Those words look great together, don't they?
If you are like me, Summertime Yoga is what you yearn for as you get out of bed and step into a cold dark room, onto a cold mat in the dead of Winter. What Yogi hasn't had romantic visions of practicing in the sand, on a dock, or anywhere we don’t need to wear 3 layers to keep warm?
But, like many of my students, I have found that the fairytale-like conditions of more free time and beautiful weather don’t always lead to a more disciplined practice.
Students who take a break or drastically reduce their sessions over the summer, usually have good intentions. Some promise themselves to practice yoga every evening on the dock at sunset during their time at their cottage, or strengthen their home practice by getting up with the sun and doing yoga before work during the week on their patio. Without a doubt, there are some lovely aspirations to continue to build everything we have been working on together throughout the year.
Sadly, a good number of my own students return to their regular routine in September with dusty yoga mats, riding high on guilt and shame because they haven’t practiced in weeks or even months. It can be frustrating to feel like we starting over and it may take a long time for students to carve out a groove comparable to where they were before the long break.
If this sounds familiar, I have a few simple ideas to help maintain your yoga practice this summer.
Home Practice vs. Led Practice
Starting a home practice can be a challenge and if you are new to yoga, I personally feel it is important to spend time in person with a fantastic teacher in a private lesson or in a well run class. If you are blessed with some time off, and you have some experience with yoga, I encourage you to experiment with both a home practice and continue to drop into classes with teachers you love, even if it is sporadic.
The Buddy System
Do what you love, with people you love! Spending time doing meaningful practices with friends and family is a fantastic motivator and support system. It is always easier to show up if you know someone else is counting on you.
Stick to Your Schedule
Make a yoga date with yourself and keep it! You wouldn’t schedule a meeting and then not show up, but so often we break important appointments with ourselves. We all have busy lives, but if you really want to make yoga part of your wellness routine, book it into your schedule and stick to it.
Building the Perfect Sequence
A very common problem that students have around doing a practice at home or on vacation, is that they simply have no idea what to do! If you are practicing on your own, be creative and draw upon all of the great yoga books, apps, websites and other resources available out there. If you still aren't sure what to do, you can build a yoga routine following my personal rule:
Do enough of what you love, with a bit of what you don’t.
Build a sequence filled with postures that you really enjoy and temper the whole thing with a healthy dose of postures you find challenging.
And, if you still need motivation, my newest 1 hour led audio class Yin Yang Yoga @ Home is available for pre-order now!
Some Yoga is 100% Better Than None
A few years ago one of my friends said that on days he can't spend a lot of time on his mat, he reminds himself that some yoga is always better than none. One big stumbling block for many people is that we think a home practice needs to be as long as our regular classes in order to be effective. Some yoga is better than none, so just do what you can do with the time you have.
Drop the guilt
Want to kill your motivation completely? Our good friend guilt will do it every time. If you have missed a few days because life was busy or you due to poor planning, do not make that an excuse to miss another session. Drop the guilt, and get on the mat.
What are your biggest practice challenges in the Summer and how do you overcome them? Join the conversation below
