Coming Home: Embracing the Power of Consistency
I’ve finally returned to a regular in-studio yoga practice.
The last time I had any kind of regular practice was pre-pandemic.
These Sunday mornings have felt like a form of coming home to myself. A warm and familiar feeling.
That familiar feeling was rooted when I started yoga in 2000. I was pregnant with my daughter. Those classes taught me how to move with grace, strength, and fluidity. Making the asana shapes helped me feel beautiful and take up space. On the brink of motherhood, I learned new ways to converse with my body and identity that were undergoing rapid change.
This practice has been my constant and adaptive ally for more than two decades and has shown me so much.
Stay calm while uncomfortable.
Find ease within effort.
Witness emotions and how they affect the body.
Accept the body as it is today.
One cool thing about a consistent practice like this is that the hundred-odd movements are the same, but every time I show up on my mat, it is a different experience because of where my mind or body is that day.
I’ve ebbed and flowed with the physical practice over the past 23 years and have had the good fortune to be taught by amazing teachers along the way. Some of them have introduced me to and helped me integrate teachings from yoga’s spiritual texts into physical asana practice and life in general.
Embedded in a traditionally rooted yoga practice is the understanding that it is meant to be engaged in for a lifetime. No matter your body’s ability to make the asana shapes, there’s always a way to modify so that you are in your body, in your practice, and working with the teachings. The West has certainly messed up this part of yoga by solely extracting the physical fitness part.
A practice is meant to be aspirational, always holding space for you to grow into and acting as a steadfast teacher, not a destination to arrive at.
Maintaining practice means that you are perpetually engaged in the process of the activity, never really reaching an endpoint.
A regular practice provides a structure to experience yourself over and over again. The actual activity stays pretty much the same, providing a baseline, but your mind, spirit, and body are ever-changing.
Sustaining a steady practice is powerful.
Maybe yoga isn’t your thing, and that’s cool.
There are many ways to consistently show up for yourself so that you can have a conversation with yourself and witness your healing and evolution. A practice could look like many things: Expressive writing, mindful walks, running, meditation, drawing, and playing music. Really, it’s anything that you come to on a regular basis that helps you be with yourself and immersed in the process of the activity.
I would encourage you – if you haven’t already – to try on a consistent practice for a while and see what you learn.
It sounds simple, doesn’t it?
It is.
But simple is rarely easy.
Even with loads of practice and yoga teacher training under my belt, I still like to be led through a practice by someone else. It helps me stay the course and keep myself on the mat, focused and in the moment.
Believe me, the pull of avoidance doesn’t go away even when you’re experienced; the thing that changes is the ability to recognize that niggling distraction and perhaps have a bit more self-command to find your way back to the present moment within the practice – whatever it is.
One breath at a time.
There’s nothing wrong with seeking support to show up for yourself. Here’s your permission slip. Just do what works to keep yourself committed.
Find an accountability buddy
Form the writing group
Join the book club
Enroll in the program
Book the coaching sessions
Call your personal trainer
The most important part is actually doing the thing on a regular basis to experience the benefits.
☆ What practices have you returned to over your lifetime?
☆ Where do you know you need to call in accountability structures to support your own success?
In wellness,
D.