Throughout the past years of my yoga journey, I’ve experienced many ups and downs as far as motivation and consistency.
Here is a brief overview…
During my first two years of practicing yoga I was extremely committed. I was practicing asana (physical postures) everyday for at least an hour. Because it was something new to me, I felt excited to practice each day. I found inspiration through connecting with the online yoga community, participating in challenges and setting goals for myself to learn certain postures. I was mostly practicing strong and intense styled yoga — vinyasa and power, because that was all that I knew. However, I soon realized that I was pushing myself too hard and not giving my body adequate time to rest and recover. As a result, I was left feeling tired and burnt out. Not only physically, but I felt my mental health starting to take a toll as well. I went through a phase where I hardly had the desire to unroll my yoga mat. It started feeling more like a chore, something I ‘had’ to do, rather than something I would look forward to doing.
Around this time I ended up taking a six-month break from both social media and my physical practice and instead, decided to focus more of my attention to my practice off the mat. At this time, I decided to sign up for a Yoga Teacher Training, where I immersed myself in a 200 hour course — learning meditation, breath-work techniques and the philosophy of yoga. This, I realized was what my practice was missing. I immediately felt a strong desire to get back into the physical practice again.
Fast forward three years and now I finally feel as though I have found the true balance in my yoga practice. I don’t practice physical asana every single day, but I am still consistent. I am a big believer in practicing yoga on and off the mat, so I try to incorporate some aspect of yoga in my daily life. I am excited to share with you some of the lessons I have learned over the years, and hopefully these tips help you to stay motivated in your own yoga practice.
1) Find your intention
An intention is essentially something you want to amplify or cultivate more of (either on the mat or in your life). So you are trying to find your ‘why’ or your purpose. So if you don’t know what your intention is, perhaps ask yourself why you practice yoga in the first place. What does yoga provide for you? How do you feel after practicing? Personally, I practice yoga because it allows me to live a more calm and mindful life. I am more present and self-aware because of the physical, mental and spiritual benefits. The reason why it is so important to find your intention, is because this is what will help motivate you to stick with your practice. I have found writing down my intention really helps. You can keep it in a journal or maybe you have it placed somewhere that you see it everyday to help remind you. Know that your intentions might change over time and that’s okay.
2) Keep it short & sweet
I think one of the most common excuses we make up is that ‘we don’t have time.’ The truth is, if something is important to you, then you’ll make time for it. Remember that it’s not all or nothing. A little goes a long way. In the beginning of my own personal practice I had this mindset. I thought, “Well if I can’t fit in an hour long class then I’m not going to practice at all.” Which is eventually what lead me to burnout because I was forcing myself to do long sessions.
But here’s the thing: it’s not about how long you practice for, it’s about showing up for yourself. Taking 10-20 minutes is all you need to get the full effects of a session. When strapped for time, I find even just a few rounds of sun salutations or 10 minutes of seated meditation can set a more relaxed tone for the day. The most important thing is to really listen to your body and learn what it needs.
3) Stick to a schedule
Set aside time each day for when you can dedicate to your practice.
This is going to be different for everyone, we all live different lives and have different schedules. I don’t believe in there being a ‘wrong’ or ‘right’ time of day to practice. I believe whatever time works for you, works for you. What I would recommend is to come up with a specific time each day (or every other day, or week, or however often you decide you want to practice) that you can commit to. Keep it consistent! If you’re a morning person then great, practice in the morning before your day gets started. Or maybe you’re the type of person who likes to workout in the evening because you like to have that as something you look forward to at the end of the day. Again, there’s no right or wrong time to practice yoga. It’s about finding out what works for your schedule and sticking to it!
Another thing that might help you is to write down in your calendar or in your phone what days you plan on practicing. Finding a regular, set time each day is so important because then you can build the rest of your schedule around your practice and not the other way around. You won’t have to worry or stress out about having to find time or a way to fit in a yoga session. If you’re practicing yoga at a studio, buy a membership rather than a single class. Yes, it is more expensive, but it also might motivate you to actually go, because you have already spent the money.
4) Find inspiration
There are so many different ways you can do this.
One way is to find a yoga buddy, someone who can either practice with you or keep you accountable, a partner, friend, roommate. So you can tell them, “hey I’m trying to practice yoga 3-4x this week, can you just check in on me, ask me how it’s going from time to time.” And usually what happens is if you share a goal with someone you’re twice as likely to stay committed to it.
I think for me in the beginning of my practice, I used social media to really help me stay inspired. I didn’t have many people in my life at the time who practiced yoga, so I turned to the online community. I started talking to other yogis on instagram and joining in on yoga challenges. I remember I tried one for an entire month and it really helped me stay accountable. You can also use Instagram to keep track of your progress, or simply take photos for yourself! It’s fun to look back on old photos to see how far you’ve come in your physical practice. It is also helpful when you’re practicing at home to record yourself so that you can check your alignment and make sure you’re practicing certain poses correctly. If you’re using social media, make sure that you’re using it in a healthy, positive way. Remember not to compare yourself.
Another easy way you can inspire yourself is by setting up a warm and welcoming yoga space in your house, if you practice at home. I love my little yoga area because I’ve filled it with some of my favorite plants and it’s just a nice, spacious area that’s really inspiring to practice in. I find it’s helpful to have a specific place set aside solely for my yoga practice that way I don’t have to worry about making more space.
5) Try a new style
As I mentioned briefly in the overview, when I first started practicing yoga, I mostly stuck to fast-paced vinyasa and power styled classes. It wasn’t until my yoga teacher training, that I was introduced to yin. After my first few sessions of this slower-paced style, I remember thinking that it was so different from what I had ever practiced before and I could tell that it was something that I needed to balance out my yoga practice.
I’m sure there are some yogis out there who might disagree with me on this, and are more committed to one lineage or one style of yoga. And that’s fine! I’m sure that works for some people. But I believe that lack of inspiration usually comes out of boredom. What I’ve learned is that a little bit of variety is better for me personally. I enjoy being able to pick different styles to practice based on how I’m feeling and what’s going on with my body. So some days I do feel like I need a good power vinyasa class and other days, for instance, when I’m on my menstrual cycle, I know that I need a restorative class. And that’s how I’ve been able to come back to a more enjoyable practice.
If you’re currently struggling to keep up with a consistent practice, or are lacking inspiration, take a look at the style of yoga you practice most often. Is there something new you can learn? If you focus solely on asana, how can you incorporate breath-work or meditation in your practice?
6) Take your yoga off the mat
This is a big one, at least it was for me, as I started transitioning into a more balanced lifestyle. Yoga is more than asana. Asana is actually just 1 of the 8 limbs of the yogic path. So I encourage you to explore the deeper philosophy of yoga. Take the yoga values of non-attachment, gratitude and non-harming off the mat and into your day. This is such a great way to incorporate yoga into your daily life. The physical aspects of yoga definitely teach us valuable lessons, like patience, acceptance and endurance. So use those lessons when a co-worker annoys you, or you miss the bus, get an argument with your sibling or parent. Take a moment to pause, breathe and calm your nervous system. Think before you react. The practice can go as deep as you want it to — physically and spiritually.