I have good intentions; we all do. My intention is to practice yoga #everydamnday, even if it’s only for 10 minutes. How many times have you thought those exact same words…but then fallen short?
We’re human.
We get sidetracked.
We’re in demand.
And we’ve learned that we should be nice. We’ve learned that we should be giving, selfless, of service. But let’s get it straight. Often it’s just that niceness that derails us from keeping a solid consistency to our own practice.
Incorporate these 10 habits in your life today and end the day-to-day struggle of staying on point! The long-term benefits are well worth it.
1.Your Hour. The #1 reason why people don’t stay committed is they feel they don’t have the time. Waiting until that point in the day when the world stops and there is nothing to do (oh hey, I’ll do some yoga now!) is not a plan. Set aside 10 to 60 minutes at the same time every day. Treat this with the same mindset as a business meeting. You wouldn’t blow off a meeting to practice yoga and you shouldn’t blow off your yoga practice for a meeting.
2. Your Week. When you wake up on Monday morning you should already have your week planned. Whether your thing is to practicing 3 times, 5 times or 7 days a week, it doesn’t matter. But know what your thing is. Pick the days of the upcoming week that you are going to practice and stick with it.
3. Your Meals. Now that you’ve set the time of day to practice, don’t set yourself up for failure by being hungry when it’s time to practice. If you are practicing in your office at lunch time but you haven’t eaten yet today, this is obviously not a good plan. And if your time for practice is after lunch and lunch was ginormous burrito…then again, this is obviously not a good plan. Find that in between zone where your stomach is light but you are nourished. This may mean that you decline an invitation to lunch with your friends or you are forced to use will power and order light. Oh, the horror of it.
4. Your Practice. Whether self-practice is your groove, practicing online, or practicing at a studio, pre-plan your practice a week at a time. With great online streaming services like Udaya the choice is endless but sometimes overwhelming. The best plan is to have a plan. Pick from 100s of classes based on duration (10-60 minutes), style (from Ashtaga to Yin and everything in between) level (hey, every day isn’t a level 4 day). You can even choose by the type of pose you want to do and the type of muscles you want to engage. Save all your favorite classes so they are easy to find when you need them quickly.
5. Your Nice Factor. You will be tempted to break your plan. You will want to bend. The words, ‘Oh, just this once.’ ‘Oh, I’ll get right back on track tomorrow’ will start to float through your head. But know that this type of thinking is what got you where you are today…needing some inspiration to get back on track with a commitment to your practice. Invited to a late drink-up the night before your 7am practice session? Just say NO. Colleagues want you to join for a late lunch at the new Chinese joint before your 5pm practice? Just say NO. Boyfriend wants you to join him on the couch for a movie? Just say NO. Kids banging on the door and want your attention? Just say NO (and then get your partner in line- this is his/her hour to handle them).
And if you still have a burning desire to be nice, I suppose you could say NO, thank you.
by Patty Van de Bogart
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