The Most Important Practice You Need to Know

This week Rose comes to us from the LifeForce Yoga Trauma Specialist & Self-Care Mastery Program in Tucson. She is joined by a special guest, Jackrabbit!

Self-care is the most important practice that we can engage in. It is how we take care of our soul! As the saying goes, “you cannot fill from an empty cup.” But how do you take care of yourself in a society that tell us self-care is selfish? Let’s put that myth to bed and make a commitment to improving our world by taking care of ourselves first.

Identify What You Need

The first step in self-care is to identify what you need to take care of yourself. We need to connect with ourselves to give ourselves what we need. Soften your eyes, take three deep breaths, and ask yourself the following questions:

  • How am I feeling right now?
  • How do I want to feel?
  • What do I need to feel that way?
  • What can I do right now that takes me one step closer to feeling that way?

Don’t worry if some of those questions go unanswered. If we have not taken the time to connect with ourselves in a while, it can be hard to hear that inner voice. Do the best you can and it will come with practice. If no answers came, head to your favorite inspirational book, or video, or music, and take at least the next 10 minutes to immerse yourself in that wisdom. The more you practice asking these questions, the easier the answers will come.

A practice that can help you identify what you need is to Set a Spiritual Intention. Rose leads a twenty minute practice that can help you uncover your spiritual intention here.

Give Yourself What You Need

Now that you have an idea of what you need, it is time to give it to yourself. If you are tired, take a nap, try a yoga nidra practice, go for a walk, meditate, or simply rest. If you have a long stressful day ahead of you, movement can help you have more energy and more clarity, it pumps your cerebral spinal fluid. You don’t need to spend an hour on self-care, five minutes a day is better than zero. As a result of your self-care practice, you will start to feel better and that will lead you to practice more self care. Be unrepentant about your self-care because you deserve it!

Parents put the needs of their children ahead of their own. This is important. But what about teaching children how to honor their own needs? Raise the discussion with them about self-care and that parents need rest time so that parents can engage more with children. A day spent with a grouchy or distracted parent is not as beneficial as three-quarters of a day spent with a parent in a fun and engaged mood.

Set Up Your Self-Care Space

Do you have a special space in your home where you can practice self-care? Some people have a whole room devoted to self-care. Some people have an altar or shelf with special items. Some people prefer an outdoor space. The point is that your self-care space is always there and that you visit it every day. If you don’t have a space, go set one up now. Use items like a candle, incense, a picture, an inspirational book, a yoga mat, a favorite chair, whatever nourishes your heart and soul should go in this space. Just remember to leave space for you!

 

 

About the Author

Rose Kress

Rose Kress ERYT-500, C-IAYT, YACEP, Owner/Director of the LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute, and author of Awakening Your Inner Radiance with LifeForce Yoga. She directs retreats and training programs on using LifeForce Yoga to manage your mood.

