There is stormy weather ahead.
The bright flash in the sky was followed immediately by a big boom. The lightening was almost overhead. The rain was coming down in torrents and Alice could hardly see out of the window. The wind was blowing the rain against the side of the house. As the storm intensified it got darker and darker until the street lights turned on.
The stormy weather reminded Alice of the time she had a Practice Buddy that was not compatible. For a while it was a stormy relationship until she decided to end it and broke up with her Practice Buddy. Now she is determined to find a Practice Buddy that is more compatible with her and avoid the stormy relationship.
What is a Practice Buddy
A Practice Buddy is a person that you have made arrangements with to practice yoga together. But they are more than just a practice partner to Alice.
Why have a Practice Buddy
Finding someone to be your Practice Buddy will improve your yoga practice in several ways:
- You will encourage each other to attend your yoga practice regularly.
- You can talk to each other about the practice you just had and help each other to understand it better.
- Having a partner will increase your enjoyment in your yoga practice.
Having a Practice Buddy will help each of you to improve your yoga practice, but like any relationship the two of you need to be compatible or you are going to run into some stormy weather later on.
There are several personality traits that you should check out before you start a relationship with a new Practice Buddy.
What are the traits of a good Practice Buddy
There are many traits that Alice is going to check out to see if her new Practice Buddy will be compatible.
- Punctual – Both of you must have the same approach to being punctual. Be it always early, or always last minute, it does not matter which as long as you both have the same tendency.
- Dependable – Will they always be there for you? Will they let you know when they can not make it? Do they leave you in the lurch? You need a Practice Buddy there will keep their commitments and be there when they say they will be there.
Like any relationship Alice needs to find out if she is compatible with her new potential Practice Buddy.
- No personality conflict – You and your Practice Buddy need to have compatible personalities. There is no point having a Practice Buddy that annoys you.
- Similar skill levels – You can go two ways on this trait. You can look for someone that is more experienced than you and use them as a mentor that you can learn from. Or you can look for someone that has similar skills and abilities as you and you can learn from each other. Check with yourself to see which situation you want to be in and look for a match to your desires.
- Motivation – If you are laid back you may want someone as your Practice Buddy that is laid back as well. If you are a yoga nut you will want to partner with another yoga nut. On the other hand you may want to partner with someone else that has more enthusiasm than you and that will help you to improve your yoga practice. Again check with yourself to see which way you want to go with this trait.
- Attitude – You want some one that has a positive mental attitude. A negative attitude will drag you down and your yoga practice will suffer.
- Open mind – You want to find a Practice Buddy that is flexible in their approach to yoga. You do not want someone that insists that there is only one way and that it is there way.
Summary
Having a Practice Buddy will help you to improve your yoga practice and get more benefit out of each class that you attend.
Like any relationship Alice needs to find out if she is compatible with her new potential Practice Buddy. If they are compatible then they will be able to avoid that stormy weather and have a sunny and beneficial relationship.
Next Step
The next time you are in yoga class use the traits above to help you find your Practice Buddy. Your teacher may be able to suggest some people for you to consider.
Additional Reading
For more on how to pick a Practice Buddy have a look at How to pick a practice buddy and reach your yoga goal
Read this article for the The 3 habits of great yoga practice buddies
If one Practice Buddy is good are 2 or 3 better? Read How many Practice Buddies should you have to find out.
