Building new habits is not easy after reaching a certain point in an individual’s life, but it is crucial for advancement in one’s health and well-being. Habits like exercising and eating healthy are not developed overnight by itself. One must cultivate habits by their behavior and approach towards exploring new areas in life. It requires minimal effort and a little discipline to hold on to new habits, provided they are achievable. Maintaining new habits become comparatively easier when they are comfortably adaptable and believable. Perseverance and persistence pave the path for holding onto a habit newly developed. It is imperative to choose one’s habit wisely so that it becomes easier to execute without motivation. For example, it is much easier to start with 5 pushups a day than attempting 50 at the first go.
How to get started?
Adapting yoga as a habit will not only benefit you health but also transform and uplift your living quality entirely. The most common question asked by newcomer practitioners of yoga is how to stick by it. The majority of these newcomers are likely to fall in and out of the routine. However, there will always be a mass of people adapting to these conditions, while the remaining half will renounce on the practice in totality.
A few major components of practicing a new habit like yoga are skillful practice, diligent and sincere approach, continuity, and long-term investment. This becomes inevitable in the case of someone trying to obtain something out of investing nothing. When you start imbibing a yoga practice into your daily schedule, you have to make sure of putting in the quality effort behind it. It is human nature to put off any habit that requires hard work. Delaying does not help. It is either now or never. No guts, no glory. Tomorrow may not arrive for many. It has to start today. As habits are accountable for most of our daily activities, it is essential to not only admit the challenges but also be aware of our actions.
Here are a few strategies to acquire and develop yoga as a new habit for a healthy lifestyle:
Yoga Accessibility and Compatibility
As exciting as it may sound, getting a membership to a yoga studio comes with a heavy pocket-pinch. Also, it does not ensure consistency of practice. So, instead of purchasing that membership to a fancy studio, explore how yoga can be easily accessible, even if it means practicing at home. It is not always possible to drag yourself to the studio taking time out from work or say on a rainy day.
Start with planning your at-home yoga sessions out for a week and set a reminder in your phone or get familiar with a nearby studio schedule and sign up for classes in advance.
Start Now
Sometimes it is hard to realize whether someone is tired, or simply lazy, or just wants to binge-watch an extra episode of their favorite Netflix series instead of practicing yoga. In such conditions, stepping onto the mat is so much harder. So the only quick fix in such a situation is to step onto the mat and start a class. Practice diligently irrespective of the duration and promise yourself to stop anytime. You just need to get started. You will be surprised to see how you’re not only taking classes but finishing them with some extra sweet moments of Savasana. A great way to start is to sign up for our Free 5 day yoga challenge!
Pay Attention to the Body
Listening to your body and its calls is extremely vital. There might be days where you have a Power Yoga session scheduled but you just don’t feel like it. On such days there is a high probability that you either don’t get on your mat at all or don’t enjoy the class. On the other hand, when you scheduled a Yin yoga on a smooth Sunday evening, but you’re bursting with energy, then just change it to a power yoga class. Listen to your body and follow it accordingly is the name of the game.
The World is a Yoga Mat
Remember, people don’t live to do asana on the mat. They do so to make their lives better. So, when you are traveling, or you don’t make it to your regular class, don’t stop. You may not have 30 minutes to practice yoga mindfully, but you always have 30 seconds to breathe mindfully. Remember, you don’t need a meditation cushion to be mindful, you can even be mindful in the shower.
Look out for a Tribe
The student-teacher lineage in yoga is remarkable. Building a strong community is one of the most important factors for building a consistent practice. Nowadays, you don’t have to look out for an actual studio. Several online yoga platforms have emerged to provide assistance with engaging discussions, motivation, and sharing challenges and wins along the way (by the way, do you follow us on Facebook?)
Track Improvement
It is pivotal to choose the right measure of tracking your progress in yoga. To note the changes in your physicality due to yoga is significant, but you may try going beyond this level. Ask yourself if you sleeping better, if you are more productive at work or more mindful in your daily life. Higher concentration, energy, and enthusiasm are signs of positive breakthroughs. And remember, BALANCE is more important than perfection.
Implementation of a new habit, such as a sustainable yoga practice sounds easy but can be difficult. Often, people choose to remain stuck up in their current state of despair within their energy-draining schedule. It is a change in mindset. Planning, a great community and being patient with yourself are the most important factors to success!
