It’s officially autumn. The days are getting shorter and the nights longer. The air is cooling and the leaves are beginning to change. Our care-free summer days have ended and it’s now time to return to a routine.
If you’ve missed your regular yoga practice during the summer – now is the perfect time to re-commit. Reconnect with your mat. Reconnect with your body. Reconnect with your mind. As you begin a regular yoga practice, you’ll be surprised at how much freedom you’ll feel. When we make time to connect with ourselves, we often end up feeling as if we have more time to spare.
So as a new season begins, I urge you to take to your mat. If you’re one of the few who’s been able to maintain a regular practice this summer – way to go! Perhaps you can adjust your focus during this seasonal shift to feel a sense of renewed appreciation for your mat and your practice.
Here are some helpful tips to get you back to your mat or change it up!
1. Make a set time for your home yoga practice each day for the same length of time. You can set your alarm an extra 30 minutes early or skip a TV show in the evening for yoga. 2. Close your eye during practice. Reconnect with how your body feels internally instead of focusing externally. 3. When it’s time for savasana, try supported Legs-Up-The-Wall instead with a bolster under you sacrum. 4. If you usually practice Sun Salutation A’s for your home practice – try B’s with added chair & warrior 1. 5. Bring a buddy! Make plans to attend the same yoga class once or twice a week with a friend. It’s so much easier to stay committed when you have a buddy to encourage you and to share your progress with. 6. Make a healthy lifestyle change and stick to it for 40 days. It could be as simple as smiling at yourself in the mirror every morning or drinking more water or always taking the stairs. But whatever it is, stick to it for 40 days and it will become a new, healthy habit.
So what ever you’re doing this fall, but sure to be healthy, include friends and smile!
With love and Gratitude,
Shelley