Getting back on your mat

One of the most common reason people stop practising yoga is time – or a perceived lack of it. When we get busy, the first thing to go is usually self-care, which often includes our yoga practice. If you’ve fallen off the yoga wagon and are ready to re-claim your moments on the mat, here’s how to make a comeback!

1. Examine your motivation

First, take a look at your motivation to get into a regular yoga practice routine. We tend to fill our lives with thoughts like: “I should…”, “I ought to…”, “I’m not a good… if I don’t do…”, “They’ll think I’m … if I don’t ….”

Watch out for these thoughts – practice because you want to and because it makes you feel good, not because of pressure, whether that’s from yourself or anyone else.

2. Revise your beliefs

Next look at your beliefs about what counts as a “practice”. There’s no doubt about it, you can’t beat the feeling after a long yoga class. However, finding 60 – 90 minutes every day isn’t that easy for most of us and can be frankly overwhelming.

But don’t turn it into a reason not to practise at all – just get on the mat anyway. If you only have ten minutes do some meditation – it’s all worth it!

Zen in 10 – 10-minute yoga classes for your daily dose of yoga!

Zen in 10!

10 classes

3. Get organised

Research shows that we’re more likely to stick to goals when we make them specific – so plan dates and specific times for your practice. Try to stick to the same time each day to help you build your habit. If you practise first thing in the morning lay out your mat and your clothes the night before. If you know you normally get hungry, or low in energy, have a light snack so you can last until after practice.

4. Keep motivated

You know you feel better after practising but getting down to it is where the obstacles come in. So to stay motivated, review your progress by keeping a practice journal. Write down how you feel after different kinds of classes and remind yourself of this whenever you feel like you might be drifting off course.

“Rest deeply in Savasana every day. Always enter that pratyahara (withdrawn state) every day. And just enjoy yourself. For many years I mistook discipline as ambition. Now I believe it to be more about consistency. Do get on the mat. Practice and life are not that different.” — Judith Hanson Lasater

Related:

• Is 20 minutes of yoga enough?
• 6 steps to build a yoga habit

CongDongYoga Written by one of the CongDongYoga staff or guest writers. A dedicated team of yoga teachers, yoga students, anatomy geeks, and recipe creators.