We all want to transform our lives. From improving your fitness to finding peace of mind, there is one habit that has the potential to truly unlock your hidden potential. You probably already know the answer: It’s yoga! By making yoga a daily habit, you will start to feel better on a physical, mental, and emotional level – and that’s just the beginning.
But no matter how dedicated you are to improving your life, making changes is hard. If you have been struggling to stick to your yoga routine, don’t be discouraged! In this article, you’ll find five simple tips on how to make yoga a daily habit.
Before you dive in, make sure to read part one for more advice.
1. Find Your Tribe
You are constantly influenced by the people you surround yourself with. When you’re trying to build a new habit, this factor can either support you or hold you back. It is hard to make yoga a priority when you’re constantly invited to parties, your friends and family don’t understand your desire to change, or worse, make fun of it. On the other hand, being part of a community of like-minded people can be incredibly empowering. It gives you a sense of belonging and a shared purpose.
To really benefit from this community, you have to be active: Interact with others, offer encouragement, and share your own struggles and successes. Only by being an active member can you build deeper relationships, be inspired, and get support when you feel like giving up on your new habit.
There are many different yoga communities you can become part of: You can create your own by motivating your friends to take classes with you. You can also connect to other yoga practitioners through your local studio. Last but not least, you can find thousands of like-minded souls online. Not sure where to find your tribe? Join our Online Studio with over 500 yoga classes and become part of our thriving community.
2. Be Aware of Your Excuses
We all use excuses to talk ourselves out of our commitments. “I don’t have time” is probably the most popular one, but other excuses like “I’m too tired” or “I’m not good enough” also pop up when we don’t want to do our yoga practice.
Your mind comes up with these excuses so you don’t have to step out of your comfort zone. Why? Every time you do something outside of your usual routine, your brain has to burn more energy to integrate the new information. In order to conserve energy, your brain wants to stick to its old patterns, regardless of whether they are actually good for you. Unfortunately, your brain does not realize that these excuses are holding you back from becoming a happier, healthier person.
How can you overcome this obstacle? First of all, you have to become aware of your excuses. Observe yourself for a few days and make a list of the things you frequently say to yourself. Then, find solutions: If you feel exhausted, do a relaxing practice like yin yoga. If you are short of time, get on the mat for a quick five-minute stretch. This is how you stick to your commitment while honoring your limitations.
Another great tip that can help you outsmart your brain is the “5-Second-Rule”. According to this rule, if you have an impulse to act on a goal, you must physically move within five seconds or your brain will kill the idea. What does this look like in action? At some point during the day, you might have the impulse to practice yoga. If you feel some hesitation – which is your brain coming up with excuses – you count down 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 – Go. The counting distracts you from the excuses and objections in your mind and helps you focus on your goal. As soon as you reach the end, push yourself to get up and roll out your mat. This is how you outsmart your brain by changing hesitation into action.
3. Practice Yoga in the Morning
If you don’t schedule your yoga practice at a specific time each day, you will easily end up postponing it, prioritizing other tasks, and eventually forgetting to do it at all. That’s why you are more likely to stick to your yoga habit if you practice first thing in the morning. You’ll get it done before life takes over – it’s as simple as that.
Even the traditional yogic texts recommend practicing in the early hours of the morning. At this time, your mind is quiet and the world around you hasn’t sprung into action. This sense of stillness is most conducive to yoga and meditation.
Practicing yoga in the morning is also very energizing: It boosts your metabolism, enhances circulation, and sets the mood for the rest of the day. If you have already practiced yoga in the morning, you are more likely to make other healthy choices throughout your day, such as eating mindfully or stretching at your desk during office hours. These small actions can transform the quality of your day-to-day life.
4. Set Yourself up for Success
This goes hand in hand with our previous tip. To make your morning yoga practice a little easier, you can set yourself up for success the night before: Tidy up your yoga space, roll out your mat, prepare your props, and choose your clothes. Make sure to remove distractions by switching off all unnecessary technology. Finally, set your alarm – you can even place it on top of your yoga mat so it’s the first thing you see when you wake up. In the morning, all you have to do is roll out of bed and onto your yoga mat.
By setting everything up the night before, you minimize the effort you need to put in when you wake up – and we all know that simply getting out of bed can be hard sometimes. If you’re feeling extra lazy, you can even practice in your pajamas – yoga clothes are optional!
5. Create a Dedicated Yoga Space
Having a dedicated yoga space not only reduces the time you need to spend setting up each day, it can also remind, motivate, and inspire you to practice. You need a quiet spot in your house, big enough to move freely, where you can practice without being interrupted.
Use candles, incense, plants, and other decoration to recreate the serene atmosphere of a yoga studio. This set-up immediately helps you get into a calm and peaceful state of mind.
Remember, less is more! Don’t fill your yoga space with too many objects to avoid overstimulation. After all, the purpose of yoga is to quiet the mind. Decluttering creates more space physically, and thus mentally.
Ready to Start Your Yoga Journey?
If you’ve read this article until here, you are serious about building a consistent yoga practice. Not sure how to get started? Join our Online Studio! You’ll get access to over 500 yoga classes, including our transformational 30-Day Yoga Challenge. This challenge was designed for students of all levels who are dedicated to making yoga a daily habit.
Every day, you’ll be guided through a new 30-minute practice by our experienced yoga teachers. Each practice builds on what you learned in the previous class, slowly challenging you to grow, improve, and integrate. On top of that, we now include 30 extra videos with amazing tips on how to build a habit that you will actually stick to.
Stop procrastinating and take the first step now. Click here to get started!
