It takes approximately 3 months to ingrain a habit, good or bad. 3 months to become accustomed to a new fitness regime. 3 months to solidify a diet, a lifestyle. 3 months to stop cracking those gosh-dern knuckles.
So how do we get to that 3 months without breaking, without going back to ways of old? I found a great and inspiring Wiki-how with steps to establishing and sticking to a yoga practice, a yoga lifestyle.
1. Set aside the same time each day for your practice. Morning is often the best, most productive time for many people, as your body, mind, and spirit are well-rested and energetically rejuvenated. But perhaps another time is more ideal for you! I have a good friend who fits in a daily workout during her lunch hour.
2. Be kind to yourself when you practice yoga. Be gentle on your body. Appreciate every step you’ve taken. Give yourself credit for practicing. Acknowledge those days when you need to practice very slowly and gently, and those days that you are filled with more energy.
3. Be regular, not rigorous. Do not hold yourself to some insane standard day in, day out. Some days I practice yoga for less than 10 minutes. It’s about quality, not quantity, and about developing a commitment to the harmony of your mind, body, and spirit.
4. Prepare well for each yoga session. If you’re often cold, have a blanket on standby. Do not eat some grandiose meal prior to practicing. Perhaps surround yourself with some stones, light a candle. Create an environment of comfort and peace.
5. Study each posture. It will help you cultivate a deeper connection to the flow.
6. Decide on your best starting position. This may evolve over time, and varies person to person. You want to choose a position that helps you retreat inwardly and focus.
7. Rest between poses. Yoga is about soothing yourself, garnering a sense of peace, moving slowly, gently, and deliberately. Do not strain yourself, do not overdo it. Be gentle on yourself.
8. Fit yoga into your daily life. When you need to take breaks from the office, simply google “office yoga” or “chair yoga” and you’ll find a surplus of easy, real-life poses. In the mornings if I do not have enough time for a full practice, I will lay on the ground against a wall with my feet toward the sky – a great energy boosting pose.
9. Expect gradual improvement, not miracles. Again, my favorite phrase: be gentle on yourself! Be kind to yourself! Give yourself credit for every step you take, even the seemingly little ones. They are all important to your unique path. You are doing something wonderful for yourself! Pat yourself on the back. Love yourself.
10. Balance your routine. As you increase your practice and become more comfortable with an array of poses, try catering to each part of your body and spirit – implementing a well-balanced practice of backbends, standing postures, sitting postures, and the like.
11. Remember that time is always on your side with yoga. As you reach the 3-month mark, it will become easier. Do not stress if you miss a day here or there - or stretches of time – this is normal and natural and you need to respond to your own daily needs and feelings. The more you practice, the more ingrained your practice will become. What helps inspire me to practice on lazier days is a remembrance that yoga allows time to be less important, allows time to flow, allows you to flow with time, allows you to recall life’s true bounties.
