{"id":2718,"date":"2012-02-23T12:01:53","date_gmt":"2012-02-23T17:01:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/?p=2718"},"modified":"2012-02-09T09:58:24","modified_gmt":"2012-02-09T14:58:24","slug":"yoga-lessons-for-everyday-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2012\/02\/yoga-lessons-for-everyday-life.html","title":{"rendered":"Yoga Lessons for Everyday Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I\u2019m delighted to have Diana Fletcher<\/strong><\/a>, a Certified Life coach, speaker and stress reducing expert as my guest today. Diana is the author of several books, including Happy on Purpose Daily Messages of Empowerment and publishes a bi-monthly ezine entitled Stress Reducing Strategies. Here\u2019s what she says about living life using lessons from yoga<\/p>\n

7 Ways to use Yoga Instruction in Our Everyday Lives<\/strong>
\nby Diana Fletcher<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

I was happily listening to my yoga teacher\u2019s calm voice today as she gently instructed and led us through our class, and I had an insight. I could use her directions to live my life in a much calmer way! I started listening more closely as I moved through my asanas, which felt so good after not having done yoga in a few months.<\/p>\n

These were wonderful directions to help live in a stress-free way. I would like to share my thoughts and give you ideas how you can live your life in a \u201cyoga\u201d way!<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0 Breathe.<\/strong> My instructor asked us to focus on our breathing. How often have I suggested to my clients and friends to stop and take a breath to relieve stress? Stop and make sure you breathe deeply into your lungs. Fill your lungs with the much-needed oxygen and fill your body with this life giving force.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0 Don\u2019t hunch up your shoulders.<\/strong> The way my teacher put it today, was \u201cdon\u2019t wear your shoulders as earrings.\u201d\u00a0 How often have we tensed and stayed tensed until our neck, back and shoulders ache?<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0 Listen to your body.<\/strong> In yoga, your body will tell you if it can hold a pose and whether you can challenge it at that time. My instructor tells us to rest in child\u2019s pose if we need to. Throughout our own days, we need to listen to our own bodies. If you are tired, you need to hear your body tell you to rest. You need to learn to listen to hear whether you are truly hungry or thirsty. \u00a0Your body will tell you what it needs.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0 Don\u2019t judge yourself by the other people in the class.<\/strong> Challenge yourself to live the best life you can, for you. Yoga is not a competition. Life doesn\u2019t need to be competitive. There is plenty for all of us and we all need to move and do things in our own way\u2014a way that brings us fulfillment and happiness.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0\u00a0 Each pose has a counter pose.<\/strong> When you work your body with backbends, you balance this out with a forword bend. Here it is\u2014the harmony we want in our lives. The balance between work and play, rest and activity, studying and experiencing.<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0\u00a0 Stretch.<\/strong> Feel your body extend itself. Do stretches throughout the day to loosen your muscles and keep your body flexible. Let\u2019s also stretch the mind toward learning and new ideas.<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0\u00a0 Try to do the balance poses, but realize that on some days we will not be as balanced as on other days.<\/strong> Sometimes, we can balance on one side better than on the other side. What if you cut yourself some slack on the days you didn\u2019t feel \u201cbalanced\u201d and realize that you may have to take it slower or easier??\u00a0??Let\u2019s use these ideas in our daily life and see if we can be a little calmer, a little gentler, and a little less stressed at the end of our \u201cyoga day.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are lots of good resources on Diana Fletcher\u2019s site<\/strong><\/a>. Check them out!
\n***************<\/p>\n

Take the 31 Days of Self-Love Challenge<\/strong><\/a> and get my book, How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways<\/a><\/strong> for free at http:\/\/howdoiloveme.com<\/a><\/strong>. And you can post your loving acts HERE<\/a><\/strong> to reinforce your intention to love yourself. Read my 31 Days of Self-Love Posts HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Please leave comments under my posts so we can stay connected.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m delighted to have Diana Fletcher, a Certified Life coach, speaker and stress reducing expert as my guest today. Diana is the author of several books, including Happy on Purpose Daily Messages of Empowerment and publishes a bi-monthly ezine entitled Stress Reducing Strategies. Here\u2019s what she says about living life using lessons from yoga 7…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,2,15],"tags":[260,288,287],"class_list":["post-2718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-positive-mental-attitude","category-self-empowerment-confidence","category-self-love-acceptance","tag-diana-fletcher","tag-life-lessons","tag-yoga"],"yoast_head":"\nYoga Lessons for Everyday Life - Lessons from a Recovering Doormat<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2012\/02\/yoga-lessons-for-everyday-life.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Yoga Lessons for Everyday Life - Lessons from a Recovering Doormat\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I\u2019m delighted to have Diana Fletcher, a Certified Life coach, speaker and stress reducing expert as my guest today. 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Daylle's books have been translated into over 10 languages and are popular around the world. She speaks for colleges, organizations and corporations. Through her company, Project Self-Empowerment, Daylle creates programs and materials to help people empower themselves. One goal is to raise the money to self-publish her book, How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways and give it away for free in colleges and through organizations, to give thanks for all her blessings. 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