Restoring Balance through Self-Care

Time to take care of yourself!

Researchers tell us that stress and anxiety cause damaging chemical reactions in our bodies. The results might be high blood pressure, compromised immune system, insomnia, or increased heart and respiration rate.

Stress is not fertile ground for healing! A great quote from Ovid,

“Take rest. A field that has rested gives us a bountiful crop”.

Self-care can provide a great “attitude adjustment” to the stressors of everyday life. Taking the time for self-care can be an expression of respect, of honoring yourself. That expression can happen in small daily decisions. When you commit to self-care, the right actions will begin to appear.

Example: Preparing a healthy lunch in advance instead of a last minute fast food choice. Practicing yoga and self-care can have this funny way (over time) of influencing your behaviors to align with your own “best self”.

Don’t confuse self-care for self-indulgence. They could be one-in-the-same, but more likely are not. Go inside a moment and ask yourself.

Self-indulgence can end up causing more stress, whereas self-care reduces it. See Simple ways to Reduce Stress.

Bathtub Yoga incorporates many of the elements that researchers tell us reduce anxiety and stress: deep breathing, stretching to release muscle tension, meditation, visualization, self-massage.

Deep relaxation initiates a sense of calmness, balance, joy, and wellbeing.

Through relaxation we begin to see the world through different “eyes”. We discover a natural “flow” of navigating challenges, instead of fighting & resisting problems. An unknown author once said,

“Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.”

For more information on balance, check out this great article from the Himalayan Institute’s Yoga International.