So, with these things in mind, I set myself three rules for my Instagram month of #yogaeverydamnday:
- Honesty – It’s so easy to only want to post the good things on social media, however, I decided if I was going to do this, I wanted people to take the good, the bad and the ugly. A true representation of how my month has been.
- No comparing – Another big rule for me was that I would put my post out there and then I would leave it be; no comparing it against other people’s days and consequently wishing I could be more flexible or have cuter yoga pants.
- Hours to turn off and tune in – I wanted to make sure this wasn’t going to take over my life, that it wouldn’t compromise my actual social interactions and that I didn’t spend my down time picking up my phone every 5 minutes. So, I’ve made a point of setting hours to turn off the WiFi on my phone and instead tune in to my body, or to the interaction I’m having with the person sat in front of me.
#yogaeverydamnday and the daily act of posting on Instagram gives me a weird feeling of responsibility. In a strange way, I feel like all the millions of people that use Instagram will somehow notice if little old me has not completed a day, and that I will be held accountable. Of course, this isn’t true, but the point is it is helping me to discipline myself to practice every day.
Posts have included cultivating compassion, themes of self-care, creating a light-heartedness using arm balances, and inversion practice to approach things with a new perspective. My practices can range from a few minutes to a full 90-minute practice, but I show up every damn day.
Having been more disciplined in incorporating the yogic lifestyle for the last 21 days, by default I have been cultivating more moment-to-moment awareness. This in turn has meant that when stressful situations have arisen I have been more likely to act from a more centered and grounded place, rather than react automatically from my ‘fight or flight’ mode. I feel I am more accepting of the daily emotions and thought patterns that pass by, and have a better understanding of myself.
The union between this ancient holistic practice and social media seemed to me an unlikely match, however, it has turned out to be a great way to encourage disciplined healthy habits into my lifestyle.
