in walking around like a zombie in my downtime, that I started out with.
I kept the mantra running in my mind that I would not get my time back…and when I saw no way out, I found a way out.
And that’s how I switched industries into corporate tech office work. There I experienced newfound balance, and after I got a taste of that, I wanted more.
I went from not-so-healthy to balance, healing, and eventually wholeness. It was an overnight change that took over a decade.
And somewhere in that mix, the economic downturn hit where I went back to where I began in hospitality work. I had changed but the industry had not, so I moved on yet again.
…And that’s why I believe for everyone, Life is meant to get better despite the curve balls thrown at you.
Yes, you age, but you grow wiser and smarter. And you can adopt the right attitude if you help yourself to get there. I would never want to go backward in time.
…and I know now time can be underrated, and that it’s our most valuable asset (especially as you enter your 30’s and beyond).
I also now know that time is well spent when all 365 days of the year, I practice healthy and happy balance (that means green smoothies, food variety, and never changing Strawberry Twizzlers!). Plus, daily reset and renewal, and Ayurveda prevention and restoring ways.
….And that last one is what I’m most proud of for taking care of my body and mind.
Learning Ayurvedic habits was a new concept for me as a mid-adult who had lived around suburban malls and eating prepared foods in popular restaurants (and some that I couldn’t resist as I marketed their foods).
So then when I switched to Ayurveda I had choices (it’s not a diet, as I don’t believe in those). It encourages you to lean into your body’s natural desires, and often those are against the popular culture desires or what you think you want, like restaurant food (where you have no control over the cooking and ingredients).
I like to think of modern, western Ayurveda as a flexible lifestyle where you choose balance. You have a healthy plan and you enjoy what you like that you don’t regret.
For example, you won’t see me ordering or drinking a coffee drink with 53 grams of sugar. If it starts out that way, I will order most of the fat and sugar off, or just choose a black cold brew. That’s how I roll.
And that’s an ingrained habit.
But someone may say, “that’s no fun.” And I would say, “it is for me. I want to feel and look good, and for a long time. Then I can have more fun!”
We’re a much more health-conscious society now, but you still have critics and that can be the one sitting on your shoulder giving you internal debates on choices.
These days, I prepare at least 80% of my meals (and 100% in the past year). And Ayurvedic habits have helped me with balance, prevention, and restoration. And they can help you too!
Western Ayurvedic Habits
TheAyurvedic habits I do are not new to our western culture like they would have been a few decades ago. Like: theneti pot works for preventing sinus infections and doing regular yoga helps with balance, flexibility, and strength building.
Sanskrit is not my native or secondary tongue, so some rituals I’ve walked into that I wish I didn’t. Like: incense (…you might as well smoke a pack of cigarettes.. thankfully you rarely run into either and if it’s a certain church occasion where incense is, you know to expect it).
Another less than desirable one is chanting, like in a new yoga class that gives me an eerie feeling. I don’t participate. The mystical woo stuff doesn’t woo me.
I like to have my feet planted on the western ground unless I’m doing fun acrobatics (photo up top and here). Just kidding.
So some Ayurvedic habits and ways stuck with me and some didn’t, and from the beginning so I knew that they were meant (or not meant) for me.
And if you’re trying to figure out what Ayurveda or healthy lifestyle works or would work for you, then you can use your preferences as a natural guide if you don’t have a coach or someone helping you.
Essentially, Ayurveda is what’s healthy and natural to you, your body, and mind-body, so you can’t go wrong if it’s a healthy choice you like.
And when creating Ayurvedic habits, some habits need more practice to fully adopt than others.
In his NY Times bestseller,Atomic Habits, habit advice expert, James Clear, describes thathabit stacking is an easier way to have a habit stick.
An example of this is: I conveniently have a yoga mat rolled out near my bathroom with a side door, so that I can do a few yoga stretches before I start my day and after brushing my teeth (habit stacking). For some people, that’s enough of a reminder to create a habit.
But for a heavy Vatamind-body where routine (and sticking to the same way) is not a natural friend, Itweaked this idea to work for me…
A few days later after the novelty of the yoga morning activity wore off (and the habit broke), I rolled up half the mat, which triggered me to see the mat change when I had to look down so I didn’t trip over it.
That reminded me to do yoga. And thenslowly but surely I didn’t need to look down anymore because I knew where the roll ended. So I then took the half-rolled-up mat, and rolled it back down, and then rolled it in a different way several days later. I mixed it up. And now I have a mat under the mat to keep things interesting… and to keep me interested. That forced the habit to start, so it had a chance to stick.
