Keeping a practice going takes a little more than just interest. It takes a certain kind of dedication and will to overcome whatever emotional and time obstacles may be in your way. If getting clear on your reason for keeping the practice going might help you to be more dedicated and consistent, perhaps these five reasons can become a part of your self-pep-talk for getting on the mat and seeing what happens each day.
- No one ever regrets practicing. It is an easy way to do something you are proud of in your day. For people who are really trying to build confidence in their practice, just showing up and doing two or three poses counts. Just get on the mat, and love yourself for it!
- Building consistency in one area of life can extend to all others. Yoga is a really easy way to create consistency. I always say : What we practice on the mat will extend out into our lives. This building of consistency, and habit of consistency moves us into the next one:
- When we have consistency in our practice, we begin to trust ourselves and our ability to complete projects and take care of ourselves. If we already trust this about ourselves, we will tend to deepen this trust, and even develop our methods of using that trust to create our lives and enrich the lives of others. It is more than just confidence building that I am talking about here. Building a consistent practice leads to a sense of trust in yourself, your ability to get things done, and because it is yoga – it also builds trust in your ability to take care of yourself (physical, emotional, spiritual needs). No kidding! Of course, how you practice will affect which of these get built up strongest (See future posts for more information! This is a rich rich topic and can be full of joy if we really look at it!
- Practicing leads to a calm mind. Patanjali was the great sage of yoga who wrote the basic cookbook all the teachers for hundreds of years have used to determine how to practice. He says very clearly in this simple text that “consistent practice over time, without ceasing and in all earnestness leads to yoga” (paraphrase, translation by Sri Swami Satchidananda) – which is the calming of the swirling and whirling of the mind. Want the mind to feel less stressful? Get on the mat. But remember that it must be done consistently over time to “work.”
- Practicing consistently has so many health benefits that are documented in the medical community – it is incredible! There are tons and tons of articles about all of the benefits of yoga. I could recommend so many. If you check out my Facebook page, and like it, you will get updates of new research as I come across it. But when I want to see the list of the most medically accepted research, I use the National Institutes of Health website. Every doctor I have met holds this research to be true and well-documented. You can check out out here.
There are so many more reasons that keeping consistent in your practice, whether that is two times per week, or every day, is so important. Hopefully some of the reasons above are motivating for you. If not, I would encourage you to take 10 minutes and research what you can to find the reasons that are most important to you.
Pose of the Day: Locust Pose – Salabhasana
Thought of the Day: I am doing this because….
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