If you’re anything like me, you’ve gotten on the horse and subsequently have fallen off of it a million times in your life.
It doesn’t matter what the habit or lifestyle change is that you’re trying so hard to make, you always end up falling off at some point. I used to beat myself up about this. I’d think I was a failure and I would never be capable of nailing down a good, happy, healthy lifestyle.
I mean, I can’t even consistently take the dogs for a long walk every day.
What’s wrong with me?
Nothing! Habits are hard and keeping consistent with anything is even harder. Everybody falls off the horse sometimes.
Everybody has those days where they just drop all aspects of health and positivity and lay in bed all day watching Gilmore Girls with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s next to them to tide them over until their pizza delivery gets there.
Too real? It’s the truth!
Your habits are as effective as your average.
So, that one or two (or three…) days a month where you just totally mess up aren’t the sum of your progress in whatever department you’re trying to work on. Focusing on them only makes us miserable.
As long as we’re on the right track most of the time, we’re winning. But for some habits, the time spent off the horse can be pretty long. Heck, you don’t even remember where the key to the stable is!
The Fear of The Mat
I’m guilty of falling completely out of my yoga habit and letting the dust collect on my mat, are you? If you’re reading this, you probably are too!
The longer I spend outside of my yoga habit, the more I feel like I can’t just start practicing again. Something about it feels in-genuine, and I feel like it’s somehow “not working”.
Let’s face it – it’s intimidating. But the mat can’t judge you. It’s only you that can judge you in this situation.
Don’t worry, though. You’re not alone. A lot of us in this community are guilty of the exact same thing.
The key to forgiving yourself is to stop letting your falling out of the habit keep you from getting back into it. You deserve to treat yourself to a fruitful practice. You deserve a great session whenever you want or need it. You deserve to get back on the mat!
How to Re-establish a Yoga Routine
The biggest help that you’ll find in getting back to your yoga flow is to find a motivation to get on the mat. You probably already know that you want to start back up again, but finding that reason why will help you keep to your new routine.
This is important in the beginning because the routine is fragile. So, why do you want to start doing yoga again? Don’t just start listing the benefits, either. Really get down to the number one reason yoga appeals to you. What do you want to get out of it?
For me, my motivation was fitness. But yours can be spiritual, emotional, healthful, or any other million and one benefits there are to be gained from yoga. Be honest with yourself and your practice. It’s the best way to get back into it.
After you’ve done that, here are some other tips you can use to keep consistent while re-establishing your yoga routine, or starting one up for the first time ever:
- Ease into it.
It’s tempting to get back to where you left off with yoga. But remember that it took time to get where you were, and it took a lot of hard work. When we take a break from yoga, we’re not as fit and flexible as we were when we were doing it on a regular basis. This is especially true if you’re new to yoga. Take it slow and start with beginner’s courses. Then you can work your way back up to the big leagues.
- Create a schedule.
Scheduling time to do yoga will help you to carve out a dedicated time in your day to spend doing it. That way you never have to feel guilty for spending time for yourself instead of doing something you may deem more important. Try starting out with scheduling just one long practice a week and/or a very short session every day at the same time every day.
- Sign up for a class.
Classes help us because they create a sense of accountability. You paid for a class and the teacher and other students are expecting you to be there, so when you don’t show up there’s a sense of guilt around it. It’ll help you to make sure you’re attending it and being consistent in your practice. Plus, there’s a great amount of support in classes!
- Look back on your break from yoga.
Once you start back up again and see that there is time in your busy schedule for yoga, and that it’s absolutely worth the effort in dedication, reflect on why you stopped in the first place. Don’t do this in an angry or disappointed way, but rather try to see what led you to stopping so that you can identify that pattern and not repeat it. If you’re happier when you in a routine, it’s important to recognize that and place value on it.
- Reap what you sow.
It feels great to be in a regular practice. Make sure that you take the time to notice that. Identify the benefits that you’re gaining through yoga and appreciate them. Loving what you’re doing and knowing its value will make it a lot easier to keep with a habit!
The remaining steps after this are simple. Just keep doing yoga!
Once you get the momentum and establish a routine, keeping consistent in your practice is easy.
And if the day comes where you need another break from it, allow yourself to have that if it’s what you need. Yoga is never about force or about doing something you don’t want to do. You should enjoy the process. Welcome back to the mat!
Namaste.
The yoganum family
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