For the longest time I struggled to be consistent with Self-care practices, and I don’t think I was unique in this.

Most of use these days are highly driven. We want to make positive contributions to our communities, whether that means the people who depend on us in the workplace, or our families or friends. We want to show up as the best versions of ourselves and deliver in the areas that are important. For me that was sport, but for you it might be career, family, relationships, art, or any number of things that matter to you.

The problem is that sometimes the very things that make us perform in those areas – our ambition, our work-ethic, our commitments to those we love and respect – can also backfire and mean that we put our Self-care practices last on the list.

For me in sports, this looked like training through injuries, choosing more skills sessions instead of the strength or recovery sessions I needed, and neglecting relationships in order to prioritise training and competition.

For you, maybe you skip that gym session when work calls, or maybe you choose to spend time with your family instead of meditating when you really need it.

Before you know it though, skipping Self-care starts to mean that it gets harder and harder to show up as your favourite version of your Self. Perhaps you’re getting tired, uninspired, resentful, low on energy. You may be starting to feel uncomfortable in your body or overwhelmed in your mind. All of these things start to take a toll on how effective you are in your career, how patient you are with your family, or how present you can be with your friends.

When I was doing multiple training session per day in MMA, while also running a personal training business and doing my undergraduate degree, one way that I got around this challenge was to sign up for online yoga and meditation classes. Back then, online practice was nowhere near as widely accepted as it is now, and I must admit that I wasn’t sure at the time if my practice was “real”. But being able to select my own classes and stream them on-demand meant that I could care for my body and mind in an effective way without paying exorbitant amounts in studio fees or spending precious time and energy commuting, parking, lining up for classes etc..

But one thing that was definitely missing for me in this situation was a sense of community. The community around me supported me with my ambitions, goals and work-ethic, but it was sometimes difficult to prioritise my Self-care without feeling guilty without a community that was holding space for me and cheering me on in that part of my life.

That’s why I’ve decided to create a community-based yoga and meditation membership.

I don’t want you to feel that you have to be alone in trying to carve out some time to care for your Self. I want you to have a space that you can access where you can share your Self-care goals, struggles and wins with like-minded people in a positive environment. And it’s online because I want it to be accessible for you. I know that you don’t necessarily want to turn into a “yogi” and be getting up at dawn to do two hours of practice a day. I know that your time and energy are precious, and I want your practice to actually give time and energy back to you. When you feel good in your body and mind, and when you know that you have a space to come to for encouragement and support, everything in life gets a tiny bit easier. And as you know, it’s those tiny, 1% improvements over time and across multiple areas of life that make a huge impact in the long run.

If you’re interested in learning more about this community-based membership, make sure that you subscribe to my mailing list. You can also contact me to chat more about it. Email and Instagram are the best ways to get in touch with me.

For now, if you don’t feel like you’ve been taking the best care of your Self, ask yourself what has been getting in the way? And what do you feel would help you to overcome these obstacles?

I would love to hear your answers!

Take great care,

Mae-Lin

email: maelin@yogawithmaelin.com

IG: @yoga_with_maelin