Getting Committed: How to Build a Consistent Yoga Practice

This is a topic I really love to talk about. How do I keep my practice consistent when I have LIFE to tend to, children to raise, a job to work, a business to run, a husband/wife to spend time with, friends and family and housework and the list goes on and on and on and on…. and take away the ‘list’ there is the discomfort of practice as the body changes and the mind shifts, working through old emotional scares the practice brings up, facing yourself each day on the mat, doing the work when you would much rather sleep in or stay up late or eat another slice of pizza or have another glass of wine…. This is hard. Plain and simple. BUT keeping a consistent practice is the easiest part of it all…don’t sigh at me, it's true! And guess what, you are absolutely WORTH it!

It takes about 21 days to make or break a habit. If you have been there before but have “fallen off the yoga wagon” it can be more daunting to get back on than when you first started because you are disappointed in yourself, feel like you have to start over, feel that your teachers or fellow practitioners might judge you. The list goes on and on. Whether or not you are just starting yoga and trying to find a way to create a daily practice, or if you are wanting to get back to a daily practice…. the work is all the same.

YOU MUST MAKE YOUR PRACTICE A PRIORITY. This simply requires that YOU CHOOSE to make it a priority; you choose to make some life changes that bring this priority to the top along with caring for your child and performing well at work.

Commit to yourself and your practice for 21–30 days

For the above period of time, also commit to going to bed at the same time each night, waking the same time each day, eating at the same times each day and in general regulating your waking and sleep hours, work hours, eating hours…This will do wonders to help you achieve your daily practice goal.

• Learn to say no to some invitations to dinner or outings or parties….and if you don’t ever want to spend time alone try to do some of that during this month (also be sure to read section two of this article!) And the same for people who don’t ever want to be around people…spend this month doing yoga with a group, eating out in public, making a point to socialize at work etc and read section two.

• Purchase a month unlimited pass to your local shala

• Pre-register for classes all month to help you be accountable

• Speak to your teacher and ask them to help you in anyway they can (if students really want my help I’ll text them early in the morning for a few weeks to help them be accountable)

• Ask your closest friends to help support you by not asking to go to late dinners or drinks out during the week or whatever you KNOW are triggers for you to oversleep and skip your yoga.

• Ask your spouse to support you by encouraging you and uplifting you and NOT telling you its ok to skip yoga or begging you to stay in bed with them or make you feel guilty for taking this time for YOU for your practice.

• Set out your yoga clothes and work clothes the night before so when you get up super early you can just jump into the shower and go!

• Make breakfast/lunch for you and/or your children the night before so you can wake up early and be prepared for the day ahead and know you can shower and go without distractions of what’s left to do before the day begins.

• Try to take practice first thing in the morning as often as possible because it is so much easier to let life get in the way in the afternoon or evening…things come up, we are tired, hungry, have to tend to the kids, have dinner meetings etc…

• Set several alarms so you know you can snooze one or two times if need be but by the third alarm you can get up and get going to practice.

• Try to meet someone at your shala or have a friend go to yoga with you so you have someone else to help you be accountable for getting to your mat.

• If there isn’t a teacher near you and you have to practice at home, make sure you have a space that is solely dedicated to yoga (if at all possible). And create that space so that its peaceful, inviting and warm (not the middle of your kitchen floor but ideally an office space or living room area you can decorate, even a little, with things that ground you and help you focus your energy and attention.)

• If you are a self-practitioner, please feel free to message me and I can give you many more tips for creating and maintaining a daily self-practice. It is far harder than having a shala, teacher and community to navigate the practice with. I’d be happy to offer more suggestions.

• Buy a few pieces of practice clothing that are comfortable and make you feel comfortable to practice in.

• Buy a really nice yoga mat that you enjoy doing yoga on daily, that will last a long time and that will provide the comfort and support you need for daily practice. (Manduka Pro mats are my jam!)

• If you want to buy an eye pillow or yoga towel or mat bag. Small things like this will make you feel more committed, make you feel more connected and help you enjoy getting to your mat each day. Nothing wrong with having a few items that aid in that consistency of practice you seek.

• Before you go to bed each night take a few minutes to give thanks for the day you just lived, and outwardly manifest desires for tomorrow…some of which would be giving thanks for the restful nights sleep you are about to enjoy and giving thanks for the soulful and grounding asana practice you will get to enjoy in the morning.

• Be sure to shower each morning before you go to practice. It will help to wake you and make you feel energized for practice, which will make practice more enjoyable and make you more likely to want to ‘wash, rinse, repeat’ asana practice the next day.

• Observe what you eat and drink eat day and look at making some shifts with food to better accommodate an early morning practice. Message me if you would like specific tips on diet for practice.

• Acknowledge that you are an amazing person worthy of all the happiness and joy life has to offer and the only person who can manifest happiness in your life is you.

Now it's time for a few questions. If the answers are all yes, you should keep doing the work to make your practice a priority.

• Do you like how you feel mentally after you finish yoga everyday?

• Do you like how you feel physically after you finish yoga everyday?

• Do you like how empowered you feel learning and practicing a sequence that get to keep with you forever and do no matter where you are?

• Do you like how you sleep when you are keeping a consistent practice routine?

• Do you notice how you naturally make different choices about what you eat and drink and say and think when you are taking regular practice?

• Do you feel more connected to yourself and others when you are keeping a consistent practice?

• Do you recognize how good the practice is for your body and mind?

• Do you feel the benefits of doing a daily practice are worth the effort of creating a consistent practice?

• Do you recognize that this practice, when done consistently, over a long period of time, without break will truly change every aspect of your life for the better?

If you answered yes to the above questions, then you are undoubtedly ready to make and keep a daily practice. It just requires a small shift in your mind set. These simple techniques can make a world of difference for your practice and your whole life!