Making Yoga a Habit

When you first try yoga and enjoy it, there is this feeling that you get that is indescribable. You feel your mind, body, and soul aligning during class and you carry the mantra the teacher repeated throughout class with you for the rest of your day, leaving you happy and calm. This feeling is what keeps you coming back. You get an addiction to the practice. But then, something comes up and you cannot practice. Maybe you get sick, maybe you have a family emergency, maybe you don’t feel like putting on yoga clothes and driving to the studio that day. I have listed 5 ways to help make yoga a daily habit.

1. Make a routine

Sit down, look at your studio schedule, and figure out what classes are best for you that week, or even in that month. If you have an agenda or planner, put it in! This way, you can plan your day around your yoga class. If you create a time for it, you can not book yourself up for that time. Once you get used to going to a specific class throughout the week, you will be used to it and it will just be apart of your routine.

2. Sign up for classes in advance

If your studio has the option to register for classes online, DO IT! This way you are one step closer to your wonder savasana. It also holds you accountable for showing up to class. You are already committed!!

3. Create a home practice

This is super important if you want to stick with your daily yoga practice. If you ever in a situation where you can’t get to your yoga studio or you just don’t feel like leaving your house, have a home practice that you can fall back on. Make a list on your phone of poses you want to work on along with pictures of your favorite yogi’s doing that pose.When you are at home, look through that list and get inspired to work on the pose. You can google yoga sequences to prepare you for that pose, or even just download a yoga app with full length yoga classes. There are plenty of resources online that you can follow to make your home practice as great of an experience as the one you have in the studio. And you don’t have to worry about what anyone thinks of you if you are nervous about trying something new. Find a quiet place in your home that you don’t normally spend a lot of time in. Add some candles, roll out your mat and you’re good to go. Your home practice is where all the magic happens!

4. Join a challenge

I know at my studio they sometimes will host a 20 in 30 days challenge for students. You have to complete 20 classes in 30 days. If you are new to yoga or trying to get into it, this is the best way to do it. Usually the studio will have a list of names on the wall where you can mark how many classes you have completed that month. This gives you a reason to go to class on the days where maybe you were not planning to go. Sometimes the studio will even give money to charities based on how many people complete the challenge (sometimes even a free t-shirt, who doesn’t love free t-shirts??). Even if your studio does not hold a challenges, you can make it a personal challenge for yourself! A good idea to keep track is to have 2 mason jars with 20 popsicle sticks in 1 (or more if you’d like). Write down something rewarding for yourself on half of the sticks. This could include ice cream for dessert or treat yourself to a new yoga top. When you complete a class, move one of the sticks to the other mason jar. If it has a reward on it, yay for you! If not, you better keep going!! Keep this going for 30 days and watch how fast you’ll complete 20 classes. After the challenge, you will be so used to going to classes that you won’t even need rewards; going to class IS the reward! You can even check out Instagram for fun yoga challenges that come with awesome prizes if you complete them. This also encourages you to get on your mat each day to participate. Check out @kinoyoga and @beachyogagirl for some fun beginner challenges each month! Not only will you be getting on your mat everyday and challenging yourself, but you’ll be surrounded by an amazing virtual community participating with you!

5. Bring friends and family

If you find friends and family that love yoga as much as you, awesome! This will encourage you to go to more classes as it is something to do together. There is nothing better than spending time with friends and family through an amazing yoga class. Together you will create happy energy to take with you for the rest of your day. It is so fun to watch each other grow and get stronger from class to class.