Guest Post: 5 Ways to Rejuvenate Your Yoga Practice
5 Ways to Rejuvenate Your Motivation for Yoga Practice
It's easy to make great progress with your personal yoga practice, and then -- for some reason -- suddenly fall out of it. Maybe your routine gets interrupted by a week of overtime at work, or maybe you go to a family reunion and don't have any time for yourself to practice. In just a short time, you get comfortable with not doing your asanas, and your body stiffens up - and then the mind stiffens up, too. You become psychologically resistant to getting yourself back on the mat. Don't feel bad, it happens to even the top yoga teachers and celebrities!
Here are easy 5 tips for getting your mind back into "yoga gear" and getting your body back onto the mat:
- Change your scenery. It get get tiresome and demotivating to do your yoga in the same exactly place, every time. If you go outside for fresh air, go on the top of your roof at sunset for the view, or practice out by the pool - it can really give you more motivation and a new mindset. New location = new motivation.
- Play some new music. While some people swear by doing yoga to the sounds of "the breath only" - I find this to be rather boring, especially indoors. I really enjoy
doing music to instrumental music and also tracks with very gentle beats. Music can help move your mind and move your body back in the direction of a healthy practice. Google "yoga music"
and you'll find hundreds of worthy suggestions. - Buy a new Yoga DVD. When it's really difficult to summon the willpower do get through the asana sequence on your own, but it's not that hard to motivate yourself to slide in a DVD and follow along. Invest in a new yoga DVD or online video course... and commit to dragging yourself through it for one week. By the end of the week, you may find that you are back in the groove and actually want to continue.
- Take a class or practice with a friend. Get social and sign yourself up for a weekly class or an unlimited yoga studio. By investing a little bit of cash into your yoga practice, you'll find yourself not wanting to waste what you have already spent. The investment, plus the new instruction and perspective you'll get from your teacher... you'll find yourself back on track in no time. If you can't afford a class, just ask a friend to meet up and practice with you. Or offer to teach them yoga. It's amazing how much the presence of another person can motivate you and keep you accountable.
- Imagine how much better you'll feel. It's really easy to get stuck in a comfortable, "low-vibration" rut where you trick yourself into thinking it would be better to sit around. But think of how much younger and more alive you feel when you're in the yoga studio. Think of the inner glow you'll feel. Your body will be supple and flexible... your work and family life will be more harmonious... and your chances of getting sick or injured will decrease.
Although it can feel hard to get started, doing yoga is one of the best ways to nurture yourself, so give yourself the love you deserve and get back on the mat! You'll be so glad you did.
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Ravi Singh is an American-born writer whose main interests are meditation, yoga, creativity, blogging and social media. You can read his blog Deeper into Sahaja Meditation - or find out more on Twitter.