What if you don’t feel like getting on your yoga mat

What if you don’t feel like getting on your yoga mat

Do you practice yoga for a while now and you don’t miss a day? Or did the day come, when you don’t even like the idea of getting close to your yoga mat? Well, yoga is just like anything else – there are tons of ups and downs, and it is only up to us how we get through the difficulties.

I admit, I also have times when it is hard to start my practice. I share what is working for me, maybe you can have some new tricks for yourself.

Do I have to practice if I don’t feel like?

In case you are not seriously sick or injured, it is worth to pick one of the motivation techniques so that you still get a little yoga in your day. Probably you need yoga the most, when you want it the least.

get on your mat - Yoga with Juco - pinterjuco.hu
Photos: instagram, kerstin.yoga, the.life.of.yoga

Sit on the mat

If you don’t feel like stepping on your mat, sit on it! Who said, that practicing yoga is only beneficial, if you do it in a dynamic way, with sun salutations and fighting through some challenging standing poses? Just listen to your body and pamper it with some yin style yoga. There’s no need for insta-style poses, just sink into a couple of asanas that you really love, and relax.

Child pose (Balasana) is always a jolly joker, and my personal favorite is the Pigeon pose (Kapotasana) bending forward and putting my forehead on the ground. I also like the Butterfly (Bound Angle Pose – Baddha Konasana), I can even stay there for 10-15 minutes.

Give yourself 15 minutes to practice

If an hour and a half or two hours of yoga practice seems way too long for the day, then just set aside 15 minutes. Do your favorite sequence and sink into your favorite asanas. If after fifteen minutes you feel it is enough, then it is enough. But who knows, maybe you just get suck into it and wanna continue.

This really works for me. I rarely stop after 15 minutes, but I don’t push it too much, just do as much as feels good.

Meditate

If the physical practice is really a big no today, don’t forget, that yoga is way more than the poses. Meditate more. If usually you have just a couple on minutes of focus, or mindful minutes before your asana practice, now is the chance to get a little bit more into that. Take your meditation pillow or just find a comfortable position and discover again the power of meditation. Let your thoughts go and don’t try to crack it why this day is so different from the others.

I have a great help here. I just play the one hour long vipassana meditation tape, that I used to listen to during my yoga teacher training, during the daily early morning meditations. Only a couple of sentences are recorded, still, the instructions in the beginning and the sound of praying monks at the end give me a lot of energy.

Breathe

Okay, most probably you don’t have a real issue with that if you are sitting in front of your computer and can read through this full post. Your life is not in danger, you can breathe. I rather mean that you should breathe differently. Breathing techniques, pranayama, is also part of the daily yoga practice, but many times we don’t pay much attention to it. So turn this day into a pranayama day. Spend at least 15-20 minutes with a technique, that serves you the most today.

I like to practice Nadi Shodana, the alternate nostril breathing. After a minute I get into a flow, and it has the exact benefits that I need when I am not up to practicing asanas. Calms the mind, balances the body and soul, reduces stress and anxiety and detoxicates the body.inhale&exhale Yoga with Juco - pinterjuco.hu

It is time for your favorite tunes

Many times all you need is your favorite music to change your mood. And if you like the emotional songs just like me, you rather look a little bit deeper into your collection of music until you find something more cheerful and lively. No Indian flute, mantras or chill music? Even better! You don’t need to copy the music you hear in yoga studios. Just go with what you like, what stops your thoughts and what makes you smile. It can be almost everything – okay, maybe not death metal or punk rock, but still, there are many options. The main thing here is, that the tunes help you to reconnect to yourself and inspire you to move a bit.

My personal favorite is Massive Attack (right, not the happiest option), but I also know a yogini who swears on reggae.

Change your routine

If none of the above home practice ideas work, you can still try something different. Check out a new yoga teacher, or a studio that you heard good things about. Maybe you only need some new impressions, a new angle to look at things, or a movement or instruction that you never tried before and is not part of your practice.

Lately I practice at home or in the park, alone. But every time when I made the effort to practice with a yoga teacher whom I didn’t know before, and experienced its unique style, I always got new impulses for my own practice. It is totally valid to recharge yourself with the help of others.

 

So, the one thing you need to do: get to know yourself better. Figure out what is working for you and what is not. Maybe the tips above help you, but maybe you have your own method. What matters is, that you have the right tools to use, when you need them, so that you don’t let yoga go. Because first you just miss a day, then two, and when you check it next time you did not practice for a week. As someone who has some experience in re-starting, I suggest you not to get to the point, when you actually need to re-start your practice.

Practice with me regularly and I help you finding a way not wanting to miss any class. Contact me!