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Spending time on our mats and exploring the world of yoga often leads to a change in our lifestyle choices. Yoga was always meant to be a lifestyle and was created for this purpose. However, in the west, it's common to see yoga reduced to a physical practice only. So what is a yogic lifestyle?
When we limit our practice of yoga to physical asanas (or yoga poses), we’re missing out on the huge benefits that yoga can offer us in every area of our lives.
Each time you step onto your mat you’re connecting with the unlimited potential of yoga. But don’t let it stop there! Yoga, as a lifestyle, can be used even more effectively off the mat. If you want to start seeing some serious shifts in your life and your mindset, we suggest doing exactly that through the practices that we’re going to discuss in this post.
In this post, we’re going to talk about what a yogic lifestyle is as well as how you can start adopting yoga into every area of your life.
What is a yogic lifestyle?
Living a yogic lifestyle will look different for everybody. Whilst one person may choose to sit in meditation every morning at sunrise, another may prefer to delve into the world of Ayurveda and discover the foods that are best suited to them. However, the basis of living a yoga lifestyle is the same - to reach sattva.
Sattva is a Sanskrit term translated as ‘inner peace’ and meaning balance, purity, and harmony. It is something that we can achieve by learning about the philosophy of yoga and embracing its teachings into every area of our lives.
A yogic lifestyle is an ongoing practice and learning curve that helps us connect with our highest self. It’s from this connection that we’re able to act compassionately, feel calm, and understand our soul’s purpose. When we are in tune with our highest self, life is simply a happier place to be!
How to live a yogic lifestyle
Here are six simple things that you can start doing today to begin living a yogic lifestyle.
You’ll never enjoy yoga if you continue going to that sweaty, fast-paced vinyasa class that leaves you feeling more uptight than when you started! The same goes for slower styles of yoga that simply don’t feel right in your body.
Taking the time to try out different styles of yoga will make all the difference to your practice.
Meditation gives us some all-important headspace to stop worrying and feeling stressed. When we sit in silence and bring attention to our breath, we’re inviting a feeling of peace and clarity. The more we practice, the more we will be able to carry these feelings with us throughout the day.
Ensure that you’re getting at least 8 hours of quality sleep every night so that you wake up feeling refreshed, energized, and ready to make great choices every day.
Some yogis time their sleep with the sunrise so that they can practice yoga and meditate first thing in the morning - thought to be the very best time to practice.
Generally, a yogic lifestyle will be vegan or vegetarian, but you don’t have to give up animal products if you don’t want to. Instead, try cutting down on animal products and eat healthy grains, fruits, and vegetables that are organic and grown locally where possible.
It’s thought that every emotion in the world can be assigned as either fear or love. Though it can take a little practice, try leading with love when things get stressful or somebody upsets you. Taking a moment to breathe and thinking before you respond to something is a great place to start.
Your breath is your most important asset! And the best part? It’s free and readily available whenever we need it. Try taking a few deep belly breaths (inhaling to expand the belly) throughout the day as a way of recentering and feeling calm.
You might like to set an hourly reminder on your phone to breathe!
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If you’re looking to start living a more yogic lifestyle, start small. It’s not necessary to change your entire life at once and it might feel overwhelming to incorporate each of these practices immediately. Instead, pick one, get used to how it feels, and let it become a part of your routine before making room for the practice - and so on, and so on!
Why not take your practice onto one of our energetically cleansed yoga mats printed with all the words you’ll ever need to carry with you in your new yogic lifestyle?
Which practices will you start inviting into your life this week?