When people in my classes talk about having a daily yoga practice we inevitably come back to the challenge of finding the time and staying motivated. There is so much advice on this topic, I don’t have the space and you don’t have the time to go through it all here! So I have picked some tips as a Yoga teacher and previously a Life Coach that I have found most useful to me and to those I have helped. I have Yoga practise in mind here but because Yoga brings together your physical, mental and emotional aspects, these tips can be applied to pretty much anything you are trying to find time to do.
- Ask yourself WHY?
Look into the future for a moment and assume you are already doing it.
How do you feel while practising and immediately afterwards? Has it changed how you feel or behave around other people? Has it impacted other areas of your life? Identify physical, mental and emotional differences to where you are now and create a clear picture in your mind or on paper.
- Prepare
Find a space where you can easily set up and begin. Make sure your mat, blanket and any other equipment you need are to hand. If you are sharing space let the people around you know what you are doing, perhaps explain some of the reasons why so they know not to disturb you.
3. Night owl or early bird?
When do you have the most energy and focus mentally and physically? This may change during the week/month/year so make a note and respond to it.
4. Little and often
It’s usually easier to find 20 mins in a day than a whole hour. Once you do 20 minutes every day you will find it easier to extend or repeat that during the day if you want to. You can try ‘Habit Stacking’* This means taking advantage of activities or behaviours already in place and connecting your new habit to it. For example standing on one leg while brushing your teeth to improve balance, breath awareness while waiting in traffic, mindful moments while walking the dog.
- Never ‘rack up a zero’ **
If you intended to do 20 mins and it’s not happened when you planned, do something else. It can be small, maybe 2-3 mins breathing. For today that is your practice you haven’t missed it you just adapted it.
- Balance repetition with newness
Repetition builds strength physically and also mentally for example building up a meditation routine. However humans also crave stimulation. We get bored quickly which has helped us invent and evolve so don’t fight this. Instead, regularly refresh with a new posture or change your surroundings.
Creating a new habit isn’t a thing to tick off once complete, it is never really finished. It will need to constantly evolve to still work in your constantly evolving life. If you do lose momentum. go back to the first point – the why – make sure it is still relevant.
There will never be enough time to do everything you want so make changes where you need to, this isn’t failing, it’s choosing to make the most of the precious time you have.
This article was written for The Sherborne Times and can be found in the August 2024 edition.
References:
*S. J. Scott – Habit Stacking: 97 Small Life Changes That Take Five Minutes or Less
**James Clear – Atomic Zero
