The common thing I hear is this : "You must be so chill since you’re a yoga teacher". I just want to bust out laughing. I do yoga to calm me down. I react quickly and anger is an emotion that I am best friends with. Add to that the world we are living in today and it feels like the term "zen" is this distant family friend twice removed. So what do we do? We are living in times when people are being killed because of the color of their skin, where women are still fighting for equal rights, where people aren't allowed to love who they want to love. We have our own set of personal mountains we are trying to climb on top of our emotional mountains as well. How does one find zen amongst all of this?
Yes, yoga. I would love to just end this entry here. But (my middle school English teacher just yelled at me for starting a sentence off with but) I know that not everyone does yoga on the regular. So if yoga isn't your jam, try these other options instead.
- Scream therapy : just like it sounds. Allow all the emotions that you are feeling to come out in the scream! My personal favorite is hoping into the car, rolling down the windows, and screaming at the top of my lungs.
- Meditation : Apps like "Simple Habit" , "Calm", or "Insight Timer" are great options for guided meditations.
- Take a walk : Nature is healing. Add that with movement and you get the release of endorphins and also the healing powers of being outside.
- Write about it : Pull out pen and paper and write. Go to town. Don't sensor yourself. Don't judge what you are writing. Just write. It is very cathartic to just get it all out. To add to the release, burn the paper afterwards.
