Parenthood is often associated with caring for and nurturing children, but what if I told you that there’s another kind of parenting that deserves equal attention?
Welcome to the concept of parenting yourself!
As adults, we assume that we’ve outgrown the need for parenting, but the truth is that we all have an inner child that requires guidance, support, and compassion.
Parenting yourself means assuming responsibility for your own well-being, growth, and development. It involves nurturing and caring for yourself in the same way a loving parent would care for a child.
However this is a concept you might have never thought about before, but if you start to embrace the thought of parenting yourself and implement it in your life it will make a huge impact on both your personal development and overall physical health.
Imagine it’s time for your child’s football practice and he/she says ”I feel tired”. What is your response?
Most likely you will make sure there’s nothing wrong with the child, and then you will say ”Being tired isn’t a good enough reason to skip practice, it will actually give you MORE energy to move your body, so off you go! Put your clothes on and go to practice”
However when this happens to yourself, that you plan to workout, and you take a little time to FEEL into how you are FEELING, and you notice you feel a bit tired, it’s actually so easy to fall into the trap and say to yourself: ”I’m SO tired, it’s been a long day at work, I’m just going to lay on the couch instead, I deserve that”
This is when you need to call in your inner parent who will check if there is anything wrong with you, and if it isn’t, your inner parent is going to say ”Being tired isn’t a good enough reason to skip practice, it will actually give you MORE energy to move your body, so off you go! Put your clothes on and go to practice” or to make it super short, like Nike put it ”Just do it”
Your inner parent should remind you about how amazing it feels afterward, that you’re not just doing this for your own well-being, but for all the people around you, for being able to live a long, active and happy life and get old with grace.
But this takes practice, if you’re new to parenting yourself, it might feel hard, but most of the time, even if you’ve had a hard day at work, and feel exhausted, the absolute best thing you can do both for your physical body, your energy levels and your mood, is to move your body.
Choose something that feels appropriate, maybe you are upset, and it might feel great to really sweat it out with running hill intervals or a strong vinyasa class, or maybe you feel exhausted from your bones and out, and you need a soft yoga flow or a walk.
You don’t need to be super hard on yourself or punish yourself. You just need to be nudged in the right direction – by yourself!
There are ways to assist your inner parent in its job, and that’s the base of the Yoga Lioness Membership.
Our members use the three pillars Consistency, Community, and Joy to get off the couch and do yoga three times a week, with amazing results.
Consistency – there’s always a schedule to follow, no need to dwell on what to do, it’s already there.
Community– when you become official in a group about how many times you plan to workout, you need to hold yourself accountable
Joy – the classes are all unique, they all have a sprinkle of something unexpected and they are all joyful!
These are some words from Sofia:
”I really must say Emilie that your shorter flows are the perfect mix of getting the pulse up and letting the mind slow down after a hectic day at work. 20 minutes is about what I manage to squeeze in when I’m tired. Perfect bliss!”
And from Joana
”Yoga has actually become a part of my life that I no longer want to miss. I gained strength, flexibility and – most of all – joy. I am impressed, how 20 minutes a day is really make a difference!”
The most important thing is that you bring out your inner parent and let it help you toward a more healthy and happy life!
We all need that firm hand to guide us, and as adults, that firm hand is your own.
You’ve got this!
/Emilie
