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Ah, it's the same ol' downward dog. Inhale arms up, exhale fold. You can do it in your sleep (and maybe you do). If your practice is feeling a little stale and uninspired, there are some things to rev it up or keep you on your mat. By the way, a mat is not required. Drape yourself backward over your bed opening your upper body--yoga. Legs up the wall--yoga. Squatting in the garden planting your tomatoes--yoga. Third beer on the couch--not.
Here are some ideas:
Just Get in the Posture - Try to commit to get into a yoga posture at least once a day. If you're not in your yoga togs, no problem. Only have 5 minutes-perfect. Inhale and raise your arms over your head, exhale and lower them, repeat 5 times. Mix in some twists, forward and back bends, blend all together, bake with a 5 minute rest and voila!, you're done.
Practice Restoration - If you've yoga is an active practice, take a week off and only do restorative postures. Held for any length of time-often 15 - 20 minutes-- these poses will punch your reset button, giving your body time to rest, heal and rejuvenate. You know it needs it.
Forget about the Poses - Focus on your breath instead. Let the poses be secondary. It will change up your practice for the good. Instead of letting the poses be the goal, your breath dictates the movement.
Switch up your Priorities - Want to practice yoga 5 days a week? Make it a priority. After work, before your first class of wine, you commit to a 20 minute practice. Before you turn on your computer in the morning-do 5 minutes of mediation and 25 minutes of practice. During your lunch break its 15 minutes of stretching. Make your personal heath a priority.
Be Easy on Yourself - Are you a bit obsessed with your yoga or workout or cycling? When is the last time you took a break, without being sick or feeling really guilty. Why not take a week (or more) off and instead use that time or connect with friends, pick up the latest Shambala Sun or Sunset Mag, just sit and ponder, enjoy your garden, chat with your chickens or take a nap (or all of the above).
Change it Up - If you never practice with music-turn some on Jai Uttal. If you always start with sun salutations-try a headstand. If you always practice in the morning-try the evening. Climbing Wall--why not? There's Nia, Zumba, Belly Dancing and a gazillion different styles of yoga.
Change your Motivation - We all practice yoga for different reasons, but for many of us, it's our way to stay flexible, strong and balanced. Try to consider different motivations for your practice. Perhaps it's to meet new people that have your same interests or your practice keeps you grounded and healthy. Maybe it's to eliminate stress hormones accumulated during a difficult day. Just breathing consciously for 60 minutes could be motivation enough.
Read - Delve into your practice a bit more. There are some great yoga magazines and books. They're not all technical and boring, although some are. It shouldn't mean that you're studying. Some are down right entertaining, like Stretch-the Unlikely Making of a Yoga Dude by Neal Pollack or Poser, My Life in Twenty-Three Yoga Poses by Claire Dederer.
Learn Something New - Yoga is not just about what we think of in the West, you know, the hot, sweaty yoga for bendy, skinny, white, 20-30-somethings. Delve into the history of yoga with Yoga Body by Mark Singleton. What about the Yoga Sutra or the Bhagavad Gita or the Ramayana, to name a few. Explore the doshas of Ayurveda, the medical system and sister to yoga. It's illuminating and very relevant in light of our need for complementary health care to augment our Western medicine. What about chanting and kirtan. Learn about Ashtanga and the The Eight Limbs of Yoga. There's meditation and breathwork (pranayama). There're workshops, retreats, vacations. Uh, I must exhale now.
See, there's lots to do and tons to explore. For me, it's a bit overwhelming, as I try to do it all, all at once. I never get bored. I hope you're feeling a bit inspired. Just for fun, take the next 5 minutes and do nothing-that can be your yoga for the day!
[Want to read some of my earlier posting. You can find them here. Enjoy.]
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