Christie Baumgartner, @alittlecbaum, is a yoga instructor from British Columbia, who has been teaching in the community for 15 years. She currently leads in-person classes at Equinox, Kin Culture and Lululemon’s head office, as well as private and online sessions.
According to Christie, daily breathwork and yoga practice are vital to her well-being, both mentally and physically. “Prioritizing space to check in with my body and slow down overall is crucial for my mental health and also helps me be a much more present teacher, friend, daughter, dog mom…all of my hats,” she added.
If she were to offer some practical advice for readers to immediately implement, it would be to “slow down.”
“We live in a culture of rushing around and over-commitment. The exhaustion epidemic is a real thing and learning to say ‘no’ when we have reached our capacity is vital to our well-being,” she added. Christie finds enjoyment in any workout that you can get a good sweat on and still have fun, at the same time. “Recently I took an old-school aerobics class and had the best time,” Christie said.
As for a few daily mental health techniques that she finds valuable, anything that involves dog cuddles or cooking will suffice. Plus, time to yourself. One guiding principle she lives by is to “trust the process.” “It might sound cliche, however, this mantra has helped me stay in possibility when I’m going through a period of uncertainty, grief or self-doubt,” Christie said. “There is a lot of magic in the unknown when we can choose trust over fear.”
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