I wanted to be doing everything at once, I wanted to be the very picture of wellness, right now! However, when these thoughts sent me into blind panic, I knew I had to take a deep breath and reign myself in, before I ditched the world of wellness forever never to return. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always loved reading about nutrition, spirituality, self-improvement and yoga, and I still do. However, it’s all too easy for us to forget that people who are new to this area, and even seasoned readers and students, might find themselves baffled from time to time. What in the name of Ayurveda is oil-pulling? How much coconut oil is too much? How can I remember that what my yoga instructor calls Balasana (Child’s Pose) is what I usually call, "Good grief, I’m tired and need a rest” pose? Why are chia seeds so small and fiddly? Third eye? (I was convinced we only had two!) Luckily (phew!), there are a few things you can do to incorporate the knowledge you’ll find on this website into your daily life, gradually and so it works for you: 1. Take it slowly. Don’t try and quit coffee overnight if you’ve been drinking 4 cups a day for as long as you can remember. Try going down to 3. Then, when you feel you’ve got a handle on it, go down to 2, then 1. Remember that some people take caffeine better than others and you might still like a cup of coffee once in a while, it’s OK. 2. Focus on one thing at a time. Recently you read about oil pulling. You think you’ve just got the hang of it, when suddenly you keep reading about chakra alignment. Well, you’d better go do that as well then! Stop. Take a step back. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Give yourself time to incorporate new habits and routines into your lifestyle. Build up the good habits rather than doing too much too soon, ending up not doing anything and feeling demoralised as a result. 3. Go easy on yourself. So, you ate a piece of cake to celebrate someone’s birthday at work, but it was probably loaded with sugar and wasn’t made with raw chocolate. Sometimes, life’s too short. Instead of berating yourself, remember that you were celebrating a special day in someone’s life- be grateful for this opportunity and enjoy. 4. Stop comparing yourself to other people. Your best friend goes to yoga 5 times a week, has newly toned upper arms, and you can’t stop comparing yourself to her. You only manage it once a week if you’re lucky. (Which, by the way, is enough to reap the benefits!) Your friend’s probably comparing herself to you…right…now. Everyone does it. Be kind to others, including yourself. Everyone has their own battles to face. Don’t make yours any harder by wasting energy wishing you were someone else. Use this energy to celebrate you. 5. Find what work for you. I always feel as though I should be going to yoga at 6am, but I know that I feel better if I go to a later class. If you’ve been reading up about going raw, but it’s freezing outside and all you want to do is eat soup, make yourself something hot, nourishing and delicious. Listen to your body and make all these amazing lifestyle changes work in your favour. We have access to an amazing wealth of knowledge on this website, but don’t be bamboozled. Be grateful, start slow and love your decisions, whether you decide to implement changes into your life or not. Love your mind, love your life, love your body.
