Joyful nugget: Move mindfully

I know, I say it all the time, but only because it’s so incredibly important! Which is why we're dedicating this week to joyful movement in the Yoga for Pandemic Fatigue, Stress, Anxiety & Long COVID Facebook group.

Have you noticed that many times when you’re feeling low, whether it’s because of grief, heartbreak, stress, fatigue, etc., you tend not to want to move much? I know that’s how I feel, and I’ve seen similar tendencies in the people I work with. But, when we move, we release physically manifested tension, grief, etc., and our body responds by releasing happy chemicals which help us build joy.

When you wake up in the morning, check-in: how can you best move to support yourself? Stretch? Dance? Do yoga? Go for a walk? Go for a run? Go swimming?

When you’re at work (or if you’re traveling like I am) and you’ve been sitting, or in the same position for long periods of time, check-in: how can you best move to support yourself? Stretch? Go for a walk? Do a 5 minute chair yoga sequence?

When you’re home after a long day of work or play, check-in: how can you best move to support yourself? Gentle self-massage? Joint release? Relaxing yoga postures? Dance? Go for a walk? Go swimming? Go for a run?

When you’re tucking yourself into bed for the night, check-in: how can you best move to support yourself? Gentle stretching? Relaxing yoga postures? Gentle self-massage?
You get the idea. And no I don’t mean that each of these moments need to be an hour break. They could literally be a minute or two. It’s all about checking-in, listening, and doing what is best for yourself in that moment.

If you’re not sure where to start, this month’s Monthly Membership calendar is all about building joy. So if pre-made calendars are your thing, be sure to head on over to the Membership page and download it. You can either print it and and search for the videos in the on-demand studio or if you have it on your device, you can click directly on each video title and it takes you to the video.

And if you’re like me and seeing new places gives you joy, the on-demand series Roadshow Yoga in Asturias is a great way to build joy by virtually traveling to some of Spain’s most spectacular natural places and joining me in 30 minute yoga sessions twice a week. The series can be purchased on its own for the 4 weeks of the series or you can get unlimited access to it through the Monthly Membership.

So, how do you move to find joy?