Take Yoga Off Your to-do list?
Hey,
I recently got another email in my inbox with the subject line “How to make your yoga practice more consistent” and I know this might sound weird coming from a yoga teacher….but what would it look like to take yoga off your to-do list? 🤔
Okay , I hope you realize I am not advocating for you to stop doing yoga because in many ways I can see how yoga has significantly improved my quality of life. However, there is a lot of pressure we can put on health goals like doing yoga that embeds it with a lot of shame, expectations, and worry about following a routine.
I always root for students to ditch what they have been told they “have” to do or “should” do in yoga classes (and in life). This case is no different. When we put yoga on a to-do list and hold ourselves to the expectation of practicing X amount of times a week for Y amount of minutes you might be missing the whole point of yoga.
DEVELOPING A LISTEN-AND-RESPONSE COMMUNICATION LINE BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR BODY. (Sorry for the all CAPs but it’s important.)
Here are some steps to still find consistency in your yoga practice while also leaving room for body exploration and nuance.
Check in with yourself- You might choose to set up a schedule you want to follow for integrating yoga into your daily/weekly life which is great! Along with your schedule add in points where you can do a check in about the schedule you have set up.
An example of this would be, Schedule: “I will take a yoga class every Wednesday” Check in: “It’s Wednesday time to do a check in. Does my body feel open to taking a yoga class today Yes or No? If no, how about a little stretch/movement break at home? If yes, what kind of yoga class do I want to take? What is going to feel most supportive to my needs today?” Having these little check in moments allows you to still work towards your goals AND you are developing body trust and your ability to listen to what your body needs! Double win.
2. Yoga can mean many different things- Allow room for variations. The class type, length of your practice, and the location of your yoga practice can be flexible. You can do yoga seated at home on your couch, in bed, at your office desk, in a car. You can practice mindfulness and meditation on a walk, while doing dishes, in your bed after waking up etc. Be creative, be flexible, don’t get bogged down in what yoga is “supposed” to look like.
3. Leave shame out of the equation- If you notice you have stepped away from your goal allow that to be a great moment to notice why. There might have been external factors that impacted you like the weather, life events, or changes in your routine. There could have been some internal barriers to practicing like your mood, motivation levels, or energy levels. Notice what came up for you. What was unavoidable and what can you make adjustments for in the future. Don’t shame yourself by what you are learning. Life is really one big experiment after another. Your yoga practice can be a space where you learn more about yourself and shame deeply impacts your brain and body’s ability to learn.
I hope you found some of these tips helpful and you can start to implement them into your yoga routine for the new year. A gentle reminder that we are not productivity robots. We are human, we are animals. We will change week to week, month to month, and year to year and that is okay! Change often means growth. 💓
Here are a few quick announcements about the upcoming week’s classes!
Friday January 27th @ 7:30 pm -Partner Yoga night. Bring a friend or your S/o to come play around in some yoga poses together.
Sunday January 29th @ 12:00 pm- Beginner’s yoga class. Come join in on our last few weeks of beginners classes. $12.50 to pop in for a class there are 3 weeks left.
February classes to add to your calendar
Fat Yoga Friends- Feb. 4th @10:30 am
Burnout Club- Feb 4th @ 2 pm
Partner Yoga Night- Feb 24th @ 7:30 pm
Prenatal Yoga Series starts Feb. 26th @ 12pm
I hope you have a great week! And remember to take yoga off your to-do list and put it on your to feel list :)
-Janae
