Easing your way back onto your yoga mat.
Are you having trouble getting yourself back to a committed yoga practice after the holidays?
It has been said that you can turn a new behavior into a habit by repeating it for 21 days; however there are a lot of people who say this figure has very little reliable statistics to back it up. Everyone's brain is different, and forming a habit depends on personality and other unique factors.
The good news is, that habits are easier to make than they are to break. Yay! If you repeat a behaviour consistently, those synaptic pathways are going to get worn in because the human brain is very adaptive. In fact, breaking a habit can be a lot more complicated, because those synaptic pathways apparently never go away. So, old habits and routines can be easily resurrected, good news right?
Following are some tips to get you back on your mat with ease.
Added in brackets, and italics are the 'no holds barred' Martine version.
• Identify and address your reasons for having left yoga, so they won't ruin your attempts to return. (Stop the damn excuses and pencil times into your diary now, or print out a timetable).
• Repeat the behaviour you're aiming for as often as you can, this way it will become "instinctive." (Get your asana back on the mat now & often).
• Notice your internal dialogue, are your thoughts setting you up to succeed or fail. Our words and thoughts are extremely important in establishing great habits, values and success. (Stop with the negative crap now and choose only positive, empowering thoughts and words).
• You have just undergone a major life change like an injury, operation, relocation, pregnancy or birth, which led to your yoga ceasing. You may have to alter your practice accordingly by choosing a different type of yoga class, or private tuition to suit your new needs. (Start back patiently & sensibly, lose the ego & take the modifications suggested to you, derh! Find a suitable class for your new needs or ask your teacher for private tuition. Just think about how much you pay your trusted hairdresser, before you whinge about investing in a certified yoga instructor, who will bring your body safely back to balance).
• Accept support. Make good use of your close network by accepting any encouragement that friends and family offer. (Use the crèche at the gym, or get relatives to mind your snotty brats and practice with a friend, this always makes it more fun)!
“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
