Perhaps we are forever conditioned to the start of the school year in the fall. We are eager, much like in the new year, to set new goals and refresh our routine with a surge of creative energy. However, before we rush into the future with a new set of goals, there are some essential steps we must not overlook in preparation of all that is to come.

The next five spokes on the wheel address lifestyle choices that either support or undermine our health. While they might not all be exactly as you would expect, they leave us with the power of choice and put our wellness exactly where it should be— in our own hands.

When it comes to our wellness, it’s easy to develop blind spots. We get so caught up in habits and patterns that we lose connection to the innate wisdom that keeps us in sync.

At the start of nearly every yoga class, we take a moment to take our emotional pulse. So I ask, “What are you bringing to the mat…in body, in mood, in mind?” I see it as setting an internal GPS. It’s pointless to get directions to somewhere you want to go, if you don’t know where you’re coming from.

The more I heard myself uttering unnecessary apologies, I felt the shame spiral of throwing myself under the bus. I knew to strengthen my depth of self-love, I needed to break that habit hard and fast.

I still catch myself apologizing for completely unnecessary things. I’ve just learned to be more conscious of times where I am shrinking myself to fit into an emotionally crowded room.

Yoga and Ayurveda share a wellness ritual for the eyes that can be done both in the morning and night to nourish the eyes and nurture the inner vision of our third eye. OR anytime you can take a 20 minute break from working at the computer.