How Yoga and Life Coaching Helped Me Get Through the Pandemic

Jun 23

The pandemic has taken a toll on many of us, both physically and mentally. It's been a challenging time for everyone, and it's important to take care of ourselves during these trying times. In this article, I will share my personal experience with how yoga and life coaching helped me get through the pandemic.

Introduction

When the pandemic hit, I found myself struggling with anxiety, stress, and fear. Like many others, I was overwhelmed by the uncertainty and the constant changes happening around me. I knew I needed to find a way to take care of myself, both physically and mentally. My asana practice had taken the back seat because in-person classes were not a thing and online yoga was not my favorite. I even stepped out of my comfort zone and set out to volunteer on the island from September to December 2020. When that was over, is when I stumbled across Yoga & Life Coaching it felt aligned at that point, because of it’s integration of yogic philosophy intrigued me, I just had to wrap my head around what a life coach actually is.

What does a life coach do exactly?

I had to get clear on this first hand and when a member of the community mentioned ‘Yoga & Life Coaching’, I had to inquire because I knew there was a missing piece in my life. When the pandemic hit, I found myself struggling with anxiety, stress, and fear on the edge of failure and mistakes, I was cancelled. I was overwhelmed by the uncertainty and the constant changes happening around me. I knew I needed to find a way to take care of myself, both physically and mentally but equally, emotionally. My asana practice had taken the back seat because in-person classes were not a thing and online yoga was not my favorite. I even stepped out of my comfort zone and set out to volunteer on the island from September to December 2020. When that was over, is when I stumbled across Yoga & Life Coaching it felt aligned at that point, because of it’s integration of yogic philosophy intrigued me, I just had to wrap my head around what a life coach actually is.

Who benefits from a life coach?

Honestly, it seemed obvious that the client benefits, but after being in the seat of a coach and also a student, every client has such valuable wisdom that coaches learn from after reflecting on each session. Yoga has been a part of my life for many years, but it was only when I took a 200hr yoga teacher training while on parole that I realized how much it could help me during a time like this. It helped me get out of my mind when I was incarcerated and solidified my chances of successfully completing parole. The physical practice of yoga helped me release tension and stress from my body, while the breathing exercises and meditation helped me calm my mind. Through consistent practice, I found myself feeling more centered and grounded, even in the midst of chaos.

How Life Coaching Helped Me

While yoga helped me physically and mentally, life coaching helped me emotionally. I was hesitant around the role of a 'coach', and didn't want to become a coach as a job. But I wanted to learn skills that would help me develop as a person. And the first thing that I learned was that I needed to be coached first, just like I was as a yoga student to a teacher. It helped me overcome my habits of procrastination and build my confidence after PTSD.

I worked with a coach who combined the Yoga Sutras with some of their coaching methods. This unique process was not someone giving me advice, but rather, asking me questions that drew the responses out of me and was mapped carefully in a way that helped me reach certain goals or overcome some fears. The applicable possibilities felt endless and was really refreshing. During a time when it was easy to feel helpless and out of control, having a plan gave me a sense of purpose and direction. It helped me feel like I had some control over my life, even when so much of it was beyond my control.

Combining Yoga and Life Coaching

Combining yoga and life coaching was a powerful combination for me. Yoga helped me release physical tension and calm my mind, while life coaching helped me set goals and create a plan centered around the wisdom of the sutras, something that was ancient and untouched by the ideations and attitudes created from a pandemic. Together, they helped me find balance and purpose during a time when it was easy to feel lost and overwhelmed.

The Benefits of Yoga and Life Coaching

Through my experience, I've found that yoga and life coaching have many benefits, especially during a pandemic. Here are some of the benefits I've experienced:

1. Reduced Anxiety and Stress

Being coached both helped reduce anxiety and stress. Yoga helped release physical tension from the body, while life coaching helps identify and manage emotional stressors and where tensions manifested in my body.

2. Improved Mental Health

Having regular inquiries with a coach both improved my mental health by reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety but also challenged me to feel more confident and be productive. Yoga helped calm the mind, so that parts of my brain were not being hijacked by fear or emotion and I could remain present, while life coaching helped identify and change negative thought patterns.

3. Increased Resilience

Yoga and life coaching combined help increase resilience, or the ability to adapt to and cope with difficult situations. Through consistent practice, I found myself better able to handle the challenges of my life at the time.

4. Improved Physical Health

When I could do actual physical yoga, it improved my physical health by increasing strength, flexibility, and balance so that I didn’t get too stagnant, but was honestly, not often. On a regular schedule It helps improve cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

5. Increased Self-Awareness

Life coaching helped increase self-awareness by identifying values, beliefs, and thought patterns. This increased self-awareness helped me better understand myself and my reactions to the challenges in life at that time.

Conclusion

The pandemic has been a challenging time for many of us, but it's also been an opportunity to learn and grow. For me, the combination of yoga and life coaching helped me find balance, purpose, and resilience during a time when it was easy to feel lost and overwhelmed. I encourage anyone struggling during this time to consider trying yoga or life coaching, or both, to help take care of themselves during this challenging time.