Keeping Up with Your Practice
This week I've heard from several people who are frustrated by not being able to have a consistent yoga practice. Mothers with young children, yoga teachers, and even retired folks all had one thing in common: not being able to find time for themselves. Our lives are so busy that it's easy to fill every moment before we flop our exhausted selves into bed at night.
I try to have a daily yoga practice, but there have always been times in my life when it's been a struggle. A couple of months ago I attended an inspiring workshop and came home all gung-ho and looking forward to stepping on the mat the next morning. But I woke up exhausted. I had to teach later, and I decided to conserve my energy for my students and resume my personal practice the next morning. But I woke up sick. I had caught a flu that wiped me out for several days. As soon as I started feeling better, I hurt my wrist carrying a heavy grocery bag. I could do a modified practice, but I was very frustrated that I couldn't apply the wonderful things I learned in the workshop. It seemed like a long time passed before I got back on track.
Life is like that. And most of us are following the path of the householder yogi. This means that even though yoga is an important part of our lives, we are also in relationships, we have jobs, and other interests to attend to. Sometimes taking care of our children or our aging parents is our yoga practice. Sometimes the body needs an extra hour of sleep more than it needs asana, and that's a practice -- listening to your body. So there's no need to feel guilty or feel like a bad yogi if life is presenting other ways in which to practice. But at the same time, we know how good we feel after practice, and we know that the benefits ripple out to all of the others in our lives. We know that caregivers need to recharge their batteries in order to continue caring. And we know that if we don't take care of our health and mental well being, we won't function well in any area of our lives. And let's face it -- we like being yogis, and yogis need to do yoga!
So don't beat yourself up if you miss a practice, but try to get back on track as soon as possible before not practicing becomes an ingrained habit.
Here are a few hints to keep a steady practice:
- Remember that practice is a Tapas -- or discipline. Just do it! For many people, practicing first thing in the morning is the best time -- before the phone starts ringing and people start making demands on you. Can you get up before your kids do? Can you go to your mat as soon as they get on the bus? Can you spare a half hour before you go to work? Carve out a time and stick to it -- even a short practice is better than no practice.
- Watch out for time wasters. We feel like we have no extra time, but there are usually a couple of hours that we could recoup by spending less time surfing the net, watching T.V., etc. Remember that magical quality of yoga: Taking the time to do it seems to create more time! After practice the mind is clear, we are more efficient, and it seems that we have plenty of time in the day to do what needs to be done.
- Remember that pranayam is a practice too. Even if you're unable to do asana, you can probably spend 10 - 15 minutes breathing. Or how about meditating before bed time? It will quiet the mind and help you get a good night's sleep.
- Go to class! If you keep getting bogged down by family, chores, or a big pile of papers on your desk, step outside of your environment to practice. Getting out and going to class ensures that you will have an uninterrupted practice.
Namaste!
Sandy Pradas