Forget New Year New You ~ 2016 is all about New Year Love You

I am sick and tired of the phrase "New Year New You". It implies that the old You isn't good enough and needs to somehow be replaced. Not only is this damn silly it's also downright impossible. You will never be "New". You are a complex being that has been formed by your experiences and thoughts, you are constantly evolving and developing, each and every part of your body, mind and soul is a beautiful myriad of your life so far, and no matter what you do this can never be made "New". And why would you want to be? Why would you want to erase everything your body, mind and soul has learned and achieved over the years? When you really stop and think about it I'm sure the answer is that no, you wouldn't want to.

And please believe me when I say you do not need to be made "New". You are exactly where you need to be at this exact moment in time and you're doing a wonderful job. Yes, it is more than likely that over the years you've picked up bad habits and have neglected good ones, but this is no reason to believe that you need a "New You". So let me present you with a new phrase that I believe everyone should be using: "New Year Love You".

I believe that one of the main reasons many of us get into bad habits - smoking, eating unhealthily, neglecting to exercise, drinking too much, not sleeping enough - is because we don't have enough self-love to truly believe that we deserve looking after. Please don't misunderstand me when I say this - no, I don't believe that just because you smoke you don't love yourself, or just because you get drunk every Friday night you don't think you're worth it - but what I do believe is that more often than not we develop these habits out of carelessness. We think to ourselves "oh, I only have one crazy night a week, it's a treat to myself after working so hard, it can't hurt". But times that by 52 days a year (plus a few added days for birthdays and the festive season) and you begin to realise that actually, maybe it can hurt. There will be people who drink / smoke / overeat because they don't care enough about themselves, these problems are common and these people definitely need self-love and are most likely aware of that; but those of us who develop bad habits without even realising must also wake up and notice that we must show ourselves more love.

So what does loving yourself look like? In my opinion it is feeding the body nourishing and wholesome foods, drinking plenty of water, sticking to a regular exercise routine, getting enough sleep, allowing yourself time to rest, making time to play, doing your best in your school/work life, not being too hard on yourself, knowing that sometimes it is okay to treat yourself, and laughing on a regular basis. Yes, this list can seem a little long, so here are 8 simple steps I've put together to help you achieve this.

1. Make you own personal mantra and repeat it to yourself on a regular basis. This can be anything that is personal to you and that will help to remind you to cultivate self-love. For example: "I am perfectly imperfect. I'm doing the best I can. I deserve my love as much as anyone else". Put a few simple words together, write them down wherever you like (your phone, your fridge, your bathroom mirror), repeat them to yourself often, and you will begin to believe them.

2. Build in quiet time. Whether it's a quiet cup of tea at the start of your day, listening to your Headspace app on the tube, or making time for meditation, try to schedule in at least 5-minutes of quiet time every day. This time is for you and you alone. By spending time with yourself you learn what you need to look after yourself.

3. Set your exercise routine and stick to it. Now is the perfect time to set yourself an exercise routine. Check out your local gym, check out local yoga / Pilates / dance / boxing teachers, have a look at sports teams you may want to join, Google boot camps in your area - basically have a look at anything that might interest you, try a few different things out, and then commit to settling on a routine by the end of January. Once you have it set that Tuesday morning is yoga, Thursday evening is bootcamp, Saturday morning is Zumba, and Sunday you have a nice long walk, then you'll find it much easier to stick to your routine. Maybe even find a buddy for each activity to help keep each other motivated. Whatever you choose just make sure it's something you enjoy so that even when you least feel like going you'll still show up because you know you'll have a great time once you're there.

4. Be organised with your meals and snacks. Take a little time each weekend to plan your meals for the following week. Commit to eating a healthy, wholesome and delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner, and then make sure you that you have all the ingredients you need. There are so many pieces of advice I could give on this section, however I'll have to save it for a couple more blog posts else this will become an essay, but when I'm looking for healthy meal inspiration I find people like Madeleine Shaw, Mel Wells and Deliciously Ella particularly helpful. They take the attitude that diet is NOT dieting, diet is all about ensuring that your body is getting all of the nutrition it needs to function properly, and this means eating well, healthily and happily.

