Wow that was the week that was!!

Talk about false starts, with holidays, illness, and having to change plans… We believe that next week will be good to go and all face-to-face classes will be back up and running — everything is crossed!

January is always a tricky little month isn’t it, basically we have gone through the sometimes frenzied December building up to the holiday period. We then get through Christmas, having visitors or visiting, sometimes it can be busy fulfilling all our roles with friends and families. Then before we know it we are starting a new year, and we are thrown back into routines. The days still feel short, not much daylight, lots of clouds with the odd splash of blue sky and sunshine, and it's not a brilliant time for a lot of people. There is also lots of illness about, and because our adrenal systems are running low, we are more susceptible to picking up viruses and becoming ill. So it's a time that we need to really take care of ourselves, and I will be talking more about this in Your Whole Self below.
 

Double leg stretch is this week’s exercise. 

The preparation for this exercise is all about the mobility of the shoulders and arms — which is confusing when we call it a double leg stretch. 

The progression starts to use the legs. The stability is the challenge, using our core and also the upper back. I demonstrate different levels, so choose the appropriate level for your body, work with challenge not struggle, and keep away from pain. 

If you have any questions about this or any other Exercise Of The Week please just drop me a message.

Picking up where I started above, January should be a time to take care of ourselves. 

One of the JTP family — Jan — told me this week that she attends a retreat in January for two weeks. This retreat has always been mostly silent, which gives time for peace and quiet, and time for self. Although she hasn’t been able to attend the retreat for a while, instead she holds a retreat for herself at home. 

This really got me thinking about my personal behaviour and beliefs at this time of year. I recognised how throughout December I had reached a point of ‘burn out’ and almost like a light switch after my last class on 23 December, I began to feel ill. How many of you experience something similar to this, then push through Christmas, New Year, and find yourself climbing back on the bike of work or routine in January, still not feeling rested or repaired. 

The thought of a home retreat sounded good to me, and when I went out for a walk a couple of days later, I really started to think about what I felt I needed to help me move through January. 

This may resonate with some of you, so here are 6 things that could help you ‘retreat’ in January and get ready to be up and running on a full tank by February.

1. Look at your diary and your commitments over the next couple of weeks. These could be work, appointments, meet ups, visits, trips. Cancel or move things around so that you make space and time to do nothing, not go anywhere, just be at home with your own company, reading a book or doing something which brings you joy — but doesn’t require lots of planning or lots of effort, or other people.
2. Maybe this would be a good time to practise meditation. There are lots of helpful apps available such as Headspace, Calm, or Happy Place — all of them offer a free trial. Make time for you and treat yourself to 10 minutes purely for meditation practice to switch off the brain and focus on breath and recharging.
3. Recommended by Jan, feed yourself with some wholesome foods, lots of soups, starchy carbs not so much on the salad.
4. Stay warm and cozy — lots of comfy clothes, soft jumpers, soft socks, and use your hot water bottle more often not just when you head to bed.
5. Take some fresh air every day, walk if you want to, or make time to get outside and breathe in the air, and soak up the daylight when it's available.
6. Finally, if you find yourself sitting and resting or relaxing, check that you aren’t holding onto tension — hands, jaw, shoulders, stomach are key areas for this. We think we are relaxed, but maybe we aren’t. Check it, and let it go.

I want to thank Jan for sharing a little of her January ‘retreat’ journey, it really made me stop and think and look at what I could do differently.

Have a good week folks, and I will see you in class.

With love

Jane x