My sister-in-law invited me to free yoga in the park on Sunday (from
The Better Good, led by OneYoga). It was a beautiful morning and I felt lucky to be outside and have my baby at home with my husband. I think I even managed to do a decent job of being in the moment and focusing on the class.
Of course, my mind did wander, and I found myself reflecting on the class (while I was in the class). That's pretty good mind wandering if I say so myself - I wasn't thinking of to-do lists (as I often do) or other places to be, or the people around me. I even reflected on the idea that we did a lot of reflecting in university and I actually do a lot of it lately, often via this blog.
There were lots of people out - all ages, sizes, and fitness levels, but we were all there together. This made me start thinking about how hard people are on themselves when it comes to healthy eating. There is a lot of all-or-nothing thinking. When attending an all-levels yoga class, we are all going at our own pace, comfort level, and based on how our body feels. Yet, with food, we expect to be like everyone else. We're all different.
Yoga instructors often say to focus on your own mat, not to look at what other's around you are doing. Yet, again with food, we make judgments, we want to follow another person's diet, we want to look like a picture in a magazine or on instagram, we examine what or how much we ate compared to others. We are all at a different place on our journey towards health. The important thing is that we show up!
It's not that you 'just' did yoga (because someone else ran 21km, etc.), it's that you did yoga - you took time for yourself, for your health. All of these little things add up, so stop saying 'just'!
Throughout the class we were encouraged to try different postures, given alternatives if needed, and reminded that it was okay to fall out of a pose, but to come right back. With the all-or-nothing thinking many people have with food, they expect perfection or place restrictive rules on themselves, rather than accepting that balance and moderation are more sustainable and it's okay to occasionally eat the 'less healthy' or 'choose less often' types of food - I know I do. We also have to remember that it's okay to indulge, but that we need to come back to our goals at the next eating opportunity, it's about progress, not perfection. We were reminded that it's call yoga practice, because we're working on improving ourselves. I often talk about practicing nutrition for sports, but it's the same for everyday. We can't expect to change a lifetime of habits overnight, it takes practice.
We were also reminded to lift the corners of our lips - to smile. This made me think about mindfulness and also the enjoyment of food. I love food, as do most dietitians, it's part of the reason we got into nutrition in the first place. I aim to eat healthy most of the time. I think about adding vegetables or fruit to meals. I try to balance out my days and not go too long without eating. I am tempted by sweets in my house. I enjoy a good meal and glass of wine with my husband. Food should be something we can smile about, if we're lucky enough to have access to adequate amounts and are able to make choices to include the items we like. It shouldn't be something we fear or stress about.
While doing yoga, we're supposed to be there, doing yoga. I was reflecting, so I still need to work on that, but it's also a reminder that when we're eating, we should just be eating. Get rid of the distractions, slow down, find time to taste your food and be grateful for it. Some yoga teachers also ask you to set an intention for the practice, again something we can easily do each day for our eating or our goals.
That's how my yoga session went. Have you reflected on anything recently? Feel free to share below!
Cheers,
Steph Langdon, RD
www.nutrishus.com
