No one's perfect. Even if you preach self-love, are a breeding ground for confidence, and believe in your foreseeable and unforeseeable future, there will still be times in your life when you falter (we've heard public figures like Iskra Lawrence and Vanessa Hudgens [1] admit this openly). I, for one, know that I'll have days where I'm frustrated with myself or, often, hard on myself for things I can't change. To help with that, I've incorporated yoga into my nighttime routine — and believe it or not, my go-to YouTube channel, Yoga With Adriene [2], has an amazing 10-minute flow devoted entirely to self-care.
This flow is perfect for when I've had a long day and might not have a ton of time to spare but want to unwind and reflect. Adriene Mishler walks you through a series of stretches, one of which is a not-so-subtle metaphor for loving yourself: an upper-back stretch that requires you to literally hug yourself. I love it. She incorporates Child's Pose [3] and, my favourite part, segments where you massage your neck, feet, and glutes.
It's relaxing, low-impact, and just what I need to pause and think about what I'm doing for myself. That neck and foot rub feels wonderfully good, which is an added bonus if I'm sore from a workout. The flow also helps me get in tune with my breath and take these 10 minutes to practice deep breathing. "Inhale lots of love in, exhale lots of love out," Adriene instructs — and it gets me every time. If you like following along to this yoga video for self-care, you should check out these stress-relieving yoga videos [4] and Adriene's flows for self-love [5] and self-respect [6]. You deserve it.
