Yoga practice: making time for you

Making time for you....

How busy are you? Does it seem like there is barely a moment to catch your breath? Is each day so busy that you feel that time pushes in on you? Are you left feeling anxious and rushed?

Slow down...stop being busy. Sit, walk, move and be here rather than keep doing.

Be now here not nowhere.

Though it does take commitment and awareness to rewire yourself,

  you can make a significant difference to the way you are in the world with 15- 30 minutes of daily yoga practice.

  Make it your own...

These are some suggestions you might like to apply to kick starting your daily practice though remember it is important to see what works for you!

1. The amount of time you spend on your practice is completely up to you. Try to start with at least 10 minutes as this can easily turn into an hour or more when you are in the flow.

Make an appointment with yourself in your diary. Go on you deserve some me time!

2. Try practicing at different times of the day. Find a time where the rhythm of your daily energy naturally supports a relaxed and focused practice. If the morning isn’t a good time for you with family or work commitments choose another time that works better in your weekly schedule. To keep up your motivation - go to a class with a friend.

3. See if you can remember what you did in class (make an effort to recall the first ten minutes of class- write them down or draw stick people) or immerse yourself in a DVD, an app or you tube to guide you.

Stick people drawings are a useful way of remembering.

4. You may like to choose to focus on a theme e.g. strength, gentleness, peace, love, light, or you may like to focus on a specific part of the body e.g. neck, shoulders, arms, back, hips, feet or even shapes like circles or spirals.

5. The practice should make us feel good. no pain. No discomfort. No over doing anything: bending, stretching, strengthening, breathing, or thinking. Relax. Find joy in what you are doing.

 Turn this into a wave as you flow from side to side.

6. Try not to be critical of what you are doing. How it looks is not the main point here after all everyone has a different body shape and life experiences. We are all unique so everyone will look different and each of us will experience the pose according to our body and mental and 

emotional input. 

 Just like a piece of fruit we are all different.

7. Put some inspiring music on to get you in the groove and allow yourself to simply move into pose along with the rhythm of the music. Try Yoga Sol

.

Love what you are doing!

8. If you are the creative type spend some time before you begin drawing or writing in your journal (though I may well just keep drawing or writing). Any of these are a wonderful way to bring yourself into a relaxed state and release what is going on in your mind.

 My gratitude journal...need to get back to doing this...thanks blog!

Enjoy!

How did you go with these ideas? Share what inspires you to practice?
 Light and laughter,
Margot