5 Things: Yoga

It's almost 11 o'clock and I'm sat in my pj's, writing up this blog post about yoga. Maybe it's because I'm so relaxed now, who knows? I just had a cup of green tea (which reminds me that I need to buy some more green tea) and I've just gotten ready for bed. But, my mind was filled with inspiration and things I wanted to share with you so that's what I'm going to do.

I've tried a thousand times to start a proper yoga class and I failed a 999 times. The last time, which is now, I actually succeeded in planning my yoga class into my daily routine and I'm hooked. As a uni student with a blog and a social life, I undergo quite a lot of stress and I can handle a lot of it, but sometimes it all gets a bit too much and I need to take a step back. My mum has been a yogi for nearly three years (or longer? Correct me if I'm wrong, mum.) and she always tells me how relaxing it was and before I started doing yoga myself, I thought it was funny but crazy. I mean, who likes sitting on a mat for an hour or doing weird poses that aren't comfortable at all?

After following Adriene's 30 day yoga camp for fifteen days, I can say I've learned a lot about myself and I'm slowly starting to accept my body and who I am. Yes, it's only been fifteen days but I'm planning on doing yoga for another couple of years. Why? These are the five reasons why I love yoga:

 · ACCEPTING WHO YOU ARE ·

Nowadays, it feels as if being yourself is never good enough. 'Be the best version of yourself', is a quote I often read/hear and it's so true. Being yourself is what makes you stand out and what makes you unique. It's about accepting that you're not Kim K or Angelina Jolie or someone who is more famous than you and has a gorgeous body or a pretty face. No, be proud of who you really are.

· GETTING TO KNOW YOUR BOUNDARIES ·

Maybe you're not as flexible as those yogi's on Instagram or maybe you aren't as strong as they are. Don't force yourself to do things you're not yet ready for. Get to know how far you can push your body before it tells you that you're forcing it to do things you're not trained for. This will figure itself out and before you know it, you'll be able to do those fancy yoga poses without having to force yourself. It will all come naturally.

· TAKING A STEP BACK ·

Hide yourself from the outside world for some time, let go of your worries and obligations. This is your time and you deserve some me-time every day. (I wrote a full post about me-time here.) I like getting up early before the world wakes up so I don't hear any cars, airplanes or noisy neighbours. Although I live in a quiet place (back home and for uni), car noises tend to disturb my peaceful yoga session now and then.

· DON'T RUSH IT ·

Everything takes time; improving your flexibility, adding that hour of yoga to your busy schedule, learning new yoga poses, finding your perfect yoga place in your house, etc. Yoga is about finding inner peace and it helps you to calm down.

· PRODUCTIVITY & POSITIVITY·

You can call me crazy for getting up every single day at 7am to do 30 minutes to an hour of yoga, but to me, it feels as if my day has been somewhat productive. I feel more energized and I no longer feel the need to stay in bed for hours before getting ready for the day. Also, being positive is SO important, because it's so easy to have a negative outlook on life. As I mentioned in 'accepting who you are', yoga has made me feel better about how I look and who I am.