These seven self-care Sunday ideas are perfect to add to your yoga practice and trauma healing. I welcome you to join me for this blog post to create a self-care Sunday that speaks to you.
Why Yoga Is A Perfect Self-Care Idea For Trauma Survivors
If you enjoy yoga, this practice is an amazing addition to your care plan. You take care of yourself without distractions, flowing with your body and breath. You release parts of your trauma, come home to your body, and feel comfortable in your skin—all without needing to talk about your trauma.
If you wish to practice without certain triggering techniques (like holding your breath, demanding language or inaccessible poses) then trauma-informed yoga would be even better for your day of relaxation.
The important piece to remember with any yoga practice after trauma is that it’s beneficial only if you truly enjoy the practice. You don’t need to know every pose, speak perfect Sanskrit, or even practice every day, but it’s important that you feel yoga improves your life.
How To Have A Yogi Self-Care Day
What exactly is a yogi self-care day?
You incorporate more mindfulness, grace, and compassion into your day. You ask yourself what would feel intuitive for your body and mind.
After trauma, you may not be entirely sure what that is, and that’s okay. That’s where grace comes in. You could try a few ideas, see what worked and what didn’t, and try again next Sunday.
7 Quick Self-Care Sunday Ideas
These are a few quick ideas for inspiration. I welcome you to include the ones that speak to you, and leave the rest.
7 Quick Ideas:
- Reduce screen time (This study discovered less screen time reduced stress and depression)
- Create a meal from scratch that you’re craving
- Take a deep belly breath throughout your day
- Step outside and notice your five senses in nature
- Take a nap
- Organize your space
- Spend time with family, friends, or pets who bring you comfort
You don’t need to read an entire book on chakras to have a yogi self-care day (but you can if you want to.) This is more about tuning into what would feel nice for you and less about making a perfect, social media worthy day. Even asking yourself the question, “What would be supportive for me today?” is a perfect start.
What if you just want a simple schedule to follow? I invite you to join me as I give you the entire done for you schedule.
Your Sunday Self-Care Schedule
This is your schedule to adjust any way you see fit. You can skip, add, or do anything that would make this a more unique day for you. This doesn’t include any chores you choose to do, and I created spaces in time for this reason.
You’re welcome to pencil in your own times, set alarms to keep you on schedule, or go with the day and reference this list when you like.
Upon Rising In The Morning
Before you get out of bed, I welcome you to spend a few moments checking in with yourself. Maybe you place one hand on your belly and the other on your heart. You might explore breathing into your belly as you ask:
- How did I sleep?
- What is my energy level today?
- What sounds realistic for me to do today?
- You might look around the room, noting what you see, hear, feel (if you feel comfortable), taste, or smell. You’re welcome to stay here as long as you choose.
After Breakfast & Usual Morning Ritual
Before you start your usual day, is there anything you’re craving at this moment? Maybe you check in with your basic needs with these questions:
- Am I hungry and would like more food?
- Am I thirsty and would like more water?
- Am I craving more rest before beginning anything else?
If you’re unsure, it’s okay, you can always do your usual morning routine and see if anything surfaces.
These questions may seem over-simple (or even silly), but checking in with yourself is a powerful habit to practice. Just like how we ask ourselves these simple questions on our yoga mats, you can continue this outside your practice.
Lunch Time
When sitting down for lunch, I welcome you to add this mindfulness exercise. You can go as in-depth as you like or skip this entirely.
When you sit down to eat, you might first give gratitude for the food in front of you. (You can absolutely skip this if you do religious practices before eating.)
If you’re following the exercise, you might choose to thank everyone that needed to come together to prepare, package, and deliver your food. You could even send gratitude to yourself for nourishing your body and preparing your meal.
If you’re eating with your hands, I invite you to notice how the texture feels on your skin. If you’re using a utensil, you could explore how it smells.
When you’re ready to take a bite, I welcome you to gently chew for as long as you like. As you chew, you might ask yourself these questions:
- What is the taste?
- Do I notice multiple flavors?
- Is this sweet, savory, tangy?
- How many words can I use to describe this?
- What is the temperature?
- What does this feel like as I chew?
- What happens if I imagine I’m eating this food or meal for the first time?
You’re welcome to ask as many questions as you like. When you swallow, maybe you notice the sensation. Between bites, explore taking a sip of water or sitting for a moment, noticing any changes in how you feel, any leftover taste or smell, or take a deep breath.
You can end your practice at any time or continue for the rest of your meal.
Afternoon
This is your free time to do you anything you like. Maybe you practice yoga, take a five minute mental rest in bed, play your favorite television show while you give yourself permission to do absolutely nothing.
If you’re not sure what to do, I welcome you to read these 15 rainy day self-care ideas for inspiration.
Evening
As you wrap up your evening, I invite you to include another mindfulness check-in like at the beginning of the day.
How is your energy? If you’re comfortable, maybe you note how you feel energetically or emotionally. If this doesn’t suit your practice, maybe you spend a few moments grounding to the floor, or noticing objects around your room.
If you’re looking for an in-depth mindful nighttime routine, I welcome you to prepare for deep sleep in this blog post.
Bedtime
As you close your self-care Sunday, you might choose to take moment of gratitude for your effort. Even if it doesn’t feel you were productive or did much of anything, you allowed yourself rest.
Rest is beneficial for trauma healing and regulating your nervous system. You don’t need to be productive to have worth, and rest does not need to be earned. As you prepare for rest, maybe you gently send yourself kind words or an affirmation of your choice, like:
- I am worthy of rest
- I send myself love and compassion
- I am safe to take this moment for myself
You are doing powerful work, and you deserve all the rest you crave on your healing journey.
Overview
This schedule is an easily customizable, simple way of including more mindful moments into your day. It may surprise you how just one day of self-care can set you up for a more calm, relaxed week to follow.
If this seems overwhelming, I welcome you to only try one or two of the steps listed. You might add more the next week, you might not. The important part to remember is that whatever works for you is always the best strategy.
Sometimes, you might want to skip this entirely. It takes work to be mindful, so you are more than welcome to take as many breaks as you need. There is never any rush to your practice or your healing.
Take care.
