I am living at a yoga ashram for the next seven weeks and have found myself less disciplined than ever when it comes to online work that I need to do in the social media world. I have become immersed in my own self development and doing whatever makes me happy instead of focusing on responsibilities. I suppose that is what coming to an ashram is supposed to make you do! Whenever I come here it always makes me feel selfish that I am not giving back to the world. Coming here recharges my battery though, it makes it so I can better serve my clients and students. I think that is because there is an emphasis on living a yogic lifestyle that brings your body back into balance and gets rid of a lot of unnecessary distractions.
In the Sivananda lineage of yoga they teach that there are five points of yoga. These are the five components you need to function at your prime.
Proper Breathing
Proper Nutrition
Proper Exercise
Proper Relaxation
Positive Thinking and Meditation
If you had to create a pie chart with these five elements, what would your chart look like? How do you balance your five points? What do you need to focus on more? Is there anything you should focus on less?
Try it out by drawing a circle and thinking about your lifestyle and the amount of energy/time you spend on each of the five points. If everything was in balance it should take up twenty percent of the pie chart and you can take it from there. If your nutrition is completely balanced then it should take up 20%. If you don’t pay attention to it at all then it would be missing from the chart. Watching TV or listening to music generally doesn’t count as relaxing because your mind is still active. How often do you completely relax without any distraction at all? Even if you don’t make a chart, just reflect on how to incorporate these five components into your lifestyle and how it would improve your life.
How can you incorporate a breathing practice, healthy eating, a little exercise, positive thinking or meditation, and deep relaxation into your daily routine? Try to just think of one simple thing you could do in each category. If the thought of making these changes makes you feel overwhelmed, just start with one change in one category and once that becomes a regular habit you can add another!