Let’s talk about how we take what we learn and practice on the mat into our everyday life.
You may have heard me say that what we do on the sticky mat is rehearsal–the real yoga is everything it takes to live in the world. The time you spend on your mat learning to move well, connect to your center, balance, explore your boundaries, and grow them, all while breathing well, is all preparation to apply yoga out in the world. When you are on the make you cultivate presence and awareness. Are you bringing that into your daily life?
Consider how you feel after a satisfying yoga practice. Words like present, calm, and centered may come to your mind. Your body feels good, your mind relaxes and becomes more at ease, and your energy feels balanced. It feels so good that it keeps you coming back for more. Side note: I don’t remember the class so much the first time I did yoga; it was alight, but what I remember the most is loving how I felt afterward. That feeling brought me back again each week. Then a weekly practice turned into two, then three times a week, and eventually became a daily practice, my vocation, and my life! It all started with the feeling.
When you don’t practice for a bit, you soon realize that you lose those beneficial feelings and the skills you were practicing become rusty. Daily life gets more challenging. You may find yourself stressed, anxious, and not coping as well. Truthfully, I’m certain I would be unhealthy, miserable, and not a very nice person if it had not been for yoga. Yoga saved my life. And when I don’t practice, I get cranky and am less able to deal with the small things that arise.
So yes, it’s essential to get to the mat. Three times a week is the key. This is why I have offered classes on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays for years. The theme I set for our yoga community this year is REDEDICATION. So if you lost your regular practice during the pandemic, now is a great time to return to it and to all the support a yoga practice brings to your life.
Sure, you can miss practice and still employ the skills in your life for some time, but after a while, these skills wane, and you need to sharpen your tools. The time you spend on your mat helps you hone the skills, but how do you practice yoga in everyday life? You have to make an effort to take your yoga practice off the mat.
Take the awareness you bring to your mat practice into everything you do. Approach your daily tasks, conversations, and relationships with your full presence and attention. Check in with yourself several times throughout the day–witness how you feel and what you need to take care of yourself. You can’t be effective if you are not cared for first.
Take time to notice moments of joy and the beauty around you. Savor these moments for 20-30 seconds. It’s astounding, but neuroscience shows that’s all it takes to rewire your brain.
If you feel agitated, rushed, anxious, or stressed, take a moment to notice that. Just witnessing it can create space and bring you to the present moment. Take a minute to slow down, breathe, recite a mantra, strike a pose, or whatever brings you back to your baseline so you can proceed with your day.
At the end of your day, reflect on the moments of joy, awe, and beauty and give gratitude. Research shows it can help you sleep better, reduce inflammation, and be a happier human.
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