With a handful of days left until we wave enthusiastically goodbye to a challenging 2020, why not set realistic and achievable wellness goals to kick off the New Year with healthy new habits.
Whether you practise yoga five times a week, or once a month, there are ample opportunities in each and every day where you can apply the following resolutions to strengthen overall fitness and health abilities.
Learn or master one new yoga pose each week. It’s easy to get locked into one type of yoga. You find a yoga class or studio you love and you stick with it. But did you know that there are many different types of yoga practices? A Yin Yoga class targets your deep connective tissues at a slower and more meditative pace compared to Bikram yoga that maximises the sweaty benefits. Do your wrists feel the brunt of keyboard typing? Discover a new therapeutic yoga pose each week to ease wrist pain and prevent further injury. Do you sit down for most of the day and wish you could add more movement into your life? Add a new chair exercise into your work routine each week to support posture and ease lower back aches and pains.
Discover the different forms of pranayama. Breathe is life. Bhramari, ujjayi breath, nadi shodhana, and kapalabhakti are just a few of the many pranayama techniques you can practice on a daily basis at home, at work, and on holiday. Each breathing technique is designed for a specific purpose and to generate a particular result. For example, the sitali breath is used to cool the body when you overheat or to calm the nerves if you’re agitated.
Meditate for one minute at the same time everyday. The goal of meditation is not to stop thought altogether. That is an impossible goal. With meditation, you will lower the number of thoughts you experience. You’ll have more evolutionary and creative thoughts, and through the practice of meditation, you will learn to detach from your thoughts.
Here's to a bright and healthy 2021! Happy New Year.
Louise FitzRoy is the Principal of Activ Life, a leading health and wellness company based in the Cayman Islands. If you enjoyed this article you may also like: Short holiday yoga flow and Anti-aging yoga secrets.