Hi friend,
I hope your 2023 kicked off well. And even if it didn’t, we have a lot of time.
Everything is a process, isn’t it?
My January for the past 2 years includes doing Yoga With Adriene monthly series. It’s free and on YouTube and while there’s a monthly calendar each month, January has a brand new set of videos.
But this time, I noticed a strange (and if I can say, sad) pattern in my thinking.
[TW: Body Image]
I think we underestimate how much our inner child hasn’t healed and how childhood trauma can influence adulthood decisions.
I wanted to do this series.
But I was overthinking:
I’m going to burn much lesser calories
My goal since Sept 2022 is to build more muscle, this will screw it up
I’ll get fat again
My obese teenage was still somewhere inside me.
Dropping 25kgs hasn’t changed that.
Feeling damn good and confident hasn’t changed that.
This made me wonder - how could I still think this way? Why would I devoid myself of the one experience that makes me feel so beautiful?
I then thought of how much I’ve detached from numbers.
If my likes, followers, and any other digital dopamine dies tomorrow, I think I’ll continue to lead a content life as long as I’m still doing what I love for a living.
And then, I did day one of yoga.
Yes, I burnt 100 calories only.
But I felt so different. As somebody who’s at their desk and at home most of the day, I could suddenly feel how tight my traps are. While doing 100 mountain climbers is easy, doing 5 mindful mountain climbers per leg is painful.
That’s when I remembered how YWA played such a big role in my life.
In 2020, I started it randomly.
If you don’t already know me, 2020 was a breakthrough year in my life where I suddenly discovered myself and unleashed my potential and quit my job and all that jazz.
It all started with self-awareness.
This takes place in the mind, but also in the body.
Taking deep breaths for 30 straight minutes changes your neural chemistry entirely. It transforms how you feel, which alters how you’ll pursue the day ahead.
And that, changes everything.
In this past week, I’ve felt so happy on my mat.
It feels right to know what’s going on in the inner universe so my universe outside can flourish.
It feels powerful to realise how straightening your back can change how you feel.
It humbles you to realise that all those weighted squats are amazing but the humble warriors will make your thighs quiver.
And all of this, while staying in touch with our core. Our inner powerhouse - in yoga, and in the world when I step out of the mat.
How dare I degrade such a tranquil feeling to calories?
This newsletter is not to encourage you to try yoga lol, though you can if you wish (here’s the calendar I’m doing right now).
It’s to let you know how our shortsighted vision and perceived rewards can influence our decisions which could benefit us long term.
Is there something that you know you must do, but you stub it away?
Does it keep popping into your head because in your heart you know you must do it?
Think about it.
Then go after it.
YouTube
These two videos got lots of love, I hope you love them as much.
Watch this if you're confused about life
I Disappeared for 5 Months, Here's What Happened
I hope you enjoyed this.
I’ll see you next week :)
Love,
N
Hi how old are u lol
Thanks for this encouragement! ❤️ :)