I want to start this by saying how grateful I am of Anna jumping in for me last week, and making a post so the blog didn’t go dry on us. She made a rather apt post about balance, which was definitely something I struggled with last week, and something I’m sure I’ll struggle with again.
‘Wellness’ is such a broad term, and really, everyone has their own opinion on what it mean, which I personally think is great, but in the end, my personal philosophy on wellness, is in fact balance. Due to some dietary restrictions, I eat a primarily vegan diet, but on Sunday morning when my man throws down a plate with bacon, sausage, and egg whites fried in meat grease, you might catch me licking the plate. I think that people who rely on essential oils for health care and remedies are out of their minds, but I also recognize that without my peppermint oil, there’s no way I’d drink even a tenth of the water I do. Yoga is a large part of my daily routine, typically practiced twice a day, but at least three nights a week, if not more, my evening yoga is accompanied by a cold beer beside my yoga mat.
I have had people tell me that I’m just not committed to my routines or practices. Why not just commit to a vegan diet? Why ruin a perfectly good yoga practice by drinking a beer between poses? Why not commit to an oil regiment to see if it helps what ails me?
Because I don’t want to, that’s why.
I’m happy going to the doctor, and filling my body with chemicals, and using soap and shampoo and dying my hair, and all those great cancer causing activities that essential oil people hate. What I’m not happy with, is the fact that I have difficulty drinking water. I also have a high paced, stressful job, and just the physical sensation caused by oils of the mint family on my wrists, back of the next and temples soothes me, and the scent opens my lungs and helps me breathe better. Yes, I have recently joined Young Living, because I do have parts of my life that are appropriate for essential oil application, like additives to my water, or ways to purify the air in my apartment. Do I need to replace all my cleaning products with Thieves? If you’re part of the Young Living family, you might say yes, but I will tell you right now my micromanaging, OCD side, who decides at three am that nothing in the apartment is clean will disagree with you because sometimes Lysol solves all of life’s problems, and that is 100% okay.
Even in my workouts and yoga practice, there needs to be balance. Due to some personal struggles, and my fast paced work environment, last week I started to crash. I had two choices. I could keep going, and keep pushing, waking up at six and doing yoga and eating oatmeal before heading off to work, or, I could sleep in until ten after seven, slurp back a quick Nespresso and a mint thin before quite literally running for my bus.
I am not ashamed to say, that if it weren’t for the Girl Guides of Canada, I might not have survived last week.
I feel in today’s society, we don’t give ourselves time to breathe. Has getting up at six to do yoga this week been tough after taking a week off? Of course it has. However, this week I’m rebalanced, and recharged after taking a week to give myself an extra hour of sleep and a few chocolate treats. I feel better, and more level headed, rather than still reeling from the stresses of last week. It’s incredibly important, to me at least, to recognize those moments that I need to step back from my routines and to just indulge myself a little bit.
Going forward, that’s what I’m going to write about here on Wednesdays. Finding those moments of balance, by celebrating getting over all the hurdles in your life, whether it’s finishing an intense workout program, or finishing a box of mint thins by yourself in four day. Both those moments deserve celebration, and I look forward to sharing them with you!
Nameste, bitches.
(As a side note, I’m in no way affiliated with the Girl Guides of Canada, but I think they’re a great organization. If you’re in the GTA, feel free to contact myself or Anna, because we’ve got a sweet cookie hookup. If you’re going to indulge between workouts, eliminate your guilt by supporting a great cause!)
tanksinheels.com 