August 01, 2019

3: 5 Aspects of a Consistent Practice

19 minutes

See more at http://www.quietmind.yoga/resources

Like anything, the more consistent your practice becomes, the more significant results you'll see: increased flexibility, strength, balance and equanimity of mind. Many of the advanced poses will come as a side effect of regular practice. Many of the day-to-day benefits of feeling less stressed and reactive will come as a side effect of regular practice. If we chase these goals directly it will likely lead to frustration and injury. Instead, we can focus on making it easy to have a consistent practice. Here are 5 things I've found to be helpful:

You make it a routine - a time, a place, a stop and start. it could be a class or at home. The more automatic it is to get to practice, the less willpower needed.

You have support - You've likely heard you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Find peers who also practice yoga and it will become the new norm.

You have a teacher you like - It's good to explore at first but once you find a teacher or two you like it is one less variable to decide on. A good teacher will have consistent classes or offerings for you to continue to deepen your practice.

You practice releasing judgments and expectations - Easier said than done, but one of the most demotivating things you can do is compare yourself - even to yourself. Every day is different, every practice is different. Yoga is about being with what arises without judgment. Any judgment is just a reminder to come back to being with this new experience.

You have a space that makes it easy to practice - If you practice at a study, make it easy to get there. If you practice at home have a space that is ideally just used for yoga with things that feel inspiring and motivating to practice. If it needs to be a multipurpose space, make it easy to move obstructions.

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By Jeremy Devens