How to Make Your Yoga Routine a Healthy Habit

Making yoga a part of your routine is harder than it sounds, and it’s easy to slip off the train. The good news is that once you develop the right attitude, it will have no trouble finding time to get back on your mat. Countless physical and mental health benefits will keep you coming back, ensuring you never miss a day. When our expectations are realistic, it becomes easier to create strict routines and stick to them. Set yourself achievable goals that won’t cause unnecessary stress but will still challenge you to some degree. Incorporating yoga into your daily life means more than manipulation through body positions. Act on the philosophy of yoga and let this wisdom extend to every aspect of your life.

remuneration

There is nothing like a sense of accomplishment when a personal goal is achieved and rewarded. Sometimes the payoff comes from the goal itself and isn’t immediately apparent, but sometimes it’s predetermined and the commitment is worth it from a short-term perspective. We live in a world where results are preferred over fast and minimized energy. Therefore, setting achievable goals that can be rewarded regularly is important to stay on track. Try implementing a “cue, routine, reward” system to create healthy habits. Reminders are fixed practice times, or alarm clocks that remind you. Routines represent your actual yoga practice and where you work, followed by rewards that speak to you. This reward can be offered daily or weekly, depending on how often you want to reward yourself.

bed yoga

Mornings are the best time for yoga because the veil between our conscious and unconscious states is the thinnest. It’s a time of transition between being and moving in our active day. By taking time to be in touch with our bodies and focusing on our own needs before we focus on anything else, we strengthen our connection to our authentic selves. Yoga is a great way to foster this inner dialogue and create a connection between mind and body. Before you get out of bed, try some simple stretches to wake yourself up and start the day gently. Happy baby, beam angles, and back twists are just a few of the many poses you can do in bed. You can try the same position at night before bed for a more restful night’s sleep.

find your mat

Goals are more attainable when we seamlessly integrate processes into our daily work. If your yoga mat is collecting dust in one corner somewhere, it’s probably not on our minds every day. Try rolling out your mat next to your bed or somewhere in the path of your morning routine so your attention will naturally be drawn to yoga. The same goes for your yoga clothes, whatever that means to you. If you’re short on time, put your clothes aside and plan ahead for the next day.

set intention

Having ambitious goals is very different from setting strong intentions, and when they don’t match, it’s hard to achieve. It’s nice to know what you want to achieve, but it’s also important to know why it’s worth working for. Set clear intentions and consider what makes them noticeable in your life. Ask yourself these questions without judgment, and be honest about what drives your goals. A broad understanding of why you’re incorporating new habits into your lifestyle will make persistence much smoother.

push in

If your goal is to practice an hour a day, it can be difficult to stay focused when life inevitably gets busy. Having realistic goals allows room for longer periods of practice without feeling guilty for not achieving your lofty goals. Recognize that what works for you today may look very different the next day, and that’s okay. Be open to moving your practice to suit where you are. Be reasonable in your expectations and kind to yourself when forming a new habit; start small and work your way up. If you can stretch for ten minutes today and turn your attention inward, that’s fine, and tomorrow you can practice for an hour, that’s fine too.

enjoy your practice

It’s relatively common to attach negative connotations to our practice when we feel like we need to do it every day. It becomes such a chore in our minds that we forget why we choose to do it. Keep reinforcing your intentions and remember to enjoy your yoga practice and the plethora of benefits it offers. When you get to the mat, try not to rush and appreciate the benefits of the practice. Tune in to what’s going on and take your mind off that imaginary to-do list that weighs so heavily on us. To do this, you must stop yoga from becoming just another item on your list and view it as a privilege.

don’t be too hard on yourself

So you missed the day and now you feel guilty about it and beat yourself up. Remember, you are only human and obstacles are everywhere. There’s no need to be too hard on yourself, as you’re mostly trying to incorporate something new into your routine. Let this missed day show you how your body feels when you’re not practicing yoga. Notice the differences between the days you practice, and use that knowledge to improve your motivation the next day. Part of expanding yoga into every aspect of our lives is being compassionate, not just to those around us, but to ourselves. make sure you’re not overdoing it