Set Your Emotional GPS.
21 Strategies to Steer Your Moods and Mindset.
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. We can show up to the mat ready to chill out and conjure some inner peace, but all of that is fluff and nonsense if we don’t take a minute to recognize how we truly feel at present in our body and our mind.
It is so important to take this moment of awareness, so we aren’t flying blind. With a little awareness, we can more fully understand where we are in our thoughts and our feelings. After a few settling breaths, I inquire a little deeper to spark a more full connection. “What are you carrying with you today to radiate, transform, or disperse?”
Radiate: Let all good feelings not only radiate throughout your whole system, but also reflect out into those around you. Be the beacon. Share the light.
Transform: There is some emotion, energy, or thought that is ready for a shift. Create an intention to let it move through you and be transformed.
Disperse: Perhaps there is an elevated emotion or thought ready to be let go. Create an intention to discharge, disperse, and release. Clear out that which you no longer wish to carry.
This approach isn't confined to the yoga mat—it's a valuable practice anytime, anywhere:
If you notice a heavy mood weighing down your heart, what is there?
How has this mood manifested in your body? Tension, Fatigue, Pain, Restlessness?
What thoughts are circling? What are you telling yourself about this moment?
What action could you take to regain your power and shift this mood?
From Mood Mud to Lotus Blossom.
We can get stuck in mood mud. Something happens and we construct a negative narrative that tarnishes our perspective. A single incident in the morning can cast a shadow over the entire day. We label it as a “bad day” and let that vibe infuse every interaction and choice. It’s vital to recognize what’s beneath the surface of what we’re perpetuating.
I am a bit like a duck, who appears to be peacefully floating on the water, but underneath my feet are kicking like mad to try to keep up with the shifting emotional currents. I was an incredibly moody teenager, perhaps a few would say- not much has changed. As someone who is fairly sensitive, I can let myself be affected by everything around me. Much of my personal inner work has been learning to be responsible for my own sensitivities. The game-changer has been in knowing that I hold the power to alchemize, to reshape and transform any thought or mood.
Beyond the Mat: 21 Mood Hacks for a Balanced Mind and Empowered Life.
01 Challenge negative thoughts: When you notice a negative thought, see if there is another more supportive thought that could apply to the moment. What else could be true?
02 Start a to-do list: Write down all the tasks taking up mental real estate. It can be motivating and clarifying. Checking things off feeds your sense of accomplishment and further motivates.
03 Get moving: Take a walk, go on a run, hike through the woods. Dance in your living room. A little endorphin boost goes a long way.
04 Be present in the moment: Our power rests in the present moment. It is the only place we can make choices and take action. We do not actually exist anywhere else. The past is gone and the future isn’t here yet.
05 Take a deep breathing break: Need I say more? Give yourself a pause from all activity and take 10 breaths, inhaling until you feel the belly expand and exhaling slowly and completely.
06 Do some yoga: Naturally, this one was coming. It combines the last three into one pretty little package. And then some.
07 Create a bedtime routine: Burning the candle at both ends will only burn you out. Sleep is the body’s best friend. Skin cells regenerate, muscles repair, and the brain restores.
08 Share your feelings with someone: It helps just to talk about what is weighing on you. Sometimes saying something out loud weakens its hold over us.
09 Prepare a nice meal: Get out one of your favorite cookbooks and try a new recipe. Good food nourishes the body and feeds the soul.
10 Do a good deed: Practicing both random and needed acts of kindness magnifies our sense of purpose and community.
11 Take some time for self care: Give yourself a facial. Climb into a bath. Whatever it is that lets you relax and feel pampered. Do that.
12 Meet up with your friends: Keep some recurring plans or be spontaneous, spend time with the people who make you laugh.
13 Gratitude not attitude: Name 3 things you’re grateful for. It can switch your attention to what is working in your life, rather than focusing on what is not.
14 Switch off all social media: Faster than any IG reel, you will free your focus.
15 Be aware of your feelings: Make a point to check in. What is showing up in response to your current situation.
16 Find an animal companion: Take a break to go rub your cats ears, take your dog for a walk, go talk to the birds. Animals change everything.
17 Bibliotherapy: Grab a book off the shelf. Read a story, a chapter, a poem.
18 Take regular joy breaks during the day: Do one thing that makes you happy. Call a friend. Listen to a song. Sing your favorite song at the top of your lungs. Something. Anything.
19 Take some time for yourself: Even if it’s just 5 minutes. Even in a crowded room. Protect it. Claim it…this moment is just for me.
20 Write: Spend some time downloading all your thoughts. Getting them out on paper creates a flow that lets your mind uncover and discover.
21 Jot down 3 things you've achieved: We set goals, we achieve said goals, and sometimes we don’t take even a minute to celebrate our successes. High five anyone?
No Mud. No Lotus.
The lotus flower has long been a sacred symbol of transformation in eastern traditions. The flower blooms through murky waters, an image of transcendence, growth, and renewal. Shifting emotions and moods signal impending change. By fostering awareness, we harness moods as catalysts for change. Alternatively, we can feel it, know it, and release it — simply letting emotions move through. In any moment, consciously stepping into our empowerment rather than getting stuck in the mud.
