5 ways how to turn yoga practice into a habit

5 ways how to turn
yoga practice into a habit

By Hanne

I am often asked how to turn yoga practice into a habit. How often to practice, and what is the ideal time of the day for the practice? How long should the session last? In this post, I’ll tell you five ways how to turn yoga practice into a habit.

5 ways HOW TO TURN YOGA PRACTICE INTO A HABIT

The first and most important thing is to think about your biggest desire and ultimate goal for starting a yoga practice, thinking about your why. Why do you want to do yoga? The reason can be anything, as long as it appeals to you and is genuinely so important to you that you really want to practice yoga and make it into a habit that you don’t want to slip.

For me, it was silencing and calming my mind at the time, focusing on just one thing, this present moment. As a by-product came the feeling of lightness in my body as the tensions gradually melted away from my runner’s body. I kept on returning onto my mat because of these two reasons over and over again.

Your reason can be anything, as long as you find it meaningful and relevant to yourself. It’s good to remember and be aware that the burning passion for practicing comes from within, not from outside influences.

Keep it simple, and Enjoyable

How often should a yoga exercise be done? If yoga isn’t yet a permanent weekly habit for you, it’s a good idea to get started with thought; once a week is better than not at all. Think about what your realistic and simple initial goal is.

You can set a goal for the duration of the practice for the first 1-2 weeks, for example, 15-30 minutes three times a week. In this way, getting on the mat doesn’t seem like such a significant effort time-wise. The next goal can be 30-45 min. Gradually let the yoga exercise attract you towards a more extended practice. It will happen naturally within time.

Let the beginning of the yoga practice be easy, simple, and enjoyable. I’ll tell you later in this post how you can gradually get yoga practice to be part of your day-to-day routines.

What is the Best Time for Practice?

From the yoga tradition’s perspective, morning is the ideal time for the yoga practice. However, that doesn’t mean morning is the best time for you and your body to exercise.

You are the expert on your body, and you certainly know the best time, for example, based on what is the most natural time for you to work out or do things in general. The morning can be a suitable time for meditation or breathing exercises, for example, while the body is still waking up to the new day. Suppose you set your alarm to wake you up for yoga at five in the morning and are not used to practicing in the morning; there is a more significant possibility that you are urged to skip the practice. Especially during the dark wintertime, it can feel almost impossible thing to do.

I often tell my clients that it doesn’t matter what time the practice occurs, as long as they are practicing. I think the important thing is that the yoga experience is an overall pleasant experience. Don’t get stuck in the idea of how things should be, or what is said to be the way in yoga traditions. You are creating your own traditions and that is what matters.

I find that I am a different yogi in Finland and India. In Finland, I can’t think of practicing in the morning. In India, on the other hand, I always practice in the mornings, except for the mornings when I go to the gym. I’ve also often wondered that I’m actually a different person in Finland than in India.

How to Create a Habit?

Adopting a new habit usually takes a while; some say it takes 21 days. Indeed, that is a kind of kick-off; however, the human mind can still work in different ways, and the 21 days may not apply and create a permanent habit. There have been many 21-day challenges I have participated in, and I’d say it is easy to attend to one of which lasts for a specific time. But it is an entirely different thing, to make something a permanent part of daily life. Challenges of all kinds can be an excellent way to begin, but they can easily be treated as a diet. And what usually happens when the diet ends? We go back to our old ways.

My advice is, take it step-by-step, bring that practice into your life in a way that proceeds with an inevitable progression. The purpose is to create a permanent form of life that has no due date. Get started with a short-term practice. Remember that you maybe haven’t been practicing yoga regularly ever before in your life. It is unnecessary, let alone meaningful, to set a goal of 90 min session per day.

You can gradually increase the length of the practice and then increase the number of workouts. You can make those added sessions shorter. Let’s say you raise your sessions from three to five a week. The three of practices you have already introduced to your body have been 45 minutes long. Keep the three exercises the same length, and the two “added” sessions can each be, for example, 15 minutes long. In this way, you add 30 minutes of yoga into your week. This here is one example of how you can progress incorporating a new habit into your life.

Feeling good is the reward

Six months before my yoga teacher training, I set my goal to practice daily. The most important thing for me was that I stepped onto my mat daily, and my practices lasted a maximum of an hour.

At those moments when getting onto the mat feels particularly challenging, it’s a good idea to remember the reason you wanted to start the exercise. Let your “why” act as a motivator. And recall how good it feels after yoga. Feeling good is the reward.

Well, here are 5 ways on how to turn yoga practice into a habit. Have a blissful yoga moments.