Interior Check-ins Three Times a Day

By Jessica Von Borstel, Vinyasa Yoga Instructor

From the minute that alarm goes off, your energy flows outward as you bathe, get dressed and have breakfast.
 
You almost never take time to look inside, to see how you’re doing and what you’re feeling. It means there’s even more reason to spend a few minutes every day to focus your attention and energies, on you.
 
As a bartender, you spend most of your time taking care of others. It’s the job. But if you never stop hustling, all the energy will flow outward, to others, and will leave you more exhausted than ever.
 

ACHIEVING THE BALANCE 

“As a bartender, you spend most of your time taking care of others. It’s the job. But if you never stop hustling, all the energy will flow outward…”

Before Work

Do something different at start-of-day.
 
Number-one, open your eyes. But before you get sucked into your phone, sit down and breathe. Give yourself five minutes to spend time with you, always listening to your own breathing. Let thoughts float free, like so many clouds. Watch them fly over, and away, one by one. You’re not tied to them.
 

At Work

Give this trick a whirl anytime during your shift, especially when your feet get tired.
 
Spread your feet out. Look at how they’re resting on the floor. Feel all four corners of each foot, rooted onto the earth. Split your weight onto both feet.
 
To make sure the base of your posture remains active, wiggle your toes and look for those four corners; make sure your toes feel pegged to the ground, too. Now activate your leg muscles. Take long, deep breaths and feel the connection to your inside being.
 
Then stretch your back. Extend both sides of your torso and awaken your back muscles by raising your hands to the sky. Breathe deeply to stretch the entire body, all from the base where you’re standing. When you exhale, slowly lower your arms and bring the muscle activation to its natural resting position.
 
Recite a personal mantra—one that reminds you to re-connect with the interior as well as your breathing. “Om…” is the classic, but for a reason—it connects you right to the heart.

 
After Work

You’ve got to have that closure
 
It means breathing, meditation, reciting your mantra. Give thanks for another day; accept both the high-points and the troughs. Give thanks to your body, and your mind, for always being there when you need them.
 
RECOMMENDED:
HeadSpace
https://www.headspace.com/
MindBody
https://www.mindbodyonline.com/
Insight Timer
https://insighttimer.com/
Yoga Glo online yoga and meditation 
https://www.yogaglo.com/