Ashganta Yoga

Bringing Yoga to your Life !

 

 

 

This is a second article that I wrote for an English magazine about how to bring yoga into your life. I thought I would share it with anyone who may be inspired. Enjoy!

Om Shanti,

Linda
Developing a Yoga Practice in Your Already Busy Life – How?

By Linda Munro

We are all so busy now a days and adding yoga (or anything else) can just feel stressful! I totally agree! However, it is possible and the amazing thing about yoga is that if you do make the time, the other parts of your life will run smoother and feel less overwhelming. So it’s worth it, trust me!
But, where to start?

The first question you need to ask yourself is; do you truly want to do this? From the heart! If you do, then you will find a way. If you don’t you will find dozens of excuses not to do the yoga practice. There is always a good reason not to do it. I’ve heard them all; either from myself or from yoga students. I don’t feel good, I’m tired, I’ll start tomorrow, I have to just make this one phone call or email, I need to shop for….
So, lie down, close your eyes, relax, take your time and ask yourself, from the heart, “do I really want to bring yoga into my life, is it important to me?” If you say yes, then tell yourself “ok, I will do it, I’m able to guide my life, I’m not at the mercy of my circumstances, I can make it happen!”

From here, it is a matter of being realistic, organized and disciplined.
Often I see people who love the yoga and want to do it but set high expectations of themselves; thus setting themselves up for failure and ultimately making themselves feel guilty about not being able to maintain their goal.

Instead, be realistic and start small (you can always grow from here). Sit down with a weekly calendar and list of all your essential duties (ie: work, making meals, bathing children, etc). Fill in all the duties on the calendar. Then make a list of the things that keep life balanced – family time, friend time, partner time, reading time or whatever you do on a weekly or semi-weekly basis that keeps you sane. Yoga should be on this list. Then beside each item write how much time you need at a minimum for each activity. Don’t think what is acceptable by others or society, think what is needed.

Ok, now probably one of two things has happened. One, you may actually need two weeks to complete all of the above. Or, two, you may be able to fit it all in but you haven’t taken into account time needed in between items, or wasted time.
If you have found that you have way too many things on your weekly list, you need to scale it back. Re-evaluate: how much time does it really take to do things. Are you wasting time in between? Things like flipping mindlessly through magazines, email or internet are great time wasters. Or what about spending time chatting when it doesn’t even satisfy you on a deeper level. Are you organized? Can you get help for some of your duties? Either paid help or from a friend or family member? I remember after having my first child thinking that I had to do everything because I was her mom and it was better for her to be with me or my husband than someone else. Plus I thought that we couldn’t afford it. However, with some shuffling of priorities, we made it work financially with the arrival of our second child and I wish we had done the same with the first. Having a balanced life has made me a more balanced person and definitely a better mom! A very wise quote from my nanny says it all; “there is lots of money but only one life”.

If you find that it is very easy to put everything down on the calendar and you’ve been very ambitious in your potential yoga practice, scale it back. Even if just for a few weeks. Make sure it works in practice, not just on paper.

Once this project is finished maintaining your practice and balanced life can be just as challenging as getting started, maybe even more so since at the beginning starting something new is fun and interesting. The real work is sticking with it once the excitement wears down. In fact, this is when the real yoga comes in.

Here are some tips on ways to keep you motivated and involved in the practice:

• Remind yourself that the practice helps you to do other duties efficiently.
• Tell yourself “this is my practice and it helps me to be a better mom, wife, business person…”
• When I practice my mind is clearer and I’m more likely to lead a healthy, balanced life.
• Just do it! Regard it as any of your other duties. Would you decide not to go to work just because you don’t feel like it or because you’re too tired?
• Remind yourself that every day or every practice is different. Watch how the mind deals with it and notice how you deal with situations that are uncomfortable, boring, irritating or when you feel good or when you feel stiff and tired. You will find that this reflects how you deal with the same feelings in other circumstances of your life…work, relationships, strangers on the street.
• When debating whether to practice or not, give yourself a goal. For example “I will just practice 15 minutes and see from there.” Most often, after 15 minutes you will want to continue. Don’t cheat yourself, respect yourself.
• Remember we all want things to come easily but the best things usually come with perseverance.
• If you go off and skip your practice; NO guilt! You deserve loving kindness and compassion! Just accept, forgive and move on. Do the practice the next time you are scheduled to.
• We are all so busy; we cannot compare our situation with another person. Do what you can, try to be honest with yourself and take care of your well being.
• I find it useful to use motivational words or phrases in my phone and on my calendar to remind myself daily. Write a week’s worth of words or phrases that motivate you and each morning read it and keep it in the back of your mind as a mantra for the day.
• The small things make a huge difference!

Linda lives and teaches Ashtanga yoga in Paris with her husband, Gerald. They have 2 beautiful children; Amaya and Jonathan.
www.ashtangayogaparis.fr