Making Time for YIN
BY Heather Zollman
December 26, 2017
Here we are the day after Christmas… This is when people really start to think about the New Year coming up. I have heard this line from so many people lately…after Christmas I am so going to work myself harder, get in shape, get more cardio in, do more of this and do more of that!
Most of what I’m hearing people refer to is the active do, do, do. I’ve said a couple of things like this myself. But when I take a step back and think about this, I notice that this is a very unbalanced approach to wellness. I challenge all of us instead of focusing on the DO, what if we focused on the FEEL? We are all looking to FEEL good right? FEEL healthy, FEEL balanced, FEEL like we are doing enough? Well friends, if this sounds like more of what your are looking for, you have to make time to FEEL. Wellness is not about the go until I grind myself into the ground and then give up on all of my goals a few weeks into the year, because I can’t sustain that pace. Its a lifestyle choice. I have been in this go, go, go state before. Let’s be honest, it goes in waves. I remember after giving birth to each of our children who are now 16, 13 and 8…I had that mantality…especially about my weight. I worked so hard after each birth to lose the weight I had gained. Particularly with my oldest son. 80 extra pounds hurts. As soon as my husband came home from work, I handed him the baby and onto the treadmill I went, followed by 500-600 crunches a day. You can probably imagine that that came back to bite me in the a**.
I was frazzled, my posture was terrible and I had a racing mind all of the time. I’m sure my husband would have loved it if I actually sat down to have a conversation with him first about his day. What I wasn’t doing was taking time to slow down. This is what eventually led me to find yoga and pilates…and what and life saver they were! The slower, physical practices led to a more balanced approach in wellness. I started to pay more attention to what I was putting into my body…NOT dieting, just paying attention to what FELT good (I still ate chocolate, just in moderation). That started a practice for me that has stuck for the last 16 years. It has evolved, but the basis is…I, just like everyone, need the YIN and the YANG in life. Yang is the active, yin is the slower more still activities of the mind and body. Take time for both! If you run or go to bootcamps constantly, but dont take time to stretch or do a practice like yoga, you may feel frazzled and all over the place. Your yin might be making time to breathe, read a book, snuggle your child, have a nice conversation with your spouse or a friend, pray, meditate. Our minds and bodies NEED the balance of both yin and yang to feel balanced in mind, body and spirit.
I am going to make this year about WAKING UP, PAYING ATTENTION…for whole wellness. Making time for the YIN and the YANG in life. Who’s with me?
December 26, 2017
Here we are the day after Christmas… This is when people really start to think about the New Year coming up. I have heard this line from so many people lately…after Christmas I am so going to work myself harder, get in shape, get more cardio in, do more of this and do more of that!
Most of what I’m hearing people refer to is the active do, do, do. I’ve said a couple of things like this myself. But when I take a step back and think about this, I notice that this is a very unbalanced approach to wellness. I challenge all of us instead of focusing on the DO, what if we focused on the FEEL? We are all looking to FEEL good right? FEEL healthy, FEEL balanced, FEEL like we are doing enough? Well friends, if this sounds like more of what your are looking for, you have to make time to FEEL. Wellness is not about the go until I grind myself into the ground and then give up on all of my goals a few weeks into the year, because I can’t sustain that pace. Its a lifestyle choice. I have been in this go, go, go state before. Let’s be honest, it goes in waves. I remember after giving birth to each of our children who are now 16, 13 and 8…I had that mantality…especially about my weight. I worked so hard after each birth to lose the weight I had gained. Particularly with my oldest son. 80 extra pounds hurts. As soon as my husband came home from work, I handed him the baby and onto the treadmill I went, followed by 500-600 crunches a day. You can probably imagine that that came back to bite me in the a**.
I was frazzled, my posture was terrible and I had a racing mind all of the time. I’m sure my husband would have loved it if I actually sat down to have a conversation with him first about his day. What I wasn’t doing was taking time to slow down. This is what eventually led me to find yoga and pilates…and what and life saver they were! The slower, physical practices led to a more balanced approach in wellness. I started to pay more attention to what I was putting into my body…NOT dieting, just paying attention to what FELT good (I still ate chocolate, just in moderation). That started a practice for me that has stuck for the last 16 years. It has evolved, but the basis is…I, just like everyone, need the YIN and the YANG in life. Yang is the active, yin is the slower more still activities of the mind and body. Take time for both! If you run or go to bootcamps constantly, but dont take time to stretch or do a practice like yoga, you may feel frazzled and all over the place. Your yin might be making time to breathe, read a book, snuggle your child, have a nice conversation with your spouse or a friend, pray, meditate. Our minds and bodies NEED the balance of both yin and yang to feel balanced in mind, body and spirit.
I am going to make this year about WAKING UP, PAYING ATTENTION…for whole wellness. Making time for the YIN and the YANG in life. Who’s with me?