5. Schedule in water breaks. If you're like me then you'll often forget to drink water (I don't know why but I just find it so hard to remember!), and if this is the case be sure you schedule in regular water breaks (even put alerts on your phone if it helps!). Half an hour before each meal it is advisable to have a good glug of water, and the benefit of this is that you'll also eat less as we often over-eat when we're dehydrated.

6. Set yourself a bedtime in the week and allow yourself at least one lie-in at the weekend. I don't really need to explain this one as I'm sure you've realised by now how important sleep is. When you don't get enough sleep you feel rubbish. Both our bodies and minds rejuvenate and recover as we sleep, so why deny yourself of this? Sleep is amazing! Find your optimum number of hours and give yourself this gift each and every night.

7. Work hard play hard. When we work hard we achieve results, and when we achieve results we feel good about ourselves and realise our worth. But we also must give ourselves time to play. I know lots of people work so hard that they don't allow themselves enough time off, and this is also a sign that we need to show ourselves a little more love. A night in with friends, a trip to see our favourite movie, a weekend break in the countryside, going to see an exhibition, doing something really silly like bubble football or paintballing, taking a well-earned holiday in the sun - whatever it is, make sure you take time to do it and enjoy it. Life is short, you never know what's around the corner, so do the things that make you happy with the people who make you smile. You deserve it.

8. Know when to treat yourself. Yes it's good to stick to a healthy eating plan and regular exercise routine, but if you really fancy a few squares of chocolate on a Friday evening then eat it, if you enjoy a nice glass of red with your Sunday roast then drink it, if you've been doing too much cardio and your body needs a restorative yoga session then do that instead. It's no new notion that life is about balance, so be healthy but also know that this means treating yourself from time-to-time. Life isn't about rules, it's about enjoying the process of looking after ourselves so that we can make the most of our time here.

So out with the "New" and in with the "Love". You are exactly where you need to be right now, all you need is a little extra love. So forget being "New" and just focus on loving "You".

And of course, as a yoga teacher I believe that yoga can play a huge part in self-love, so if you live in the Berkshire area and are interested in finding out more about my classes then please don't hesitate to contact me. I can be reached on lucyvicjackson@gmail.com or you can check out my website.

Happy New Year everyone! Here's to a love-filled 2016!

Namaste, love Lucy x

A little update...

So I've been a little quiet this month...I had some really great posts planned, but it's been a ridiculous September so I've had to save them all up for October! (Good things come to those who wait ;)). It's been a test of endurance - I'm now on my 25th day straight of teaching! - but I've learnt so much and have taught so many amazing classes, so I'm feeling very humbled and blessed.

Here's a quick little round up of the progress and lessons this month:

1. I have a fuller teaching timetable with lots of exciting new classes added. Check out the Weekly Classes page on my website if you're interested in having a go at any of my new classes.

2. I'm super excited to share with you that I've had my first article published online!!! (At least my first one that isn't published on my own blog!). The piece is all about finding the right yoga style to suit you, in the hope that it will help to untangle the mystery around the huge array of styles on offer. The piece is called: Ashtanga or Hatha? Bikram or Yin? Which yoga style is right for me? And can be found on the VITL website here.

3. Persistence and hard work pays off. Despite this month being pretty exhausting I've absolutely loved every second of teaching and connecting with lots of new students and teaching establishments, and slowly but surely it feels as though everything is beginning to pay off...so keep going, keep working on your dreams, and keep working hard!

4. I've also added a new photo gallery to my website, and am developing plans to make some tutorial videos to create a video gallery and YouTube channel...! Stay tuned!

5. Always be grateful, especially when things get crazy! I'm learning to find those moments of peace in amongst all the craziness and to use them to rejuvenate and too look after myself. I've definitely not perfected this yet, but am aware that it's something I need to stay conscious of.

So...looking ahead to October...what's next? In terms of teaching I'm continuing to build on my new classes and am so lucky to be teaching some amazing students - thank you so much for your energy and support so far - please keep being as amazing as you are! But in terms of my blog I have a couple of articles in the pipeline that are really topical and I'm really excited about...the main one next month will be an article discussing body image and how we MUST change our perception of our bodies. 

