No one ever said that committing to a daily yoga and meditation practice was easy. I can attest to that. For many years, I casually practiced yoga, solely relying on taking classes in person. As for my meditation practice? It was non-existent. It wasn’t until I took my yoga teacher training, that I finally felt comfortable practicing at home. I finally understood the different poses and transitions and had learned how to meditate. But even after my teacher training, it was still challenging to find consistency in a daily practice. Through my experience, I have brought together the following guidelines that will help you find your way to consistency and flow in your own daily practice.
1.) Figure out what you need in a practice
First you must discover what you want your practice to look like. What are you capable of within your time constraints and daily schedule? Are you only able to practice at home? Do you want to practice at a studio five days a week? Do you meditate in the morning or before bed? What works for you?
I’ve found that I can’t solely rely on my home practice, otherwise I’m left feeling uninspired. As a yoga teacher, I will always remain a student. But I’ve also found that I can’t solely rely on taking yoga classes at a studio either. I need solo practice time to truly explore the needs of my body, while I also need to practice in an encouraging community setting at a studio. After months of trial and error, I’ve finally found balance and rhythm within my own personal yoga practice. Figure out what you want your practice to look like, and stick to it, every day.
2.) Listen to your intuition
Yoga is not a practice of force. If your body is aching from yesterday’s challenging practice, listen to your body and honor it. In this case, you might choose to go easy on yourself with gentle, restorative postures. My home practice doesn’t always look like an hour to myself practicing Vinyasa. Sometimes it does. But most days, it just looks like intuitive movement. I come into my sacred space, I tune into my body and breath, and I move intuitively. I take as long as I want or need. Sometimes it’s only 10 minutes, sometimes it’s 30, sometimes an hour. It’s impractical to force yourself to the same challenging Vinyasa or Ashtanga practice for an hour every day, though this does work for some people. Take the time to connect with your body, and listen to what it needs, instead of forcefully doing something you feel like you “should” be doing. Listen to your intuition, and your body will thank you for it.
3.) Be disciplined, dedicated, and devoted
Overall, if you want to commit to a daily yoga and meditation practice, it’s important to be disciplined, dedicated, and devoted.
Being disciplined in your practice means that you keep practicing, even when you don’t feel motivated. Instead of scrolling through your phone, or watching just one more episode, stay strong and choose your daily practice. While I find it’s best to be intuitive and in the flow day to day, that doesn’t mean you should skip a practice or only find time here or there. A daily practice is just that: practicing every day. It’s better to practice for only ten to twenty minutes every day, than for an hour once a week.
Being dedicated means that you make your practice your priority. That means that self-care, self-love, and filling up your cup are of utmost importance to you. If you care about your physical, mental and spiritual well-being, then you must dedicate yourself to your practice, realize how important your practice really is, and grasp the life-changing impact it will have.
Being devoted means that you intentionally and consciously choose to commit to your daily practice, because your yoga practice is sacred. We must make a sacrifice, giving something up, in order to be devoted. You will likely have to give up time you could spend doing something else. You might give up self-limiting mindsets that are blocking you from living out your true potential. Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual dance with the Divine. What are you willing to give up in order to commit to your sacred practice?
Conclusion
It may not be easy, but it is worth it. No practice looks the same, so find your own authentic rhythm and flow and be consistent. Keep returning to your mat, even when you don’t want to. Go easy on yourself. Maybe your practice looks like an hour long Savasana! That’s okay. Maybe your practice looks like Ashtanga everyday. That’s okay too! We’re all different, what’s right for you might not be right for me. So, tune into your own body’s wisdom, and give it the daily practice that it needs. Be intentional. Commit to a daily yoga and meditation practice to honor your body, mind and spirit, and create harmony from within. Through discipline and devotion, you will find liberation and union.
Do you have a daily yoga and meditation practice? What does your practice look like and how do you stay committed?
Much love & namaste! ♡
Kristen Malek:
You can find more from Kristen at createloveandharmony.com