My students often tell me that whilst they would like to practice yoga outside of our lessons, they find it hard to start and harder to stay committed.
In this article, I’m going to look at the benefits, challenges and solutions to starting your home yoga practice.
We’ll be exploring: What is a daily yoga practice? Why do we need one? Why do we sometimes find it so hard to keep it up? How do we encourage ourselves to improve our practice?
What is it?
A daily yoga practice can vary enormously from person to person, depending upon where they are on their yoga journey, their motivation for practising, the sort of lifestyle they lead, and so on. My own personal practice continues to change an evolve.
Some people devote most of their practice to postures (asanas) and sequences, some to forms of meditation, some to breathing techniques (pranayama), some to deep relaxations (yoga nidra), others to chanting mantras. For many a daily practice would contain some or all of these elements. And sometimes a person’s yoga practice may have no clear time slot but continues all day long through their thoughts, intentions, words and deeds. (Their daily yoga practice may eventually become a complete yogic lifestyle).
It is important to make some time each day for your yoga practice. And what might be a realistic expectation in terms of a ‘daily practice’? Clearly that would depend to a large extent on the other demands on your time. That said, a minimum of 20 minutes is not unrealistic given that we all have 1,440 minutes in any one day. Obviously, the more time you can dedicate the better. Over a whole week you can hopefully build in additional time, so that over that week you will have included sequences, asanas, pranayama, deep relaxation, sitting techniques and reflections.
Why do we need these practices?
There may be many answers to this question, here are a few:
• They make us feel calmer
• They keep us healthier
• They relieve pain in our bodies and in our minds
• They enable us to cope with the challenges of life
• They help us to live more harmoniously with family, friends and colleagues
• They help us find out more about our bodies and minds
• They help us to find out more about our true nature.
Why do we sometimes find it so hard to keep all of this up?
It is natural to feel resistance when we start something new and are building up a habit. Clearly there are many, many reasons (or excuses) that arise trying to interfere with or stop us practicing, but here are the most common:
“My alarm went off early so I could go to my practice but I was so tired I just went back to sleep until I HAD to get up to go to work”
“I was about to start practising when the phone rang and it was a friend I hadn’t spoken to for ages and we chatted for about an hour”
I had a super busy day, extra meetings, things I had to go shopping for, the house was in a mess, complete madness, no time for practice”
“It’s the Christmas holidays and there’s just so much going on with family and friends”
“I’ve been away on holiday and I just couldn’t find the right space or time to do my practice”
“I’m just whacked!”
“Today I can’t be bothered, I’m going to watch a film instead”
“I can’t find a space to do my practice”
So how do we encourage ourselves to do our practice?
Here are four simple steps to help you start and maintain your daily yoga practice.
Adopt a Positive Mindset
Make it something you look forward to doing, for example, play some lovely music, choose a practice which will improve the way you are feeling. Adopt the affirmation, “I love my yoga practice.” And, focus on how much better you feel when you’ve done your practice both in terms of your general wellbeing but also from a sense of achievement.
2. Make an Appointment with Yourself
And don’t let yourself down! Motivation is easy because it’s the excitement and enthusiasm of something new. However, the true key to success is commitment. That is why thinking of your practice as ‘making an appointment with yourself’ can be very effective. Put it in your diary, like your weekly yoga class. And, it’s always helpful when creating a new habit or routine to build in consistency. If you can do your practice at the same time and in the same place each day that’s best. That way it will soon start to become a regular appointment or daily habit, like brushing your teach or washing the dishes.
3. Make it Easy
Try to stick to the same practice for a few days so that you don’t have to make a decision about what to do. Keep it simple. Keep it fun. And most of all, keep it realistic! It’s far better to do 10 minutes practice per day rather than an hour a few times a month. Have everything you need ready and easily to hand. If you have to search out your yoga mat or clothes from the back of a cupboard it’s just another reason for it to seem too hard. (That said, you can wear whatever you want and practice on the carpet without a mat if you prefer). You could use a yoga book, audio, video or join the Dru Online Studio.
4. Be Kind to Yourself
If you really are tired or unwell, choose gentle movement or a deep relaxation. And if you miss a day – because you forgot or your life got turned upside down – don’t worry. Don’t beat yourself up. Stuff happens! Just get back on the mat the next day and keep doing it. Remember, this is something positive for you, don’t turn it into a burden or chore.
I wish you every success with your home practice. Next time you’re in class, do let me know how you’re getting on