Until then I hope you enjoy this beautiful sunshine we're having! Long may the Indian summer continue!

Love & light! Namaste y'all <3

Love Lucy x

Why I practice yoga (and why you should try it too!)

If I didn’t love yoga so much I would begin this post with an apology to all my family, friends, colleagues and pretty much anyone who has met me over the last 2 years – I talk about it a lot! However I am not going to begin with an apology because I’m not at all sorry for being so enthusiastic about something that has hugely influenced my life in such a positive way. And here’s a little post to get it down in writing as to why I practice yoga (and why I tell everyone else to as well!).

The main reason I practice yoga is because it makes me feel freaking awesome. From my first YouTube video 2 years ago, to a year of classes in a Hot Yoga studio, to a yoga retreat in the Canary Islands, to practicing in a field with my best friend, to self-practice at home under the stars – every single yoga practice I have ever done has left me feeling better than when I began it. I can say with full confidence that I have never (and will never) come away from a practice thinking that I wish I’d done something else with my time. I have always come away feeling refreshed, rewarded, and more positive.

Breaking this down a bit, practicing yoga makes me feel good both physically and mentally. The physical side is perhaps a little more obvious – the stretching, strengthening and conditioning that you do during a yoga practice really do help to make you feel stronger and fitter. And there’s also the internal physical benefits – the breathing techniques, the twisting, the inversions (that’s going upside down for you yet-to-be-yogis) are all fantastic for enabling your organs, heart and blood flow to work more efficiently. I’m not saying that it’s given me the perfect body by any means – I still have plenty of squishy parts and insecurities that I’d like to change – but I generally feel better in myself and my appearance which is partly down to the physical practice, but is perhaps more down to the mental side of yoga.

Practicing inversions on the beach! 

 A yoga practice encourages you to stop and to be present with your own mind for the length of the practice. This may sound a bit scary or even pointless, but actually it’s an invaluable part of my life routine and has done wonders for my mental attitude towards myself, those around me, and life more generally. And that would be a positive thing for many others in this crazy world, right? It’s made me much less anxious about life and has made me accept that life won’t always go the way I’ve planned it to, but it will go the way it’s meant to go so just jump in and enjoy the journey.

Since starting to practice yoga I have gone from a self-conscious, anxious, scared young person, to a more confident, more relaxed, and braver slightly-less-young person. I’m not saying that it’s a miracle cure for all mental hang-ups, but in my experience it has definitely gone a long way to helping me to embrace life more fully: let go of the negative, focus on the positive.

And I could go on forever as to how yoga has improved my life and why I practice, but self-indulgence isn’t the reason for the existence of The Beautifully Healthy Project. My aim is to share my passions and experiences in the hope that some of you may read it and feel like you want to make a few decisions that will lead you to a healthier and happier life. And the purpose of this post is to inspire you to try yoga!

So, where do you begin? How do you know which yoga to try? (Goodness knows there are enough styles to choose from!). Where do you go to practice yoga?

Well, my first piece of advice would be to try a bit at home. That way you can have a go without feeling too self-conscious about all the new breathing techniques and stretches that you haven’t done since you were forced to do gymnastics at school. The first time I ever practiced was in my university accommodation living room. I’d been keen to try it for a while, but was too broke and nervous to go to a class without trying it first, so I put my exercise gear on and literally just typed “Yoga for beginners” into YouTube. Up popped numerous videos, but the ones I found most helpful were by a lady called Esther Ekhart. She talks through simple breathing and safe practice, and the videos are well paced for beginners. After going through these videos a couple of times over a couple of weeks I begun to really enjoy it – it was such a great way to take a break from studying and to refresh my outlook – and so I also downloaded a free app called Simply Yoga to vary my practice. And these yoga sessions in the privacy of my living room kept me going for a good 6 months, until I moved to London and knew that I wanted to get deeper into my practice and it was about time I joined a class.

