Bramacharya
Live in Pure Potential through Balance and Moderation
Tune into your body to listen to what you need. Bramacharya teaches us that when we live in balance and moderation we have full access to our potential and our vital life force. My gentle yoga and mindfulness based stress reduction practices were turning points for me because they helped me develop the tools to bring myself back into balance when it was so easy to find myself in a spiral of overwhelm.
Here are some tips for bring Bramacharya, or balance, into your life:
Reward yourself with a regular yoga practice (link to LYB’s yoga videos). Connecting your body and breath is one of the most balancing and healing gifts you can give yourself.
Incorporate meditation into your daily life (link to LYB’s meditation library) to clear yourself of distractions, increase your focus, clarity, memory, and creativity, and to lower your stress.
See resting, relaxation and storing your energy as an accomplishment. Use this time to really shut your mind off—the world is a cognitive place, don’t discount all that you do throughout the day.
Give yourself rewards every day. Make time for fun and your favorite things. Having a cup of tea in the garden, spending time in nature, resting in a restorative yoga pose like reclined bound angle with a hot pack over my eyes, and journaling are my go-tos. What are yours?
Eat a diet rich in superpower brain foods like blueberries, pomegranates, and coconut oil.
Use your daily activities like exercise or cooking as opportunities to practice mindfulness. Every breath you take gives you an opportunity to begin again and be present.
Practice visualizing your own strength, energy, diminished pain, and healing. Studies have shown that visualization can be just as powerful as actually doing the real thing. If you can’t do your yoga practice one day, try imagining your body going through the movements as you breathe.
Know that you are ahead of the game. Because of your injury you have been forced to form new habits, and live the healthiest life possible. People don’t change habits until they have to. I know that the things my injury forced me to change have taught me tools to deal with stress, to listen to my body, to take breaks, and to be healthier.
Remember that there is always a way out. When you start to get frustrated, step away. Practice yoga, take a walk, sing, dance—anything to change your perspective.