Guest post by Kailey Beddoe
Kailey is the co founder of Junction 9 Yoga Pilates and a certified Pilates instructor. A lover of movement, people and deep connection. Kailey believes in goodness, growth and the power of people. Everything is better in community. A Momma to two beautiful little humans, her reason to be better and do better everyday. Kailey is held up by her husband Ethan, business partner Jilaine, family and Junction 9 team. She believes we go further, faster together.
Junction 9 was born out of a desire to create a studio space that focused on an inclusive community. On different people coming together with common goals, to connect, share and move together.
Self care. We all know how important self care is. We know, when we take the time to direct our focus inwards, to carve out some time for ourselves, we not only feel better, but we are more balanced, and in turn better able to better handle the challenges life throws our way.
When we take time to prioritize ourselves, we can better serve those in our lives we are here for. Our friends, our family, our community.
As a mom of two young kids, I know for myself, taking the time I need means I show up better, stronger, more joyfully, for them, my littlest loves. We have all heard it, in order to love and be there for others, we must first love and be there for ourselves. This is the foundation of why selfcare is so important. But let’s be honest, it is not always easy.
I think it is safe to say, life has thrown us something we were not prepared for. We have never in this lifetime navigated the waters of a global pandemic. We have never been asked to social distance, to homeschool ours kids and work from home – at the same time. So how does self care look now? This time in our lives will prove to be a great teacher. What can we learn about caring for ourselves now, that we can take with us into the future? In whatever our new normal becomes.
What if self-care started with self-compassion? Take a second to consider all that you are navigating right now. The simplest way to practice selfcare now, and always, is to be kind to yourself. Give yourself a break. Your days are structured differently now. Your regular routine may be hugely different, your roles at home and at work may have shifted, and with all this change we can choose to lean into the change, the challenge or resist and fight. What if you lean in? Lean in with compassion for yourself, cut yourself some slack and settle into kindness. Big or small, this is all new. And you are doing the best you can with what you have. So, be kind. You deserve kindness. Always, but today more than ever.
Breathe. Take the time to breathe. Maybe its two minutes in the middle of the day, in a quiet place at home during your working from home, home schooling day. Carve out those few minutes to connect with your breath. YOUR breath is always there for YOU. Focusing on your inhale and exhale. The movement of your ribs; open and close. The softness in your belly, the dropping of your shoulders. Breathe in the space of kindness and gratitude for yourself, your body, your health. Breathe self care, self compassion, self gratitude.
Your breathe may be slow and steady. Your body still, your mind still. Your love for yourself big, your heart open. Or your breath may be fierce, strong, and energising. Your breath connected with movement shifts energy, clears space and generates heat. A movement practice pushes us to new spaces, new limits. What better time to shift, to grow and expand to new heights? Hit the pavement for a run, roll out your mat for a yoga practice, generate heat in your core with a Pilates class or play soccer with your kids. Move. Simply move. There is no right or wrong way. You have done it before, maybe in a gym or a studio setting, with a group or a friend. Now, under your own steam and motivation, create the space for yourself to move. There is a sea of online content to support you in creating a home movement practice. Listen to what your body craves and support that. Support you!
A home practice can be harder to start, to maintain, to follow through with. Without the motivation of a teacher, a group, or the trip to get to the gym in the first place, sticking with it can be hard. Again, be kind and gentle to yourself. Your home practice may not be as long as your studio practice. You have kids climbing on you, a stove boiling over, work emails dinging. The important thing is that you made it to your mat. Start there with kindness. And when the work gets hard, when the burn starts, your heart pounds and your breath gets short, push through. Don’t just push through because you have to. Push through because you CAN. In the moment of the burn, the sensation you want to pull away from, lean in a little deeper and remember, you feel this burn in your legs because you have legs to move you. You feel the burn in your lung because you have breath, you have life. This sensation will pass, and you are here, in this moment with your strength and your health, so lean in, push through.
The time we are all in now is filled with space. Space between people, spaces in time, where everything seems to be moving a little slower. In many ways, we all have more time now than we ever have. More time with our family, kids, partner or roommates. Schedules are flexible, the calendar bookings are sparse. In the space that has opened up, there is room for growth, for creativity, for new learnings. Maybe, in this new space we can find the love for ourselves that may have been lacking. Find the time for ourselves that may have felt impossible. In turning inwards with our love for ourselves, to find wellness, kindness and gratitude in this body, we can better extend that to others, so that we can all, BE WELL TOGETHER.
Online yoga, Pilates & meditation classes to support your self-care & home movement practice.