Now, before I actually went to a yoga class I was rather worried that it would be full of super skinny yogis who could stand on their heads for the whole hour if they so wished (I suppose this is the reason it took me 6 months before plucking up the courage to actually attend one!), but I was pleasantly surprised to see the class was actually a really mixed bunch of sizes and abilities. The yoga classes I started with were Vinyasa and Astanga yoga in a hot room (not to be confused with Bikram!). I really enjoy doing both of these types of yoga as they are strong sequences which encourage you to flow through the asanas (or poses), whilst paying close attention to your breathing. In all honesty I haven’t got to the stage where I know enough about all the different types to suggest which type of yoga is best for which sort of person, and I really believe that the best way to find “your yoga” is to go to a class and persist with a few different ones until you find the style that you most enjoy. Really I would say that it’s best to try as many different styles as possible as many of them compliment each other and that way you keep learning new things.

The number one most important thing when trying to find a class is actually finding a good teacher, so here are my tips as to what a good yoga teacher should be doing:

• The teacher should ask at the beginning of the session whether there are any beginners, any injuries or illnesses, or any pregnancies.
• The teacher should demonstrate the asanas (or poses) so that the class can see the correct technique.
• The teacher should talk the class through the correct breathing techniques and should remind the class of their breathing throughout the class.
• The teacher should make adjustments to their pupils’ asanas (or poses) if the pupils are comfortable with this.
• The teacher should not try to impose any spiritual or religious ideology onto their class.

My final point is possibly controversial, and I’m sure many teachers will disagree with this, but in my opinion the yoga studio is not the place to bring up the spiritual path that yoga might lead to as it may be intimidating to beginners, but also many people who practice yoga do not believe in the spiritual side to it. There are also many who have other beliefs and faiths, and yoga should not discriminate against this. The best teachers I’ve had say to make your practice what you want to make it – use it to focus on something earthly, use it to focus on yourself, use it to pray, use it to say a mantra – but just use it how you want to use it, and not how a teacher instructs you to use it. Personally I am a Christian and so use my practice as a time to focus on prayer. But you use your practice how you want to use it. It’s your time. Your practice. Your mind.

And if you’ve got to the stage of committing to a class I don’t really need to say much more because you get it. And the more you attend your classes the more you’ll want to do self-practice, and at the moment that’s what I’m really getting into. Finding a space (usually outdoors) and just totally switching off from the world for an hour or so to reboot, recharge and to show myself some love.  After all, if you love yourself that’s when you can really show love to others, and that’s when you can be more aware of how to be the best version of yourself, which is what we should all be trying to do.

Yoga is such a personal journey, and mine will be different to yours which will be different to everyone else’s, but I really do encourage you to give the journey a go. Life will never be perfect, but if we equip ourselves with tools that help us to deal with the daily stresses and strains then we’ll be able to absorb all the bumps along the way and yoga is a really, really useful tool for helping to do just that. It encourages you to see the positive in every situation and to just focus on the present – not the past, not the future – just the present, and where you are in that exact moment.

Open your heart to new experiences

Lastly I would just like to share that yoga has really given me the energy and the insight to actually live life. For many years I was just going through the motions, like many of us do, but over the last few months I’ve really seen what living can be and I genuinely believe that yoga has helped to bring me to this realisation and enabled me to do something about it.

If you want to ask me anything about yoga or The Beautifully Healthy Project please comment on this post or follow my Facebook page. Also to be inspired by an incredible yogi and human being follow yoga_girl on Instagram!

So breathe, relax, live, love, be present. (And of course, try yoga!).

Love Lucy x

Try something new: stand-up paddle boarding

It's always good to try new things; to challenge yourself and to keep learning. I was brought up to be active and to enjoy the outdoors (so grateful to my parents for this) and so I'm always up for trying new outdoor activities. I love water sports like surfing (very badly!), water skiing, swimming, and have wanted to try stand-up paddle boarding (or SUP boarding) for ages - it just looks so serene and relaxing, and if Jennifer Aniston uses it to help her stay in shape then it must be worth a go, right? Last week I was fortunate enough to go on a family holiday to Bermuda, and I was super excited that the hotel we stayed at had a bunch of SUP boards we could take out almost every day.

