Our body and mind know the immense benefits of our yoga practice. Each time we practice, we remind ourselves of the power of yoga, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t occasional obstacles on our way to the yoga mat.
Use these tips during periods of temporary difficulty getting to the mat or employ them as part of your regular patterns to maintain your self-practice.
1. Use An Alarm Clock Or Daily Reminder
If you have difficulty stepping away from your work, life, and family responsibilities, set an alarm to remind you to make time for yourself on your mat. Use the reminder alert as a way to get up from your desk and hit the yoga mat or to fit in your 30-minute practice for the day.
2. Have A Check-In
Have a social check-in system that holds you accountable. Create a network of yogis who practice at home, record your day-to-day meditation and movement notes in your journal, or find a friend you can check in with daily on g-chat or other instant messaging apps about your yoga triumphs.
3. Set A Number
Some days, all we can muster is a few rounds of Sun Salutations or a few static yin poses. Give yourself a number to work through and towards.
Most of the time, after 10 Sun Salutations or 20 breaths in Pigeon, you may feel great enough that you want to carry on with the rest of your practice. On the days that you don’t, finish with a mediation and let yourself marvel in the effects — no matter how short — of your practice.
4. Make An Appointment
Just like you show up at your friend’s cookout, at your weekly manager meeting, and make your credit card payments, make an appointment for you and your yoga mat. Pen it in, pick recurring dates and times if you can, and then follow through and show up.
5. Create Smaller Deliverable Pieces
Take your full, at-home sequence and piece it up into small deliverable sequences that you can do when you:
- need an energy boost,
- when you need to unwind, or
- want to focus and highlight a part of your body that you are working on.
Some days you may only be able to fit in 15 minutes, so make those minutes as effective as possible.
What behaviors, mantras, or techniques help you show up on your mat?