Rest, Self Love, and more.

Today, I want to blog about the topic of self love. In almost any yoga class, the teacher always talks about self love; be kind to yourself, don't over do it, etc.  Well, my right hip area has been having this nagging discomfort for a while now and is affecting my practice, all the forward bend where it requires deep external rotation is not working properly and it's been there since December of last year.  This could be over use of the muscle groups, and I am trying all sorts of things to make it better or go away - like modifying my practice, massages, and anything to make it feel better.  It was not working!  Well, to make this long story short, I went for a vacation for the past 2 weeks and with it came was "zero" yoga practice.  This is when I notice my hip flexor area are having less discomfort! Yes!! So this is exactly what I needed, to be off the mat and let my body heal.  Two weeks with no yoga practice seems like a long time to me, and I feel guilty not maintaining my practice.  Hum, this is what "self love" means, to feel ok to be not on the mat.  There's no need to push so hard and allowing yourself to rest is a great way to heal and prevent further injuries.