I’ve had a pretty crazy few weeks — playing catch up after a WiFi blackout, working on my new website and challenging myself to write an e-book in 30 days. Yikes.
This morning I found myself glancing longingly at my yoga mat before breakfast. It’s been way too long. Somehow, despite knowing how amazing it will make me feel, I seem to let time on the mat slide in favour of other activities. Sometimes the surf is looking super fun and I can’t help but race over to the beach instead. Or my to-do list is growing and I’m psyched to start crossing things off. Whatever my excuse is, the reality is that I should always make time for yoga. Because it makes everything better.
So, back to 6.30am this morning, when I finally decide to unroll my mat.
45 minutes later and I’m sitting cross-legged, feeling totally blissed out and wondering why the hell it’s been so long since I practiced. It’s so easy to put yoga in the same category as working out. And I guess that’s why I can end up skipping it because if I’m doing heaps of other exercises, I let myself off the hook (I know, it makes no sense — the more I surf, the more yoga I should be doing!).
Anyhow, this morning, as I sat down at my desk to start working, I realised that I need to re-prioritise my yoga practice. It’s way too important to miss. Here’s why:
My time on the mat leaves me feeling grounded and calm. And that’s the perfect way to start a day. I find that when I sit down at my desk with that mindset (as opposed to the just-woke-up-yikes-look-at-that-to-do-list mindset), I’m super clear on what I need to be working on and I seem to be heaps more productive and methodical in everything I do.
It also helps me make smarter decisions. I’m much more aware of how I feel and there seems to be much more room in my head to see things clearly.
But most importantly, practising yoga helps me feel more connected to ME. I feel like even a short time on the mat leaves me feeling super in tune with myself. If life has been pretty hectic, it gives me a sense of relief, like ‘oh, there you are Linz’.
And that connection, that feeling of being totally true to who you are, is at the centre of building an authentic business.