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What People Say

“I gained tools for working with my own depression and with my clients’ depressions.” — Robert Sgona, LCSW, RYT, psychotherapist, Yoga teacher, Camden, ME.
“This workshop has changed so much — my self-image and my life. My own heart’s desire is 100% clear. I gained tools to help myself and others to live life fully.” — Marcia Siegel, Yoga teacher, therapist, Carlsbad, CA.
“My personal practice will change, as well as my yoga classes. I have a better understanding of yoga!” — Andrea Gattuso, RYT, Yoga Teacher, Hackettstown, N.J.
“This workshop helped me rededicate my energies and begin to work through some of the blocks I’ve felt creatively.” — Steve Mark, college professor, New Haven, CT
“I began a fantasy during the meditation exercise... almost as if I’d been there. It’s now an on-going work of fiction.” — Serian Strauss, Tanzania
I absolutely love this stuff! I have been using it with my clients and I am just finding it to be so incredibly helpful. There seriously something for everything. Although I am not as skilled as I hope to be someday, even at my level of training I’m finding that I am beginning to figure out what to do. It just blows my mind! - Christine Brudnicki, MS, LPC
“Giving my clients a strategy and permission to quiet their minds and rebalance the sympathetic nervous system has been very beneficial to them and in our work together.” — Sue Dilsworth, PhD, RYT 200, LFYP, Allendale, MI
“This program changed my life in a significant way. It helped me connect with the spirit which is something you can’t get from psychotherapy and medication.” – G. W., artist, Pittsburgh, PA
“My life is already changed! I will use the tools I learned in my own practice and in my work. I feel safe and seen.” — Susan Andrea Weiner, MA, teacher/expressive arts facilitator, El Cerrito, CA.
“Words do not do justice to all that I learned. This workshop changed my life!” — Jen Nolan, Teacher, Cortland, NY
“I came hoping to learn to move past some of the obstacles blocking my creativity. Over the course of this weekend, I feel I’ve gained a certain measure of faith in myself and in my ability to change. I also had some realizations that I believe will be very helpful to me. I feel encouraged. Both the content and presentation of this program were so well-thought out that I can’t think of any way to improve it.” — Andrea Gollin, writer & editor, Miami, FL
“A client who returned said, "When I came before, you helped me understand and get where I wanted to go. Now you show me yoga practices I use to help myself understand and get where I want to go.” — Sherry Rubin, LCSW, BCD, LFYP, Downingtown, PA
“I integrate strategies like mantra tones and pranayama, but above all I invite myself and those I teach to cultivate svadhyaya, to practice self-observation without judgment.” — Barbara Sherman, RYT 200, LFYP, Tucson, AZ
“I feel profoundly transformed, both physically and emotionally. The connection between mind, body and spirit was clearly evident to me, but revealed to me through this workshop as an integrally vital link to overall health.” — Nadine Richardson, program manager at rehab agency, Monroe, CT
“I have gained a softer heart, more receptive mind, and tools to enrich both personal and professional aspects of my life.” – Regina Trailweaver, LICSW, clinical social worker, Hancock, VT.
“Yoga Skills for Therapists is the ideal resource for those who want to bring yoga practices into psychotherapy or healthcare. Weintraub, a leader in the field of yoga therapy, offers evidence-based, easy-to-introduce strategies for managing anxiety, improving mood, and relieving suffering. Helpful clinical insights and case examples emphasize safety, trust, and skillful adaptation to the individual, making it easy to apply the wisdom of yoga effectively in the therapeutic context.” — Kelly McGonigal, PhD, author, Yoga for Pain Relief, Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Yoga Therapy
“I utilize the LFY techniques in both a class room setting and one-on-one environment. The skills have infused my teachings with compassion, mindfulness, and awareness.” — Kat Larsen, CYT, LFYP
“I have found the LFYP training to be incredibly useful in giving people specific tools to use in maintaining physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual balance, and further opening their intuitive abilities.” — Nancy Windheart, RYT-200, LFYP, Reiki Master, Animal communication teacher, Prescott, AZ
“I learned lots of ways to reduce the anxiety and depression of my patients and myself.” – Aviva Sinvany-Nubel, PhD, APN, CNSC, RN, psychotherapist, Bridgewater, N.J.
“I have found the pranayama (breathing practices) especially easy to introduce in a clinical setting. Some people have benefited quickly in unexpected and transformative ways.” — Liz Brenner, LICSW, LFYP, Watertown, MA
“I gained perspective of who I am in the world and this will change my life significantly.” — Mary Ford, artist, Southport, CT
“I have gained an incredible opening and clearing of old obstructions. I hope to return to my life and fill this opening with things I love to do and that give me joy!” — Lisa Shine, administrative assistant, Ballston Lake, NY
“I have been reminded that I am not on this path alone, that others are sharing the journey that sometimes seems so difficult. I have also been reminded of the importance of daily practice and I will do that. The whole program has been an incredible experience for me. Thank you!” — Lorraine Plauth, retired teacher, Voorheesville, NY
“My patients can now have the same effects as many medications without having to actually take medication!” — Deborah Lubetkin, PSY.D, LFYP, West Caldwell, NJ
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