The Courage to Prioritize Self-Care: A Yoga Instructor's Journey to Plant-Based Wellness

Happy International Women's Day! We're excited to feature an article from Grace Sim, a well known Yoga Instructor from Metta Studio, who shares her thoughts on the transformative power of courage, self-care, and plant-based nutrition. Read on to learn more.

"Someone wise once said, knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.

We all know that being healthy is essential. However, to put the effort to practice a healthy lifestyle takes courage. Why courage? Maya Angelou once said, courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.

I totally agree with her. Back in my younger years, trying to eat healthy or being consistent in my yoga and meditation practice is a challenge. There were so many distractions. At times, I am so determined to stick with it, only to fall behind again. Sometimes I get frustrated with myself for not keeping up. It takes a whole lot of courage to overcome laziness, courage to rebuild self-discipline, courage to get past the critical voice in the head.

I am thankful to continue to return back to yoga time and time again when I fall behind. I started yoga practice for the physical benefits way back 20 years ago. Over the years, it has expanded my perspective about yoga and how it is changing my life, one practice at a time. Yoga practice to me, is self-care. It’s not about getting into a shape with the body, taking care of the physical self is not enough. Mental and emotional health is equally important. It has taught me (and still is teaching me) to show up for practice, no matter what - make time, for myself. It could be a simple meditation for just 5 minutes, just by focusing on my breath or a simple mantra - it makes a difference. It starts with me, my decision - the courage to prioritise my well-being first.

Surprisingly, when I started consistently practicing yoga, one of the spin off from it was what I eat will affect my practice. Eating fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains - gives me a lighter feeling in the body, while meat will weigh me down energetically. The practice guided the path of awareness on what I should consume more of.

Quoting another wise person, he said - practice and all is coming. Simple words, yet it sums up a lot. To be good and skilled at anything, show up to practice. One thing for sure - no one can do the practice for me, I have to show up for myself."