What does self care mean to you? If anything…?
For myself, I think I went a long time in my life without consciously caring for myself. Self care sounded a weird idea, not something I felt I particularly needed. I got by OK and that was enough for me. Partly this might have been true in my younger days(!) but partly it was because I didn’t really understand what I was missing and I was simply used to powering through life, meeting all the more obvious needs that cropped up for me. Work, family, friends and so on.
What is self care anyway? Popular media suggested it is bubble baths and Netflix on the sofa with a bar of Dairy Milk. Or spa weekends with the girls. Or, a bit more subtly, learning to say ‘no’ to the demands of others when appropriate or necessary, Self care can be all these things of course! And many more. I’m sure you already have your own self care ideas. But it look me a long time to begin to figure this out for myself. I’m still learning and, of course, my needs are changing too which keeps it all very interesting.
Looking at self care through the perspective of yoga suggests to me that true self care (as opposed to self indulgence or ‘feel good’ activities) is born from self awareness. We have to learn how to listen into our needs in order to know the best way to look after ourselves. This process of learning how to listen in is how I think of yoga — yoga is the art of paying attention. This is called svadhyaya in Sanskrit which literally means ‘self-listening’. On the mat or the cushion, we’re spending time observing our thoughts and our feelings, our reactions to what happens in our practice, feeling into our physical body and the sensations there — and this is all ‘data’ for understanding what we need to respond more skilfully to how we are in each moment.
For some people a slower form of yoga can be a helpful place to explore and practise self-reflection and inner listening. There’s less going on as we do a smaller number of poses, and this can make deeper listening more possible with less emphasis on movement, keeping up with the sequence, or ‘getting it right’.
In restorative yoga class I offer variations of poses or different ways to use props (like cushions and blankets) that can give a space for curiosity and personalisation of your practice. As we always include some longer-held poses, there’s more time to settle in deeply to the point where the nervous system begins to shift. This shift or down-regulation can offer some insight into what deeper rest (meaning rest through the whole system, not just in the muscles) feels like. With that experience to guide us, with that taste of deeper rest, we might gain some clarity or insight. This ‘data’ can bring us to more discerning choices in our lives. Often times we need more rest, we just don’t want to acknowledge that (like an over-tired toddler!). And even if that’s not the case for you, a bit of downtime will still set you up well for the next adventure and perhaps allow you to appreciate more fully the vibrancy of those energy-filled moments.
I offer a space each month for this kind of self-listening practice, in the form of a short online restorative class. There’s a suggested donation but you can pay whatever amount is right for you. Book your place for the next class here or get in touch if you have any questions.
Victoria Jackson Yoga 