Category: Wellbeing

Things we wish we'd known before going to our first yoga class

13/1/2019

New Year, New You?

Christmas is widely accepted as a time of over indulgence and in turn, January is full of declarations of “New Year, New Me”, wildly optimistic resolutions and deprivation diets on a scale not seen anywhere else during the year.  Towards the end of January and into February the air is full of the sounds of new year's resolutions being broken and people falling off the wagon, hard.

Why do we do this to ourselves?  We set ourselves up to fail and then berate ourselves when we don’t live up to the unrealistic expectations we set at the start in a fit of good intentions and determination.

Yoga isn't about deprivation, or punishment.  It's not a punishing fitness regime that you can’t stick to and it's not about fitting into some physical ideal.  Yoga is about building a solid foundation of self care.  Taking care of your mind and your body.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve broken your new year’s resolutions, you can start again anytime. It’s not the succeeding, it’s the trying, the doing and the learning.

At Office Om, we love it when people say our workshops have inspired them to go to a yoga class. If you're inspired to try one or have been meaning to get back to a class, why not do it? It's so easy to make ALL the excuses, but you'll thank us when you do.

We asked our followers what they wish they’d known before going to a yoga class for the first time. Here's what they said:

1. It’s not about changing the way you look - although it can change your physical appearance Yoga is about self care and overall health.  Yoga teaches you to stop, take a breath and take time out to concentrate on all areas of your well-being.

            “I think sometimes I’m not in the mood to do yoga and kind of settle down to do it begrudgingly because I know I need to so when someone says “take the time to congratulate yourself for showing yourself and your body some love today” it really shifts my perspective” Natalie J

Our lives are jam packed with family, work, commuting and we are constantly bombarded on social media. We struggle with brain space and overwhelm.  Yoga enables us to take the time that we need to listen to our bodies and find some peace and stillness.

2. You don’t to wear fancy stuff in fancy places - on social media, there's an image presented of people doing yoga in either a bikini or some psychedelic leggings in beautiful places. You really don't need to throw on Lycra and jump on a jet. Yoga is about the connection between the body, mind and breath. You can do it anytime, anywhere and wearing anything.  All you need is your body, your mind and to be breathing.

“To be reminded that the time on the mat is a gift to yourself ” Alison M

3.  You don’t have to be 'good' to start - It's about the practice and about listening to your body. It's about giving it a go. Some people are stronger, some people are more flexible. Everyone has something they need to work on in whatever condition their body is at the moment. Just like with anything else in life, to deepen the benefits of yoga can take time and practice, but yoga isn't about being perfect. You'll start noticing the benefits in just a few sessions. If you can't touch your toes, that's all ok.

“Being told there is no such thing as being bad at yoga” Chrissy K

4. You don't need to know all the names of the poses - yoga poses do have names, but the teacher will explain everything you need to do clearly and demonstrate the poses too - you can just copy.

            “Being told not to worry about the pose names yet but to follow the moves with my means, as you can feel overwhelmed by all the terms and moves combined” Saief K

And if you do feel confused by anything, just ask. We're a friendly bunch.

5. It doesn't matter if you do something different to everyone else or your body makes any noises -   sometimes people move in different directions to the teacher. Someone might wobble in a balancing pose. Sometimes someone's tummy might rumble, someone might cough and someone might giggle. We're all human and our bodies do these things. It's all ok.

"It didn't happen to me, but the yogi reassuring new people that when you twist and bend and sqidge up your insides in new ways it is normal and fine for gases to want to escape always seemed like a nice thing to say." Phil L

Whether you want to increase your strength, learn how to relax or improve your mental health, yoga can help.  From relieving the effects of depression to improving digestion and quality of sleep yoga is not for the few, it’s for the many.  Don’t let your fears or preconceptions around yoga prevent you from experiencing its benefits first hand.

At Office Om we want people to feel less stressed and improve their overall wellbeing.  We want you to feel better, cope better and live better. Find out more by joining our mailing list.

