Practicing Yoga Daily

Just breathe. Days can be unpredictable and full of frenetic energy.  Within the four corners of my yoga mat, I am free to decompress from my day, rid the energy from my body and finally breathe. I will be honest though. I have never really practiced daily yoga, and I never have been good at home practice. My yoga schedule would usually consist of Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, depending on the week. In short, I wasn’t consistent with my schedule. To add, I would have an excuse not to increase my practice more than four times a week. Below are my list of excuses:

• My day is too busy
• I’m too sore ( I never risk injury but you can modify in yoga)
• Discovery Channel’s Naked and Afraid marathons
• Video Games-mainly Mario Kart or Bubble Witch Saga
• Too tired from my day
• I already practiced 4 days this week, and that’s good enough

Tired of my own excuses and wanting to commit to daily practice, I challenged myself to practice yoga daily. I would go to my yoga studio 6 days out the week and 1 day of home practice. And being a one studio type of yogi, ( I’m a student at Just Breathe Yoga at Rivermark)  practicing six days a week at a studio would be simple. I wanted to find out if I would see any type of difference. It didn’t matter what type, could be spiritual or physical, I just wanted a difference.

The first couple of days of practice were normal for my original routine so I didn’t necessarily see a difference. It was not until Thursday of my week, that I started to feel a change. I felt more connected to my body and mind. My spirit felt lighter and I was generally happier. I was starting to visualize poses I wanted to achieve, and thought about my intentions for each day. I was connecting better to my breath throughout my practice, and brought my breath into my day. I was becoming more balanced, everything I have always wanted in my daily life.

On Friday after yoga class, I made the conscience decision to practice forearm balance. Now, I did clasp my hands for more stability, but don’t hold it against me. I could finally visualize what my body and my mind needed to do in order to achieve this pose. I decided to ask my fiance S. to spot me, and I took my mat against the wall. All of a sudden I found myself upside down in my forearm balance. I released from the wall and took a child’s pose.

I haven’t been able to achieve a true daily yoga practice since, but it is something I’m striving for. It’s important to remember that every week is different and to not beat yourself up if you can’t make each yoga class. It’s more about the journey, and always remember to just breathe.

~Namaste

Scrappy Yogi