How is your growth game?

Nov 4

As you are reading this I am sitting in a yoga studio in Austin, Texas with 40 or so yoga teachers, counselors and students. We are here for a week long advanced training in iRest Yoga Nidra Meditation (short for Integrative Restoration). During this week we will learn more about the history and lineage of iRest, integrate ancient meditation with modern psychology and brain science, and practice a TON! Are you as excited as I am??

Love of Learning is one of my values and Teaching is part of my Heartfelt Mission (iRest talk for life calling or purpose), so training like this fills my cup in a major way and are an integral part to my personal self care!

Speaking of self care, let’s continue the Wellness conversation started in August by highlighting another domain. Personal Growth includes practices that expand your knowledge base, improve communication, organization, and learn new skills.

Practices for Personal Growth:

Explore your personality - Learning about your personality type and motivations can help improve communication and compassion. A few of my favorites are Meyers Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI), Enneagram, and DISC - check the resources below to take the MBTI and read all about your type
Set personal goals - Consider what you would like to accomplish and plot it out. Check the resources for a tool I use every time I set out on a personal or professional goal.
Discover your personal strengths - Learning more about what lights you up in life can be instrumental in wellness and improve both social/romantic relationships as well as career goals. Knowing our personal strengths allows us to move through life with intention on those aspects. Find a link to the Values in Action Inventory (VIA) which is where I discovered “Love of Learning” as a personal value.
Write a letter to your past or future self - Speaking from our current perspective either forward or back in time can be both healing and motivating. Was there something you wish your younger self heard that you know now? Say it! Is there something you want to reflect on later in life, write it out!
Dream - Consider what you want life to look like and feel like in 1 year from now. You can do 1, 3, 5, 10, lifetime goals if that feels right. Then plot out 1 or 2 goals and the steps you are willing to take to get you there each week.
Learn something new - a language, instrument, recipe, historical fact, card trick, anything! Our brains are designed for stimulation and will create novel problems to sort when it gets ‘bored.’ Why not find something interesting to engage it with!
Create a morning and/or evening routine - Some of us are morning people and some aren't! Consider what would make your morning or evening more relaxing and start there! I lay out my outfit and set up my coffee station each night so that I don’t have to dedicate any mental effort to those parts of my morning.
Gratitude journal - This can be as simple or thorough as you would like. Take time to reflect on areas of life where you can really feel gratitude in your body and marinate on those sensations. You can write it out or speak it. The more we connect to pleasant memories, the more we are likely to see and feel them naturally in the moment.
Create boundaries around social media and TV time - Surveys indicate that the average person spends 27-25 hours watching TV and almost 18 hours on social media each week. If you sleep 8 hours /night and fall into the average for TV and social media viewing, then that accounts for 56% of your waking hours each week! Start by setting a timer or going on social media with a specific intention and leaving when that is complete.