How to Become Regular in Your Yoga Practice
July 06, 2005
People come to yoga
looking for various things: peace of mind, stress reduction,
improved concentration, and weight loss. Yoga can help
you to accomplish all of this, but "yoga works,
if you work." You have to do the practices on a
regular basis in order to get the results.
If you have bought some books on yoga and meditation,
don't let them gather dust while you sit around thinking
that maybe one day you are going to practice.
Yoga postures and basic meditation exercises are simple
enough to learn. In fact, I teach them to children and
they pick them up quite easily. The big problem for
most people is to establish the habit of doing the practices
on a regular basis. Here are a few tips which may help
you to do your yoga and meditation on a daily basis.
1. Start with Firm Determination: Yoga begins and ends
in the mind. Take a determination that you are going
to give yoga a fair try and you are going to practice,
because it is important to you. Close your eyes, and
think "For the next three months I am going to
do itevery day."
During the course of time, whenever you start thinking,
"Oh today I don't want to do my yoga exercises",
remember your initial determination and stick to it.
2. Do it Together With some Friends: Learning how to
give and share is an important part of yoga, so don't
keep "yoga" to your self. If possible find
one or two friends who would benefit from practicing
yoga, and do it together with them. The good thing about
practicing with others is that if a day comes when you
are not motivated to do the practice, the enthusiasm
of your friends will carry you along and you will do
the practice with them.
3. Make a Regular Schedule and Stick to It: Yoga is
not like tennis or some recreational sport which you
will do if the sun is shining and you feel like doing
it. To get the true benefits from yoga you have to do
it every day. So, free some space in your busy schedule
and "reserve" this time for your practice
of yoga andmeditation.
If you get up a bit earlier in the morning, then you
will have a nice quiet time to do your yoga before the
rest of your neighbors wake up. In the evening, do your
best to keep some time free for yoga before your evening
meal. Once you have set your schedule, stick to it as
best you can.
4. Do Your Practices With A Free Mind: It is not enough
to reserve time for yoga, with your body doing the exercises
but you mind continuing to worry about other things.
When you stop to do your yoga and meditation, you should
remember that the next 30 or 40 minutes has been reserved
for yoga and for your development. Don't jumpup to answer
the phone, or respond to every minor disturbance. This
period of time is for you.
If you begin to think about all your other responsibilities
and problems, gently drop these thoughts and imagine
that your problems are tucked away along with your shoes
at the corner of the room, or better yet in another
room (You shouldn't be practicing yoga with your shoes
on).
5. Be Patient: Sometimes you will feel the effects
of the yoga and sometimes you will not feel anything.
Don't worry about the immediate effects, continue to
practice. It takes a while before the most profound
results of yoga are realized.
It took you many years to build up your present personality
and physical structure. You can't change it overnight.
But the good news is that you don't have to wait many
years to change yourself because the regular and systematic
practice of yoga postures and basic meditation can help
you to make great changes in a period of six months
to one year.
Therefore, start practicing, continue practicing and
slowly, but surely yoga will help you to realize your
most important goals.
Source: http://www.emaxhealth.com
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