Creative Ways to Get Back to Your Practice if It's Lagging

There are a thousand things that can get in the way of you and your yoga practice.

When we’re busy, it’s usually those self-care things like yoga that go out the window first.

If you’re a yoga teacher, you might be around yoga so much that you start to burn out on your own practice.

As you age and your doctors push the importance of cardio and strength training, yoga might get left behind.

If you’re a caretaker, taking care of yourself might feel less important than taking care of others.

So what do you do when your practice starts to lag – or has been pushed aside for a long time?

You do the practice!

Do whatever it takes to get on your mat for any amount of time, then keep doing it so it starts to become a habit.

Here are some of the most creative ways I’ve learned to get back to your yoga practice:

Pop on your headphones and move. In an ideal world, your yoga practice would include silence and space to listen inwardly. However, we’re talking about creating habits and making it happen. So make a playlist of your favorite motivating tunes, put on headphones (or blast the music if you won’t disturb others), get on your mat, and start doing whatever yoga wants to happen for the duration of the playlist or for as long as you have time for.
Set a 10-minute timer. Whatever your day looks like, you have 10 minutes to gift yourself somewhere in there. Get on your mat, set the timer, and do your practice until the timer goes off. If you want to keep going after 10 minutes, great! You might just surprise yourself.
Make a Zoom date. Set up a time with a couple of other yoga friends so you feel less alone. Keep the mics on while you practice so you can talk to each other while it’s happening. One person could lead the practice, or everyone could do their own practice and chime in when they want to share something. Offer feedback on each others’ form, exchange how you’re feeling, check in with your yoga buddies, and get some connection back into your practice.
Join a yoga series. Find a yoga series that meets online or in-person once or twice a week with the same people and same teacher. You’ll have a schedule to stick to and people to connect with throughout the series – win-win!
Attend a yoga retreat. When it’s safe to do so, treat yourself to a yoga retreat. Having a dedicated space away from the usual day-to-day activity, with other people taking care of things like food and cleaning, and consistent deep-dive yoga classes with the same group can help bring your yoga practice back into your life. By the time you leave, it’ll be hard to imagine NOT continuing your yoga practice!

Photo by Alexandar Todov on Unsplash