I then reinforced the habit further with a set alarm. ...Phew! That was a lot for just one habit. But it’s worth it.
And you know what’s worth it for you, what works, and what it takes for you to create a habit! The harder part I think is figuring and finding out what habit to even start. And, knowing why you’re creating a habit.
Overall in the long run, when you do better habits, this keeps the healthy balance. You also improve and run your best marathon.
This is also how you keep growing. Keep trying new things (a Vata’s motto) until it becomes unhealthy or non-serving. Then in awareness of what you previously tried and want to improve, tweak again.
A good goal is to find what makes you happy, healthy, and whole, because without good physical and mental health, you can’t really optimally grow and contribute in your highest and best use way (maybe this is important to you too).
In the beginning, when I was forming Ayurvedic habits and concepts, I still felt stress or anxious even though I knew how to restore those feelings. I just hadn’t practiced enough.
And then I learned what worked for those symptoms and that became old hat like learning to ride a bicycle. And then I would feel other emotional symptoms like feeling irritated or judgmental. So then I fixed those.
While the symptoms were obvious, the changes were subtle (going in and out of moods). In those cases, I could’ve chosen to do nothing. And that’s what I think most people choose.
But that my friend (if I can call you that)… is not the highest-quality life, and maybe even semi-existence. I know because I lived that way in my no work-life balance-joy-robbing time that I will never go back to…
Feeling down, self-(fill in the blank ____), or negative thoughts and other big mood swings taking up mind real estate during prime leisure time and at night. But, I guess I was aware enough to do something about it. There’s always a silver lining.
For me, it would start with getting internally upset, angry, or irritated about something… and on and on it would spiral out of control spewing in my day and mood.
And I know that’s how a lot of people operate some of the time. And, that’s too much time!
There’s a much better way. 🎉
Transforming these ways has been worth going through the trials (to not lose any more valuable time), so that some of the time, becomes rarely or never when we learn better habits and ways.
These days, I choose peace. It’s a habit. Like most people,I have emotions running all the time and even more thoughts. And you can’t control how others behave towards you and some situations that happen to you. But you can control how you respond and react. So that’s what I do (and I encourage everyone to do that, so we can live our best lives now).
Ayurvedic habits allowed me to tap into daily peace, joy, and love that I already knew was there. That sounds so cliché and Hallmark card-ish, but that’s the nitty-gritty truth and what good habits can do for you.
You can get happiness (joy). Because if you find those things in you, your wants and feelings change. So the secret ingredient is getting healthy control over your thoughts and feelings. Letting go of the negative, and holding on to the good. And you can more easily get there if you’re healthy and balanced.
When you can remove (and nip in the bud) non-productive or toxic feelings and moods as soon as possible, you can avoid mental stress and stress on the body that can lead to inflammation.
And maybe that’s why I’m passionate about a balanced life. Because I know it’s in the palm of each of our hands and the ticket to true life’s success and happiness.
It took me not having it to discover it in a much deeper way.
So when I tested out new habits from the better information I gathered, I found it worked like a magic wand over the imbalances I had. It was like a magic pill without any pills or drugs. I didn’t know I had so much power to control.
Thirteen years in, it’s very easy for me to tell what’s happening in or out of balance for the mind by actions, and for the body by symptoms. And since my 20’s I’ve always been discerning and aligned with living balancedas my compass pointing north.
But I know not everyone is like this and many do better with boundaries and strict rules. And some do better with something they can relate to, like this car and body analogy…
Car and Body Analogy
Your Body is Like a Car (except it’s so much more valuable and you only get one in your life).
When you’re getting your car regularly maintained, the car shop can ask a few questions, and they can tell what’s wrong based on the slight off-ness.
All cars are not exactly the same as no one body is alike, even though you and I could both be Vata.
And all cars have wheels and need energy to run. And all our bodies alike have the same running parts like a heart, brain, and skin, with differentproduct needs. Like, we all need moisturizers but in varying degrees to our dry vs. oily skin, and the ingredients that our specific skin likes.
And certain things happen as we travel around, like our bodies age and a car gets out of alignment with mileage and wear and tear. But the symptoms can appear the same. That’s why a doctor or a mechanic can diagnose ailments from inflammations or problems down the road.
And we humans living in our bodies can diagnose and restore our non-serious body irregularities.
When you have Ayurveda habits, you are intentionally preventing stress or letting your body get aggravated.
Next week, I’ll share my specific ayurvedic habits and routines and talk about the Ayurvedic body type habit nuances. If you want to be notified when that and future blog posts come out, you can sign up in the upper right-hand corner of the main/home website page.
