Self Care Creates Space

I talk, teach and write about self care because I have struggled with it and I see your struggle too. Self care, actually the lack of self care, is what brought me to Kundalini Yoga when I felt like my life was falling apart. All my life I found myself with opportunities to serve and take care of others - I was the oldest child, raised Catholic, with a parent who was an alcoholic, and as an adult, I became a Social Worker. Helping and taking care of others fulfilled my need to matter, and taught me to be selfless, but at a price. While I found and created  opportunities to serve others in my life, I rarely even considered myself. 

This is not uncommon. If you are good at taking care of others, if you enjoy being of service, if you identify as being a helper - it is likely that you find yourself struggling to care for yourself, to know what you want, to attend to your own needs, to make time for yourself. But you can. My teacher told me years ago, if you want to continue on this path, you have to find a way to take care of yourself.

So I say to you, if you want to continue on this path, you have to find a way to take care of yourself. 

Allow that to cut through your inner resistance, negotiations and reasons why you will start once school ends, in June or tomorrow. Don't wait for crisis to be the catalyst for you to make a change. Just make a decision to start now. 

It can be very simple:

• Tune into yourself and ask yourself, "What do I need or want?." Then ask for it. 
• Say no to the things you don't want to do. 
• Ask for help.
• Take breaks or step away, even when you feel like you don't have time.
• Engage in enjoyable, self soothing activities.

The bottom line is: self care creates space for you to have more energy & passion, knowledge, love & trust for yourself so that you can be that force that you dream to be.