Or if you'd like to be supported whilst trying out the benefits of chair yoga in our NEW five week online course, you can find out more here

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10 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health

9/10/2016

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Hello, to celebrate World Mental Health Day here's Office Om's first Blog. Do you ever feel stressed, overwhelmed, anxious or low in energy? Or maybe you feel generally pretty good and you want to feel even better? Here’s ten tips from Office Om to help look after your mental health.

Talk talk talk talk talk about how you’re FEELING. Feelings can be pesky things when we keep them inside. And how often do we have this conversation: “How are you?” “I’m fine.” And it is fine to have this conversation. But it’s SO important to speak about how you’re feeling as well sometimes. I’ve seen first-hand in the counselling room how often just speaking feelings out loud can have an incredible transformative power. And if someone is telling you how they feel, listen, really listen, they may really need you to just to hear them. Anyway, how are you?
STOP, yes that’s right, STOP what you’re doing every now and then. Just check in with yourself, at intervals during the day, and ask yourself what you need. A cup of tea? A stretch? To close your eyes for a minute? Paying attention now and then to what you need in a given moment can be incredibly powerful for your mental health.
Get moving. You might have heard the phrase ‘sitting is the new smoking?’ It’s getting easier for our lives to be increasingly sedentary and this can prove harmful both for our bodies and our minds. Whether it’s going for a walk in your lunchbreak, hoovering, dancing in your kitchen or some office yoga, moving can make us feel so much better. How can you move more today?
Gratitude. Think of one thing you can be grateful for today? How do you feel when you think about this? An attitude of gratitude has been linked to good mental health. Try listing things you are grateful for once a week and see how your mood improves.
Bring your mind to the here and now. Often if we aren’t feeling so good, our minds are stuck in the past or in the future. You may have heard of mindfulness, the practice of deliberately focusing our minds in the present moment in a non-judgmental way. Whilst this could be (and will be) a whole Office Om blog post in itself, just try noticing when your mind drifts to the past or the future, and gently guide it back to the present moment. Notice how this makes you feel.
Building relationships. Good relationships have been linked to good mental health. Whether you are feeling lonely or feel you have millions of people in your life, we can all do something to improve our relationships with others. What one thing could you do to improve a relationship this week?
Ask for help. We all need help sometimes. I used to think I was Miss Independent and it has taken me years to realise I do need to ask for help. Whether that’s help from people around you or professional help, recognise when things are getting too much and ask for what you need from someone who is able to give that to you. You have a right to ask.
Does something need to change? Sometimes, however much we are looking after our own mental health, external factors can cause problems. Whether it’s bereavement, a difficult work situation or a printer that’s jammed. What, if anything, can you do to help yourself with this situation? Who else can help you? Sometimes whatever we do internally, external action is needed.
Karuna –compassion. Many of us have an internal critic who has a special talent in telling us what we do isn’t good enough or needs to be different. Notice how you are feeling when you listen to this critic. There is a yogic concept called Karuna, meaning compassion, which is echoed in different forms of counselling. Developing an internal compassionate voice can be a welcome alternative to our critic. What can you say to yourself today to be more compassionate to yourself?
Try a different perspective – sometimes we can keep things in our heads and see the world a certain way, which can keep our thoughts trapped in a certain space. If something is stuck in your head, try seeking out a different perspective. Talk to someone you wouldn’t normally speak to about it. Or write about it and see how things look then. Try looking out of a window when you think about it. Sometimes looking at the world in a different way helps us feel better.

So what works for you? Share your ideas in the comments below, and like Office Om on Facebook (www.facebook.com/officeom) or follow @OfficeOm on Twitter for more inspiration in the future.

Cathy Bailey

I'm a qualified counsellor and yoga teacher who's founded Office Om, to help people decrease their stress and increase their wellbeing, using a mixture of mindfulness, office yoga and wellbeing. I love helping people by teaching simple strategies to help them feel great.

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Movement, Mindset and Mindfulness

Things we wish we'd known before going to our first yoga class

New Year, New You?

10 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health

Cathy Bailey

Cathy Bailey

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Movement, Mindset and Mindfulness

Things we wish we'd known before going to our first yoga class

New Year, New You?​

10 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health

Cathy Bailey

Cathy Bailey

Archives

Categories

more info

Search

Get social

New Year, New You?