Hi, welcome to the Body, Breath, Mind, Yoga with Karen podcast.
And yes, my name is Karen and I offer yoga online classes and programs to help you find
clarity and balance in life.
In this podcast, I will share meditation and relaxation sessions with you to calm your
mind.
I hope you'll enjoy your time with me.
Thank you so much for joining me.
I'm Karen and in this podcast, I would like to talk about the magical good intentions
that some of us tend to set for themselves for the beginning of the next year.
It's December, the new year is literally standing in front of the door.
And for some, this is a moment where they come to terms with themselves and know certain
things they want to change to have a healthier life, to feel more in balance, to find more
clarity, whatever it is.
In these couple of minutes ahead of us, I would like to talk about certain things that
are unhelpful to create a healthy routine for yourself, incorporate more yoga into your
life maybe.
And then I'll talk about some things that can be really helpful.
Let's jump right in with how high we set the bar.
Because the first mistake some people make is to be too ambitious.
For some it can work.
For some, they're up for the challenge and it's even motivating them more.
But for most of us, and I'm included, if I set my bar too high, you know, I might start
doing it for a little bit, but I'm going to miss some beats pretty soon and I will stop
doing it all together.
So it's not helping me to committing to it full time on a continuous and long term base.
So if you set your bar too high from the get go, it can be motivating in the beginning,
but after the first week you might miss a beat and then another until after two weeks
you stop and the good intention is history already.
So don't put too much pressure on yourself to start a healthy routine.
Start small.
Don't beat yourself up when you miss it once.
Acknowledge and accept it and then see if you can connect to it again the next day.
Start practicing small and manageable amounts of times with kindness.
So this is really loving self-acceptance and just acknowledging where you're at is the
first step and then set your goals in an achievable way so that it's motivating, but
it's also reachable.
Practicing only irregularly for an hour or more, but never getting into a consistent
practice is also something that's not really helpful to create a healthy routine.
Some of us will go to the gym or the yoga studio once a week and it is better than no
practice.
Absolutely, it's healthy and please if you do it continue doing so, but the downfall
is that if you miss it once you're already not working out for 14 days and that's two weeks.
So if you're one of those people who practice an hour each day, that's amazing.
That is great.
But on top of it, it's also important to take short check-ins throughout your day.
A five-minute movement break, especially if you're sitting at the desk or you have long
sitting hours at work or you're working at the computer.
Once every hour get up and move consciously for at least five minutes.
That is a really, really great way of starting to connect to your body, to connect to your
knees and also to interrupt those sitting hours because they're really a health hazard.
And just acknowledge that if you don't have five minutes a day to spend for yourself,
to connect with yourself, with your body, move, breathe consciously, then maybe at this
time health and well-being is not your priority.
And maybe that will be a good starting point for the next year to make it your priority.
And then see and find out how this might look for you.
Another thing that's not very helpful is to not ask for help when you're stuck.
So especially in the beginning, starting a new healthy routine, whatever it may look
like for you, maybe it's yoga practice, maybe it's a regular workout at the gym, maybe it's
going for runs.
I don't know what your thing is.
But if you want to start with it, it's really great to have support.
So in the private area, it could be a partner, roommate, friend, somebody to do it with,
somebody to hold you accountable for it.
So even if they're not joining you, they could still check in with you and ask you if you've
done it already or why you haven't.
And it's great to just keep the ball rolling.
On a professional level, there are different ways of getting support.
One of course is a personal trainer or one-on-one yoga lessons or to have a studio where you
go on a regular base.
But you could also find help online with a YouTube video or online yoga programs that
are available to you 24-7.
So now we've taken a little look at what's not so helpful when you start a new healthy
And now let's circle around and look at what is helpful.
So supportive can be having a clear intention, setting a clear intention every morning before
the day starts and you can write it even down and you can just make this choice.
I will move today.
I will take movement breaks in between or I will exercise in the evening or maybe I'll
go for a long walk and lunch break.
Set a clear intention.
It really helps to actually do it.
And that's the most important thing.
So it also helps to have a strategy, a solid picture of how will it look like when I practice
regularly.
First, make a choice.
What will you do?
For me, yoga is a deal and I feel the benefits of it every day that I practice.
But for you, it might be a different choice.
So make your choice and have a clear picture of what it will look like.
Be clear on the following.
Will you take your healthy movement break alone or with a colleague?
