How to Create a Yoga Practice.

When we talk about yoga, we more often than not hear people refer to it as a practice: "I practice yoga; my yoga practice; I'm going to practice yoga". It is very seldom that we say "I'm going to a yoga class". A class is a class, a one-off event, like going to the gym or supermarket. A practice however, is something that you do consistently with discipline and patience and it's these three things that help us to experience the physical and well being benefits that yoga has to offer. 

Here are some tips to help you create a yoga practice (and not just attend to a yoga class).

1. START SMALL
The first ingredient of creating a yoga practice is consistency, but more often than not, when we think consistency we think frequency. Sure it's great if you can get in a few times a week (three is the magic number after all), but guess what - once a week, every week - is consistency too!  After having my Son and going back to work full time, my practice consisted of one class a week, Sunday afternoons Hot 90 at 4.30pm, it was non-negotiable and it was consistent! Over time, as life changed I was able to attend more, but in the beginning this one class a week was enough. It's better to start with one class a week, then schedule three and not turn up to any of them. So pick a class time that works for you and if all you do is come to that one class every-single-week, you are creating a yoga practice. Start small! ​​

2. SCHEDULE, SCHEDULE, SCHEDULE
Life can be busy, so we have to schedule and prioritise things in order to do them consistently. I schedule EVERYTHING! My daily to-do-list includes not only my work items, but also my personal items, my household items as well as those activities that nourish me like yoga. The world we live in is full of distractions that when I don't write things down I tend to skip out on them. Writing them down makes me accountable and I love the tick that I get to give myself at the end of the day! Of course writing things done on a list is one thing, to actually do them requires discipline particularly the things that nourish us, as they are always the first to go! I'm a big believer in prioritising the hard-stuff, so if your yoga practice is falling into the too hard basket, how can you schedule your life to make a class? If you are running on empty then you are no good to anyone, so schedule, prioritise and be disciplined. 

3. BE A LITTLE SELFISH (& DELIBERATE) ABOUT YOUR CHOICES
Before becoming a Yoga Teacher/Studio Owner I spent 20 years in the world of Financial Services Marketing, the hours could be brutal and the deadlines crazy. I wish I had the awareness then of what I needed to have a more balanced life. When deadlines or home commitments starts to close in, the first thing that we give up is the thing that is going to make us more productive, more patient, more balanced etc. How crazy is that! Sure there are going to be days when you simply cannot get away, but sometimes we have to be selfish about what we choose to do with our time. Next time you jump on the App to cancel a class that you have booked, stop. Take a moment to ask yourself what will serve you the most. Can you still make the class and finish the work task later that night, instead of being home for dinner, can you be back in time to snuggle with the kids over a bedtime story, I guarantee if it was a work task, it will take you half the time to do it after class than before, and if it was something to do with the kids, you will be far more patient and present with them after class!

4. GET UNCOMFORTABLE.
Our life in the 21st century is all about comfort. Comfortable houses, cars, ergonomically designed desks and chairs, it's not very often that we put ourselves in uncomfortable situations on purpose! The 26+2 hot yoga practice is a challenging practice and at times it will get uncomfortable - even for seasoned practitioners - but as a visiting teacher said recently, "for the magic to happen, you have to step out of your comfort zone" because it's only when we step out of our comfort zone, that we can see what is possible. Some days it will feel easy, while other days it will feel like there is a literal brick wall that you just can't get past. Be patient with yourself during these times of uncomfortable, try not to get attached to the outcome of the pose or the class, instead be open to what the uncomfortable is showing you. Accept that some classes will be better than others and then come back. At times, life will be uncomfortable, so learning to be comfortable and patient with the uncomfortable in the hot room, can also help you navigate through the uncomfortable times outside the hot room.  ​

5. SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS.
Even though I have my own studio, I keep a stash of yoga clothes and a mat in my car! It's true. Make it easy to practice regularly. Keep your mat/towel and yoga gear in the car, it's one less thing to organise and there is no excuse. The occasional times that I do the 6am class , I have my yoga gear at the foot of the bed, and somedays I even go to bed in my yoga top, so its a quick change out of pjs, into yoga pants! Setting yourself up for success is also about being disciplined or deliberate about your choices. If you are booked in for the Saturday 8am Hot 90 Class, maybe be deliberate about the choices you make the night before. Every persons success looks different and what you do to set that up will also look different, but being disciplined and deliberate about your choices will go a long way. 

6. BE PATIENT AND KIND. 
Creating a yoga practice takes time - so be patient with yourself and get in touch with your why's for practicing. My why these days - so that I can age gracefully and without too much discomfort and be around to watch my son's journey through life. Some weeks, it might be impossible to get to class, you might be sick, you might have to go away for work... and that's ok!  But the more that you can start to see your yoga practice as just something you do on a regular basis for your health and wellbeing the more engraved it becomes in your life.. and that is when you literally start to crave getting into the hot room. 

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali says that the first qualification for the practice that it should be done for a 'long time'. There is no quick fix, just regular practice. And then practice should be down 'without break'. Not the occasional casual drop in class, but consistent and continuous practice. And the last qualification is in 'all earnestness'. This means with full attention of your mind and body. In other words, consistency, patience, and discipline. 

Happy practicing friends, see you in the hot room soon!
Anj x