Self-love: Climbing and Yoga
As we welcome February, we see the stores full of candy hearts, little trinkets, Valentine’s decorations, and… you guessed it, more hearts.
Hearts = Love <3
This time of the year is often focused on couples, but really the love we should be focusing on is self-love. Climbing and yoga are a form of self-love and help build up our self-love. Whether you are coupled up or not.
Climbing fosters self-love by building confidence. Climbing teaches us how to become resilient, getting up when we fall, overcoming challenges, and appreciating our bodies for how they take up a route or problem.
Now maybe some of us struggle with our relationship with climbing. I know I do at times. Some days I climb I get chewed up and spit out, and on those days it can feel really hard to pick myself back up and try again and again and again. This summer is when my relationship with climbing improved. I was climbing outdoors multiple times a week, I had a better work/life balance, and I was practicing yoga almost every single day. Those three things allowed me to focus on climbing and build confidence in my skills. Now that winter has arrived and I am back in Arizona, I have found it more difficult to have a work/life balance. I go climbing maybe once a week, and I do not have a daily yoga practice. My 4-day work week has long 12-hour days where I am so exhausted that often on my off days I am still recovering from my physical job. The winter season is making it hard for me to love climbing and see the benefits I get from climbing.
Climbing is one of those sports where the more you put into it, the more you get out of it.
Same as yoga.
Yoga has been in my life significantly longer than climbing has, so I notice the benefits more.
For over 10 years, I have been practicing yoga. I have learned not to compare myself to others on the mat, acknowledge how awesome my body is that it can do arm balances and all sorts of funky poses, and I have learned how to truly tune into myself and check in with how my body is feeling. Practicing yoga is a great form of honoring yourself and a way to show self-love.
Movement is a form of self-love. Which is what we are talking about when it comes to climbing and yoga. Of course, the self-love is deeper than that with all climbing and yoga can teach us about self.
During this season of love, if you are struggling with your climbing or yoga relationship, feel free to reach out to me. I understand the struggle, and I am always happy to offer support.
There are so many other forms of self-love if movement is a challenging relationship for you. Although you should always continue to move your body and release those endorphins, there are other ways you can show yourself some love.
Other ways to practice loving yourself look like:
Journaling
Meditation
Nourish your body
Participating in hobbies other than climbing and yoga
Take yourself on a date: coffee, museum, etc.
So, what ways will you love yourself this month?
If you do have a rocky relationship with climbing (no pun intended) and yoga, I encourage you to take some time to write a letter to yourself and what you want your relationship to be. Journaling on these topics is something that I will do from time to time when I am struggling to connect to myself in these movement practices.
Just maybe this month you take yourself to try something new. Go to a class. Learn a new skill. Make a new friend. Caring for ourselves is important. We cannot pour from an empty glass.
“Love yourself first, and everything else falls into line.” - Lucille Ball