Or is there another way to help you with accountability?
Where will you take your breaks?
Is there a space at work?
Are you working in a home office?
Can you do it just right there beside the table?
Do you need to stay seated?
Do you need to wear specific clothes that will help you move and still be suitable for
work?
Or will you do it after work?
Will you do it in lunch break?
Will you do it in the morning before going to work?
When and where?
How does it look like?
What will you do?
And this is also really helpful just to have this clear picture, a clear strategy.
Just know your details and see it in your imagination.
It will help you with following through.
And as I said before, the right support system can be really beneficial.
Know who you want to work out with or know who you want to exercise with.
Know who you want to go for a run with or a walk with.
If you're going to do it alone or with a friend or a family member.
Do you want to have a course program to help you with accountability and structure to
guide you through your practice?
What is your choice?
And then know your support system and make sure it's there for you and available for
you.
So these are the things that are helpful for your good intention of creating a healthy
routine in your life for next year.
I hope that you will.
It can be a game changer to move more, to connect more to your body, to connect more
to your breath, to be able to regulate your nervous system, be more resilient to stress
and make your sleeping quality better.
Can even help you with your mood and it can help you with your focus and concentration
and thereby even with your productivity at work.
But also with your energy level when you get off work so you can still enjoy your life
and restore and refresh and your hours off.
Next I'll invite you to join a guided meditation on compassion because compassion is something
wonderful to cultivate for yourself.
And I think this is also a great way to start the new year.
Let's do a mindfulness practice called the compassionate body scan.
I invite you to lie down on your back.
Once you get yourself situated, we'll begin.
Start by first getting in touch with your body.
How does it feel right now?
Right here in the present moment.
See if you can feel the weight of your back on the ground.
Just feel your body just as it is right now.
We will move our attention and awareness to different parts of the body, sweeping from
the crown of the head down to the toes and back again.
Giving ourselves compassion for any pain or tension we may feel there or perhaps for any
shame or feelings of inadequacy we have about certain body parts.
Starting with the crown of your head, just notice what sensations are there.
See if you can tune into that point just between the air above your head and where your skull
starts.
Then become aware of your facial muscles.
We have hundreds of muscles in our face.
They work very hard for us, expressing our emotions, some of which are quite painful,
these emotions.
If you feel any tension or stress in any of your facial muscles, try to relax them.
Maybe imagine caressing your face with your awareness, being grateful for how hard our
face muscles work for us.
Then become aware of the back of your head.
Any sensations there?
If you have any sort of headache or pain, just being kind, tender, compassionate to
the fact that you aren't feeling perhaps as well as you'd like.
Or if no sensation is there, just feel whatever is happening right now.
Now become aware of how your neck feels.
Again, any tension, burning, tightness, our neck often holds our heavy head and it holds
a lot of tension, especially if we sit at a computer all day.
So just relax the neck muscles and soothe and comfort any points of pain you may be
experiencing.
Drop down into your shoulders.
We almost always feel some sort of pain and tension there.
First, just notice what you feel.
What is the sensation like?
Hot, cold, tight, stabbing, dull.
Take a moment to have compassion for the stress of being shoulders in your body.
They take on a lot for you.
And just soothing, comforting any feelings of pain or discomfort you may have.
Then drop down so that you're aware of your upper back.
Drop down into your shoulder blades again, feeling any tension that's there, any discomfort.
Allow it to be as it is.
Hot, cold, sharp, soft.
Use your awareness to acknowledge any pain and soothe that area of your body.
Imagine mentally getting a little bit of a massage there in your shoulder blades.
Let it feel good in your imagination.
Then become aware of your chest area, the seat of our heart, where emotions are often
felt very intensely, including difficult ones like grief, disappointment, loss.
Try to notice how the physical sensations of your chest are manifesting.
Is the sensation moving?
Is it buzzing?
Is it tight?
Just simply notice what's there.
Feel the pain around it and comfort yourself for any pain you might be feeling in your chest.
Just as a mother might care for a child who's feeling discomfort.
Take the same attitude with your awareness.
Then focus your attention on your stomach area, your gut.
A lot of difficult emotions get stored here, including fear.
First, just focus on the actual sensations of your stomach.
Is there any movement?
Maybe you're digesting food.
Any tension?
Any physical discomfort?
Then also, are any feelings coming up on inadequacy or non-acceptance of being exactly who you
are in this moment?
