This is a short little musing over the fact that starting yoga, doesn’t have to be all that complicated. Yoga isn’t just doing poses on the mat, it’s a way of living that allows you to integrate more mindful movement of the body in your daily life.
I spend a lot of time convincing my clients that progress happens one step at a time. We are often so focused on doing everything at once, achieving everything at once. But my focus when I teach is to ensure that my clients get something out of their training, that they engage, but most of all, that they keep training and evolve.
Also, check out” 5 easy yoga poses for better sleep.“
Discipline is one of the keywords, the next is change, and then patience. Trying something new, and continuing to do it, is one of the hardest things for us humans, adding the fact that you will have to cultivate a bit of patience on top of that, just builds on the challenge.
That is why I will always encourage you to quietly integrate more movement and awareness into your everyday life in general. You don’t need to devote hours a week to yoga or to change all your habits and routines at once. Even small changes in your habits can make a big difference. If you don’t feel like you’re ready for regular yoga practice, or you don’t have the energy to practice yoga one day, then just try treating yourself to a good book instead.
But … before you start reading, get up from the sofa, bed, or deep armchair and place a pillow on the floor instead. Now sit in a comfortable position in the middle of the floor without support or lie on the floor and start reading. Make sure that you are not sitting in a draft and that you are sufficiently warm (the blanket from the sofa can come in handy here).
While sitting or lying on the floor to read, move around a bit, move your arms and legs, roll around, do anything you want, but stay on the floor as long as you can and you have already started your yoga practice.
Being able to sit on the ground, without support, can actually be quite challenging for most, so cultivating this skill already helps you lay down some of the foundational groundwork in yoga.
Remember all tricks apply….. 👍🏼