Self-Care

by Adrian Molina

The pace of the city keeps you on your toes, from dawn to sunset and even late at night. We are so driven to accomplish things, always striving to build a future. A reputation. A name. A family. An identity. But sometimes, in the city that never sleeps, we forget the importance of self-care.

When the scale has been tilted too much and too long to one side, it is difficult to come back to a state of balance and bring things into perspective. A life of constant doing and activity becomes a vicious cycle that can be hard for even the most advanced yogi or meditator to break.

Often, I see my students struggling to bring some sense of balance to their lives. They come straight from the airport to take a class. They use their lunch hour to practice. They secretly hope for a scheduled meeting to be canceled so they can find some space to do yoga. I see them taking off high heels right outside the studio and switching from mind to body in a blink of an eye.

I see my fellow teachers struggling with this too. Always teaching, teaching, teaching...always giving. Perhaps the ultimate oxymoron is being stressed out from teaching too much yoga.

I struggle with this myself. Juggling and planning classes, private clients, projects, recordings, teacher trainings, planning retreats. Always trying to squeeze more juice out of my 24-hour day. Perhaps it's ironic—but telling—that I'm drafting this article on a crowded train during rush hour and in-between classes.

Caught up in this forward momentum and rush of constant activity, is it any wonder that we often feel anxious, irritable, edgy, disconnected, desperate for space and quietude?

We rarely stop. It's almost as if we don't know how to stop. We keep going and going and going. We even forget to breathe at times. And sometimes when we do finally take a pause, we are too tired to really take care of ourselves in a nurturing way.

Self-care is much needed. And it's not selfish. Self-care should be put in the same category of importance as paying your rent and bills, and remembering your parent's or lover's birthdays. Self-care is not a hobby, or a leisure activity reserved only for the privileged, but a much-needed part of our routines.

Find a bit of quiet time every day to dedicate to yourself. To meditate, to read a book. To be alone, without glowing device screens feeding your brain more stimuli, more information, more things to plan and think about. Take time simply to be in the good company of yourself and come to a place of stillness. 

Do it for yourself—but also for your loved ones, your clients, your children, your students, your pets, and for strangers. Because when you pause to take care of yourself, they will benefit too.

With love,

Adrian

Adrian Molina is a yoga teacher, writer and meditation practitioner living in New York City. He developed the Warrior Flow style of yoga and teaches at Equinox fitness centers, in private sessions, and at retreats. He shares inspiration and teachings frequently on his web site Warrior Flow, hisFacebook page, and his Twitter feed.