Whatever arises, you're going to take a very calm, comforting, loving stance towards this
part of your body.
Maybe even sending some appreciation for the very hard task of digesting the food you eat,
allowing you to be alive.
Relax and soften.
Then turn your awareness towards your lower back.
Very big muscles there needed to keep you upright.
If you feel any tension, try to relax that part of your body and consciously soothe and
comfort any pains or aches you might feel.
You can be kind to yourself in this moment.
Then drop down to your pelvic area.
We often avoid paying attention to this part of our body.
Just notice what feelings are there.
If there is any discomfort or tension, try to relax.
If there are any emotions that come up for you that are difficult, again, take a very
soothing, comforting approach towards this part of your body, just allowing it to be
as it is.
Then dropping down to your buttocks.
Notice what feelings are there.
If there is any tightness or tension, soothe and relax this part of your body.
This part of your body is not exactly how you would like it to be.
If you feel compassion for the fact that we are imperfect human beings, just accept that
with an open heart.
Let's move back up to our arms and we'll do them each individually.
Start with your right arm, the top, the shoulder blade, the top of your arm, the upper bicep.
What does your upper arm on the right side feel like right now?
We have big muscles there that often get strained lifting and holding things, so soothing any
tension or discomfort, relaxing, caressing with our awareness kindly.
Move to your lower right arm.
Gently notice what you feel there.
Now your right wrist and fingers, your hand.
We have an amazing number of bones in this part of our body, especially with increasing
use of computers.
These get worked over and over and over again.
Just notice, do you have any tension there, any feelings of discomfort?
If so, again, just soothe, comfort yourself.
Have compassion for any pain you might be feeling.
If there is no discomfort, just rest in the peacefulness of being free of pain.
Then shift your attention to focus on your left upper arm and shoulder.
Notice how your muscles feel.
Any tension that's there, kindly stroke your arms with your awareness.
Comfort yourself and drop down into your lower left arm.
Allow the sensations to be just as they are.
Your left hand and wrist, relax your muscles.
Appreciate how hard your fingers work for you and the freedom it gives you.
Now shift your focus to your right upper leg.
Very big muscle here, our thigh muscle.
What do you feel right now in this area of your body?
See if you can relax this muscle.
If you notice any discomfort or tension, kindly soothe and comfort this part of your body
with your awareness.
Then move down to your right calf and shin, the lower part of your leg.
Feel the muscles softening around any tension.
Then finally focus on your right foot.
No surprising amount of tension and stress gets stored in our feet.
A lot of pressure gets put on them.
Take a moment to appreciate your right foot.
It allows you to walk, run, dance, relax and soothe any feelings of pain that arise.
Feel the muscles and feel the energy flow through your body.
Now move your awareness to your left leg, the upper half, the thigh muscle, softening around any tension.
As always, if any emotions arise, feel free to relax.
Feel the muscles and feel the energy flow through your body.
As always, if any emotions come up, give yourself compassion for that.
Recognize how hard it is to be in our competitive culture.
And drop down to your left lower leg, your calf muscle, your shin, relaxing, soothing.
And then focusing on your left foot, ankle, the sole of your foot.
Your toes.
Just be aware of any sensations that are there.
Tingling, burning, pressure and soothe and comfort.
Any feelings of discomfort or pain that might be there.
Widen your focus so that you are aware of both feet moving up to both calves, both upper legs,
up to your stomach, your chest, your neck, your head.
Just imagine the energy flowing out the top of your head.
Feeling the energy of life flowing through you.
Resting in awareness of this magnificent body we have.
Of compassion for its pains and appreciation for its wonder.
The meditation is now ended.
Move your hands and feet.
Find movement in your body.
Maybe you want to stretch or yawn.
In your own time, just be aware of your body.
Maybe you want to stretch or yawn.
In your own time, come to your side.
Enjoy two more breaths here.
Inhale and exhale.
Over the next inhale, push yourself up with your free hand and come to a sitting position.
Have a wonderful Christmas, enjoy your new year and find movement, find your healthy routine.
Thank you for being here.
A big thank you to Radio Fru for the invitation to air these sessions.
What a privilege and opportunity to share the benefits of yoga with you.
This was Body Breath Mind Yoga with Karen.
Thank you so much for listening.
If you would like to learn more about what I do and what I offer, go to www.karin-schmidt.com
or get in touch.
I would love to hear from you.