Every Friday when I teach my Ayurvedic Yoga class, I ask my students beforehand if they have any particular wishes or pertinent questions. And every time, even if only one of them is forthcoming, I feel very inspired as we can go deeper and learn and experience more together with those questions!
Last week a student asked me a question for which I was very grateful. I was not only grateful as a yoga teacher but also as an Ayurvedic practitioner who is educating her clients about lifestyle changes as the most sustainable ways of maintaining vitality and health.
She asked:
“How do you start and maintain a DAILY yoga practice?”
When we find yoga and realize how helpful it is for our sense of balance, our body aches, our mental focus, our emotional wellbeing, our flexibility, and strength, then we know that we MUST continue this practice! We must make this part of our life! But making it a habit or fitting it into our daily routine (as we call it in Ayurveda) can often be a struggle in this fast-paced life that vies for each second of our attention.
New habits are often hard to form and even easier to forget. But setting ourselves up for success by taking smaller but more consistent steps can be very helpful and more encouraging in the long run than setting the goal of a daily, full-fledged one-hour Yoga Asana class. When we start by dedicating only 5-10 minutes a day, but do it every day, it becomes easier to fit it into our schedule. The 5 minutes you will spend on your self-care is more beneficial than the one hour we dream of but never manage to fit in! Just start with 5 minutes a day, every day, even if it is just lying on your mat at the same time each day! This builds your habit muscle! The snail, due to its slowness, might not be seen initially as the winner, but it is in the end!
Another tip is to have your yoga mat already rolled out, a dedicated space. This can be anything from your rolled out mat next to your bed all the way to a resort like set up!I often just have my mat rolled out next to my bed when traveling, a visceral reminder as I arise to remember to spend time on the mat even when I am not at home.
The next tip is the concept of habit stacking. We have many daily habits already, such as brushing our teeth, meditating or having our morning cup of tea. Now all we need to do is to add this new habit to the already existing habit. Such as:” I will just spend 5 minutes on my mat before drinking my morning tea or before brushing my teeth at night.” Tying this new habit to a well-established one, gives it a greater success rate. In addition, research shows that once you do something daily for 3 weeks in a row, then you will have established that habit! Yay!
And what do I do once I am on that mat without a teacher to guide me?
One, is the observation of breath. How does my breath feel today? Is it smooth or ragged, fast, or slow, even, or uneven? Can I feel my breath in my body? Where do I feel the breath?
Your breath is a wonderful teacher!
Two, it is all about moving from the mind into the body and listening to the wisdom of the body. What is the body communicating to me by way of aches and pains, stiffness, heat or cold? You will be surprised how the channeling of breath and being attentive to the body will invite various movements in response to those needs. And now you have a second teacher!
Additionally, you have my support every week either in person, via Zoom or per video, to continue honing your practice and learning whole sequences of asanas (poses) and always new practices, that then come more easily to you once you are on the mat!
In that spirit, I look forward to practicing with you tomorrow via Zoom:
Ayurvedic Yoga
Friday mornings
9:30 - 10:45 am EST via ZOOM
The space is open a few minutes earlier for us to have time to greet each other,
check in and settle in.
Here is the link:
Classes can be purchased via
OR
Venmo@Nasim-Maani
OR
by check to
Nasim Maani
109 Cofield Circle, Durham, NC 27707
April 2024-2025
$15/single Zoom class
$30/ single Studio class OR 2 class cards
$70 for a 5-class pass
$140 for a 10-class pass
Always grateful for my precious students 🙏🏽❤️
Namasté,
Nasim
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