21 minutes for 21 days – Start Small
At the beginning of each year, or maybe each month or start of the week we promise ourselves that we will take more care of our body, of our soul and mind and we will take time for ourselves.
But in the hectic lives of the 21st century it is often very hard to find that daily time where we sit just with ourselves, enjoy that nice cup of coffee or just focus on what we feel. Sometimes it is the highly demanding jobs or raising our children and joggling through house chores that makes us forget that we deserve those moments.
2020 was surely a year where we had to adapt our personal lives to the new global situation. Often we felt overwhelmed by Zoom calls and video conferences, or having to help our children with online work while doing our paid jobs and on top of all sometimes we were not even able to go out for a walk or to meet our family and friends.
All of it added stress and anxiety to our already fast paced lives.
My personal experience was no exception. I have found myself having to stop travel after a very stressful 5 years of weekly flights. At first it was a blessing, but adapting to the new life was not easy and it implied even more work in front of the computer, to which the added stress of not being able to see my friends and family for extended periods of time. All in all, what I initially thought it will bring me more time for myself to do the things I like, it brought long working hours, stress and anxiety.
What helped me cope with all was having a short morning routine to set the tone at the beginning of each day.
The 21 minutes in 21 days program is meant to help you start a healthy routine in 2021 by moving the body in a minimalist way while decreasing stress and improving your mood.
It is designed for highly stressed people (aren’t we all?! 😊 ) who often don’t find the time to go to the gym, go for a run or exercise at least 1h for five days a week as recommended.
So if you still want to start a routine with gentle body moves and breathing exercised that calm the mind this program is for you.
If you do have the time to exercise, you can still do the practice after your usual workouts, or in those days when you don’t have time to do a full workout, but you still feel the need of moving the body a tiny bit.
It will untense and elongate the muscles while calming the mind.
Why practice?
Start your day with a calm and peaceful mind
Diminish the stress gathered throughout the day
A routine to practice everyday
Enhance the breathing capacity of the lungs
Relieve tension from your muscle and joints
…or just a reason to take a break and do something for yourself
When to practice?
The practice should be done ideally in the morning, but it can be done anytime throughout the day.
Try to avoid practicing too late in the evening as some of the breathing techniques (Kapalabhati) has an energizing effect. Hence, I wouldn’t recommend practicing after 8 pm, but it depends on individual sleeping patterns. If you usually go to bed very late at night and you would like to keep this habit, you can practice even after the suggested time.
If you choose to practice throughout the day, make sure you do so on an empty stomach. A rule of thumb is to calculate at least 2h- 3h if you had a heavy meal and at least 1h – 2h if you have a light meal. The practice puts slight pressure on the stomach and the outcome won’t be very pleasant if you have recently eaten.
How to practice?
The practice is divided into two main parts, one working the physical body and the other working with the mind and thoughts:
Preparation (body)
Breathing (mind)
The practice is free of charge.
All you have to do is to enter you email address and I will send you the details on email.
