The irony of my yoga practice has always been that when I need it most, when the going gets though, that’s when I falter. There were a few moments in my life when I wasn’t as consistent with my yoga. These moments happen during a big life event, whether it’s moving to a new place, important deadlines at work, or family affairs. Recently, I think I finally found a turning point, that helped me get over this hurdle. Having yoga rituals and a shift in mindset allow me to have a more consistent practice.
The Turning Point
We had two dogs. The day Wiki passed away, we cried, reminisced, scrolled through videos and pictures of us, and we drank champagne. I don’t usually drink, so that was a big deal. For the next few months, I wasn’t as consistent with my practice. From 4-5 a week of yoga, to once or twice a week.
My other dog, Sprite, passed away a few weeks ago. After getting back from the vet the day she passed, my husband and I went for a walk. He created a playlist and we listened to it together on our earphones. These are songs that reminded us of her. We just kept walking and didn’t say much to each other. The only time we took off our earbuds was to look at a full moon. Unlike before, I did yoga the day after Sprite’s passing. I’ve been consistent with my practice ever since. What changed?
Yoga Rituals and Mindset
When I think about the transformation, I credit two things. First, the power of rituals and second, embracing the mindset of letting go.
Having rituals takes away the first hurdle of starting your practice. A ritual or you can call it a routine, makes starting the practice feel natural, effortless, and necessary. Here are some changes I made:
- I make sure to clean and vacuum the space where I put down my mat daily. This eliminates effort and time when preparing your space when it’s time.
- I keep my yoga mat, blocks, straps, and blanket in the same spot—all accessible and visible. I currently have them all in one basket.
- I stopped thinking of yoga as a workout and more as my time to reset. When I take on this mindset, I don’t feel pressured to get my heart rate up doing sun salutations, include chaturangas, or choose a yoga class that I know will be challenging. This approach doesn’t mean that I will always end up with a passive practice. It just gets me to the mat and I assess what my body needs.
- I tell myself that I’ll only practice for 10 minutes. The lesson is, not thinking of doing a full hour takes away the initial pressure, which makes it easier to start. I always end up practicing for 40-60 minutes, which is what I find my body needs.
- I remind myself to not be afraid to feel heavy. I get motivation when I know that I’ll have a smooth and light practice and a tendency to fear the hard and heavy ones. The heavy practices are not the most enjoyable, but they are the most needed.
- My grounding/opening pose is something I deeply enjoy and one that feels really good. Currently, it’s shoulder rolls.
Mindset
Athletes talk about the importance of recovery, not just physical, but mental recovery. In tennis, whether it’s winning a tough point, or losing an easy one, recovery time or how you bounce back affects overall success. Win or lose the previous point, you have to move on and tackle the next one.
Before, when I was going through a rough or busy patch in my life, although I knew deep down that yoga helps, I didn’t want to lose focus on the problem at hand. That’s the power of yoga—it helps me focus so much that if I did it, I fear taking my mind away from the pressing things in life. But that’s senseless, isn’t it? When yoga takes you away from your worries, you come out of the practice with more clarity and patience for life’s challenges. Yoga IS a part of the recovery. I remind myself that it’s necessary to let go of thinking about responsibilities and to-do lists. These lists and responsibilities are not going anywhere. Having yoga rituals allow me to focus on the important thing: give myself the chance to rest and reset.
Last week, after a rough day, I had the choice between talking and venting out to my husband or unroll my mat and practice. I did the latter. Previously, I would have opted to just sit, talk, and watch TV. It was 8PM and I was exhausted. The practice energized me. In fact, after practice, I did a 30-minute Apple dance routine before taking a hot shower and having a peaceful night’s sleep.
