A daily yoga practice will give you many benefits. There are several techniques you can use to help you to establish one.
Alice’s yoga teacher is talking to the class about the benefits of a daily yoga practice.
- You will be more focused during the day,
- You will be better able to handle stress,
- You will have a healthier body,
- and you will be more relaxed.
Alice has heard about these benefits several times already but today is different. Today she decides that the time has come for her to step up to the challenge of yoga once a day.
She tells her yoga teacher that she is kind of daunted by the prospect of moving to a daily practice. She is currently practising once or twice a week fairly regularly. It is going to be a real challenge to move to a daily practice.
Her yoga teacher has some suggestions on how she can get started developing a daily yoga practice:
- Mornings are best
- Start gradually
- Get a practice buddy
Adopting an early morning practice will get your day off to a great start.
1. Mornings are best
Practising first thing in the morning is the best approach to follow when you are moving to a daily yoga practice. You get your yoga practice in before your day starts and you establish a solid foundation for your day. You can start with a short practice each morning and over time you can expand it into a longer practice. All you need to do is get up a little earlier each day.
This does not mean that you should not practice in the evening or other times of the day. If for some reason you can not get your morning practice in then you can fit in a practice at some other time of the day. This is easier to do than the other way around. If you only practice in the evening and you can not make the class then you have lost the day.
To go from a weekly yoga practice to a daily one Alice’s yoga teacher tells her to start gradually.
2. Start gradually
Alice is practising yoga once a week now and she plans on increasing her frequency to twice a week. It is tough to go all of sudden from a weekly practice to an everyday practice. Alice is taking her teacher’s advice about working into a daily practice gradually.
After a month or two Alice will review how well she is doing. If the twice a week is solidly established then it is time for her to move up to 3 or 4 times a week.
However if the twice a week is still challenging then Alice is planning on incorporating some of the other suggestions that her yoga teacher made.
To help you establish your daily yoga practice get the help of a friend. They can become your Practice Buddy and support you in your efforts.
3. Get a Practice Buddy
Make arrangements with one of your friends to practice together a certain number of days a week. You each agree to attend classes together and encourage each other to get out to practice.
You can share your progress and challenges with your practice buddy. If you are finding a pose particularly challenging you can check with your buddy to see if they have a different perspective on the pose.
You will be less likely to skip a practice when you have a Practice Buddy expecting you to be there in class.
A Practice Buddy will help you to keep resistance at bay and move you forward towards your goal of a daily practice. But sometimes it does not matter what you do, you need a break.
What to do when you need a break
A daily practice does not mean that you never ever take a day off.
Consider taking these days off from your regular practice
- Rest Day. One day a week to give your body a rest. You pick the day. Move it around. Don’t always take the same day off.
- Full moon and New moon days. These days can be quite challenging for the mind. Take a rest day now.
- Monthly period. Take some time off. Your body needs to rest and recover from this event.
Even when you take all of these days off you still have a daily practice. Now you have something to look forward to. You look forward to that one day a week, or those moon days when you can take a day off. Once you are on your day off you look forward to the next day when you can get back on your mat and return to your daily practice.
Taking a break is one of the best things that you can do. It will give you new energy and enthusiasm for your daily practice.
Summary
Alice is working on establishing a daily yoga practice following the suggestions that her yoga teacher gave her.
- She adopted a morning practice in addition to her usual evening practises. She did not want to lose contact with the her friends in class.
- She gradually added classes to her schedule over a couple of months and is feeling comfortable with her new level of commitment.
- She has found a great Practice Buddy and they practice together in the evenings. Sometimes they do a morning practice at each others home.
Alice plans to take Sundays off once a week to give her body a rest and to keep her enthusiasm high.
She is starting to reap some of the benefits that her yoga teacher told her would come from her daily practice.
Next Step
Talk to your yoga teacher about how to get started with a daily practice for yourself. They will be able to assess your current situation and give you guidance on how best to proceed.
Additional Reading
Check out this article on How to pick a practice buddy and reach your yoga goal to learn more about Practice Buddies and their many benefits.
To learn more about rest days and your daily yoga practice read Why are there rest days in yoga.
To tame the twin dragons of Resistance and Chaos and maintain your daily practice check out the article How to keep your daily yoga practice going when the dragons strike.
