Investing in Yourself – Taking Responsibility for your own Happiness

Written by Louise Hughes (Acupuncturist and Chinese Herbalist)

Recently I have been investing in a regular yoga practise with the lovely Adriene (you can find her on Youtube at ‘Yoga with Adriene’). It has helped me so much to add this to my daily self-care practise as I find yoga helps me to stay centred, grounded and at one with myself. I love to do yoga outside or even on the roof of the boat with candles surrounding me at night. Wherever, whenever, yoga has made a massive positive impact on my life.

One day whilst on the mat, I was struck by a comment Adriene made, that; “we are ultimately responsible for our own happiness”. I was so surprised I had to stop the video. I felt some fear at first at the idea, but that quickly changed to a feeling of empowerment. She was right, we are all responsible for our own happiness and that it is an amazing thing! Too many people rely on others as a source of reassurance, comfort and security. When actually it is so much better to be able to rely on yourself for those things, and so much more healthy.

I think this shows that yoga is so much more than just stretching, maintaining flexibility and strength. It is also about building strength of mind, strength of self and practising self-love. It is about taking time for yourself, being kind to yourself, realising your limitations and celebrating who you are, warts and all!

I encourage my patients on a daily basis to take more time for themselves, to invest in ‘me time’. You’d be surprised how many people don’t do this. To read more about incorporating self-care rituals into your daily life.

So, this week I encourage you to think … How are you investing in yourself? What could you do to invest a little bit more in the things you enjoy? What could you add to your life to maintain a regular practise of self-love and self-care? And what negative influences or habits might you need to remove from your life to make way for new positive habits?

With loving self-care,

P.S. To read my previous post on Self-care Rituals – Cherishing your Body, Mind and Spirit click here. To find out more about complementary therapies, yoga or acupuncture or to book an appointment with Louise phone 01283 516444 (The Natural Healthcare Centre, Burton-on-Trent).

Resources

Natural Healthcare Centre (2016) Yoga.

Self-care Rituals – Cherishing your Body, Mind and Spirit.

Yoga with Adriene. Available here.