Over the past 10 years or so of practicing yoga, I’ve had periods where for many reasons I’ve not done any yoga. Sometimes it’s been short periods of time, others it’s been year long breaks. On many of those occasions it’s been when I’ve been too busy and ironically in most need of yoga! Somehow, I’ve rediscovered the mat or the mat’s rediscovered me and it’s reignited my love for yoga.
Over the past couple of years, through DYWM and studio classes, I’ve practiced most weeks, a lot of the time a few times per week. I’ve still however had periods where I’ve stopped, got out of a routine and had to rediscover yoga again. I organise DYWM group classes at work, and that is often the best way to get me back on the mat as I’ve others that rely on me, and once I re-start I just can’t stop.
I’ve heard others say they put their mat out the night before so it reminds them to do yoga the next morning. Or they ease themselves in gently with short classes to remind them of how good they feel.
How about you. Have you ever taken extended breaks from yoga? what got you back on the mat?
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Nicely said. It’s great to recognize the patterns that we can fall into and how the love for personal well being can be so strong.
I find the answer is simple for me. If I miss a few days, or occasionally a week, of yoga my body will crave yoga because I feel more stiff and I have less energy. The catch is that waiting longer increases my body’s resistance, so rolling the mat out sooner makes it easier.
I do love the idea of having less obstacles to my practice after waking up. Having a clean room where my mat is already rolled out and the room is warm allows me to flop onto my mat soon after waking. And playing a video with one of my favorite teachers gets my enthusiasm piqued so it’s easy to get into the flow.
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Yes, there are times when my work and research seem to take so much time that I neglect my yoga practices. When that happens, I can feel the stress creeping into my body which makes me crave my yoga practice. Also, I am a fairly small person and yoga helps me feel bigger for some reason. I feel looser and longer when I practice regularly. When I start feeling stressed and conflicted with too many obligations and deadlines or if I feel my body start to tighten, I roll out my mat and connect with DYWM.
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that’s great to hear. it must be so positive to recognise that you’re becoming stressed, take control of the situation and get on your mat. I find that even the shortest of classes can make a whole world of difference. in fact I’m finding the DYWM 21-day meditation programme to be a perfect way to focus on my breath and as a means of clearing my mind of cluttered thoughts through very short classes.
A great reply. I’m now on the flipside of getting back on the mat. I’ve joined a new yoga studio in Bristol, UK this week which is just what I needed to complement my home practice with DYWM. I am now feeling the constant inner buzz and glow from getting back on the mat. I missed that for sure.
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