Listening to My Body

How often do you actually stop and listen to what your body is trying to tell you? This has always been a struggle for me - knowing when to slow down and when to relax. I feel like I need to be doing something at all times, and as a result my sleep is impacted. 

I started consistently practicing yoga at the beginning of 2017 and recently hit my 100th time on the mat! I wasn't necessarily trying to make it to 100 or any certain number, but had also made it a practice to keep record of each session on my wall calendar. And it just happened to be 100. I am immensely proud of myself for accomplishing this and making yoga an almost daily habit in my life. Through practicing yoga, I have been more in tune with my body and with setting a daily intention. Setting a daily intention allows me to stay centered throughout my day. 

But even with mindfulness through yoga, I still have a hard time giving myself what it needs...rest. I am one of those Early-Morning-Rising-Night-Owls...aka I go to bed late, and get up early (probably some hidden "fear of missing out" around that, but that's another story). It's become a pattern in my life, and lately it's been getting more and more difficult to manage. My body is telling me...REST! 

I left for Scotland early Saturday morning. I only got 3.5 hours of sleep the night before, traveled for 13.5 hours and then only had a 5.5 hour flight to Glasgow from JFK. I don't sleep well on planes, so I maybe rested for 3 hours of the flight (not sure if I ever actually fell asleep). After arriving in Glasgow, I then caught a train to Edinburgh. I was running on adrenaline and ready to explore. I still had my luggage with me which is not ideal for exploring and walking cobblestone streets. So I connected with my Airbnb hosts and made my way to our stay for the evening.

View from my window at my lovely Airbnb in Edinburgh

My plan was to drop my bags, eat, and head back to the city. Instead, I gave my body what it needed - rest and relaxation. I drew a hot bath, made a cup of tea, and then took a nice, much needed nap. In the past, I would have been upset with myself for not sucking it up and exploring somewhere I'd never been before. I am here to travel after all. But I didn't do that. I channeled my inner yogi, embraced my afternoon and thanked my body for giving me what it needed. 

I still have a ways to go with bettering time management and getting more sleep - so in the future, I can fully embrace where I am. Do you have any tips for managing your life and "to-do's" while still getting a decent amount of sleep? I would love to hear it and share with others.