Courtesy of Charley Jackson & her GoPro

I was surprised at how easy it was to balance the board - I suppose the yoga must help, but the rest of my family don't do much yoga and they all found it pretty easy too. The paddling part was also fairly straightforward, you just had to find your rhythm and go with it. It was a really peaceful and fun activity, made even more incredible by the sea turtles that would playfully pop their heads up for air and then swim away underneath our boards. There's nothing quite like watching wild animals in their natural habitat. 

The physical side to it wasn't as much of a work out as I'd expected, but after an hour you could feel that your arms and back had done some resistance work. I guess we were just too distracted by our beautiful surroundings to notice!

The Jackson 5 on our SUP boards

At the moment I also can't seem to stay the right way up for too long - I just love to be upside-down! So of course I had to give a headstand a go. After two hilarious falls which resulted in successfully nosediving my board I managed to pull off the below headstand for a good 10 seconds. And the day after I did actually do a pretty strong yoga headstand (again after nosediving the board a few times - poor turtles!) - but we didn't take the GoPro out that day so that's a moment that will have to stay between me, my sister and the turtles. It's good to change your perspective of the world from time-to-time because your way of looking at things may not always be the best, and being upside-down reminds me of this. 

Courtesy of Charley Jackson & her GoPro

So I really wanted to share two things in this post: 1) try SUP boarding - it's lots of fun and most people should be able to do it without too much trouble 2) keep trying new things more generally. That really annoying phrase when you were younger - "There's no such thing as can't" - actually becomes pretty cool when you're that bit older and understand what it means. Why can't you give that thing a go that you've been wanting to try but are too scared or too busy to? Life is short, keep learning, keep challenging yourself, keep trying new things - just don't stand still. It'll help you to feel Beautifully Healthy. 

Love Lucy x

Switch it off and tune in

Modern life is saturated with digital technology. The digital world is one that I admit to only having a basic understanding of (email, my iPhone, social media and blogger are about as far as it goes!); but I can of course see the positives of such developments; it allows us to connect with parts of the world that wouldn't have previously been possible, it is supporting doctors in their surgery, and it even enables us to explore other planets to our own. However, I also often consider the negatives to a world where reality and digital are so often blurred; children under-10 posing for selfies, the constant bombardment of advertising, and the unknown long term effects of digital overload are all things that I often ponder. So although this could be considered as deeply ironic as I am indeed writing this from my MacBook Pro (a wonderful piece of modern day technology by the way), I urge you to think about switching off your technology from time-to-time and to tune in to your natural surroundings.

Polzeath, Cornwall - 2013

I'm not about to go all hippy on you, but I really do believe that disconnecting yourself from your smart phone and getting out into your natural surroundings every now and again really is medicine for the soul. Even when we go for a run or walk nowadays most of us can't leave the house without being plugged into our iPhones with Beyoncé telling us that if he liked it he should have put a ring on it. Now as much fun and as motivating as that is, it doesn't allow us to properly zone out from the digital part of our lives and to make the most of our me-time by appreciating the smaller things in life. 

Windsor Great Park, 2014

I've recently taken to leaving all technology at home when going on my runs and I can honestly say that I'm much more aware of everything from the trees, to the sunsets, and even the birds that might fly over head. When I get home I feel more refreshed and positive than I used to, and I genuinely think this is because I've switched off the technology and tuned in to nature.

Bournemouth Beach, 2014

The other week my friend and I swam the Bournemouth Pier to Pier (1.4 miles) for the British Heart Foundation, and I can honestly say that begin in the water for that hour totally disconnected from all technology really did give us both so much energy. Despite the long swim we both came out of the water giggling and energised, of course there will have been some element of adrenaline involved but I really believe it's also because we'd spent the last hour enjoying nature. 

Virginia Water Lake, 2013

There is further irony to this post in that all of these pictures were taken with my iPhone when I could have been "disconnected" and "at one" with nature. However I've made the decision to not edit any of them so that you can see these beautiful, natural places in their full glory. And actually, part of the thought process behind this post is that I need to remind myself to leave the smart phone at home from time-to-time. Reconnect with nature, go out on a walk, leave the phone at home and it will go some way to helping you on your Beautifully Healthy journey. 

So switch it off and tune in - you won't regret it, I promise!

Love Lucy x