2022 is here. Are you ready? Have you decided on your New Year’s resolution yet? No? That’s ok. Neither have millions of others, besides, who do you know that sticks to them anyway? If I had $1 for every broken resolution I’ve made, I’d have retired by now.

Do you at least have a 2022 wish list or bucket list? The best thing about a bucket list is that you can continue to add to it anytime you wish. My wish list is simple…it starts with health and happiness for myself and my loved ones. This got me thinking, what is happiness? For everyone it is different and personal. So this is, I think, a universal list of wishes:

• Food on our tables
• A roof over our heads
• Drink more water
• Eat more raw foods
• Get more sleep
• Spend quality time with your family
• Spend quality alone time with yourself
• Laugh more
• Hug lots
• Treating others as we wish to be treated

It’s a very simple list, but I know that the majority of people reading this will struggle to fulfil it. It’s called self care. People have differing views on self care. Some understand the importance of it, others think it’s about being selfish and indulgent. I don’t blame them, when it was first mentioned to me I didn’t have a clue what it really meant. To be honest I thought it was all about washing, brushing my teeth, eating, sleeping that sort of self care. Once I was told what it really was and what I should do to achieve it, I thought it was selfishness.

“I can hardly wait for tomorrow, it means a new life for me each and every day.” – Stanley Kunitz

Once I actually got a grasp on it and started to apply it to my life, I started to wonder how I got through before. To start with you do need to think a little selfish but without acting it. It really is all about ME. What do I need to do to live life healthier and happier? To be able to give the best of myself to others without losing or disrespecting myself in the meantime.

Here are a few ways you can practice self care this year:

1. Are you a YES person?

Learn not to automatically say yes to requests, actually take the time to think about it first. If you are saying no deep down, be honest and say no upfront. At the end of the day, we are all expendable. When your life is coming to an end, nobody is going to say ‘she was a great girl , she never said no to anyone. The world will not end if you say no to something or someone. If you are a ‘yes’ person, this will be your hardest lesson to learn.

2. Learn to like your own company

You also need to learn to like your own company, really get to know yourself. What makes you happy, sad, excited? What really makes your blood run? These first two steps go hand in hand. Accomplish them and you are already halfway to practicing self care correctly.

3. Declutter

Declutter, yes you heard me. A clear desk, cupboard, wardrobe, etc. helps clear the mind. Last year I moved house, now I wasn’t a hoarder, but a collector. I can’t begin to tell you how much I recycled to charity or tossed to the garbage but it was freeing. Try it! Start off simple. Pick one room in the house and go through all areas of storage. Not only will you feel good for doing it, if you can donate a lot of what you’re clearing, then you will feel even better for helping others.

“The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.” – Joshua Becker

4. Revisit something you are good at

It may be a hobby that you haven’t pursued for years. Maybe you wrote poetry when you were a teenager, or you can draw, knit, paint. Whatever it was, find the time to do it again. You will be amazed what a stress buster it can be.

5. Remember to take a lunch break

The easiest thing to do is take your lunch break. We are all guilty of eating at our desks or on the run. Stop, grab your lunch, and eat it away from your workspace. Take a walk around the block once you’ve eaten. Take the time to step away for some instant ‘me’ time. Once again, no one pays you extra to work through your lunch hour.

6. Put yourself first from time to time

Finally, light that candle, buy your favourite bottle of wine and enjoy. It is never too late and you are never too old to start putting you first in everything you do. Trust me, once you do, you’ll thank me. The interesting part is, you will come through as a more content, relaxed and happier person.

It’s your turn. It’s time to make 2022 the year of YOU. What are you going to do to show yourself more self care? Leave your thoughts below!

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Yoga is traditionally associated with only one goal—to attain samadhi or enlightenment. Yet householder yogis find it helpful and beneficial to pursue smaller and easier attainable goals. Yoga goals can be quite diverse, depending on if the focus on yoga’s physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual benefits. Having clear and specific yogic goals can help deepen one’s practice, improve your health, and help you live a life of greater balance, peace, and happiness. If you are looking to expand or deepen your yoga practice, you should consider using one or more yoga goals to lead the way.

Rigid vs Flexible Goals

Rigid goals have a very specific outcome and timeframe in mind. For example, if you want to lose weight, then losing 10 pounds in 60 days would be considered a rigid goal. A flexible goal, on the other hand, is more open-ended and general. It may be something like “I am going to eat healthy foods and take care of myself physically.”

Flexible goals allow you to make slow and small changes in your lifestyle without having to completely overhaul your entire way of living. There are a few downsides to flexible goals. One downside is that they aren’t as motivating because there isn’t a deadline for when you need to reach them. Another downside is that flexible goals don’t give you any immediate feedback about whether or not you are making progress towards reaching your long-term goals. This means that you could spend months working towards a flexible goal and never know if you are actually accomplishing anything.

In order to get the most out of your yoga session, try to incorporate both rigid and flexible goals into your daily routine. Use flexible goals to give you the big picture of what you want to achieve and to help you stay motivated and encouraged. Then use one or more detailed rigid goals with set deadlines to encourage consistent practice to move toward accomplishing your flexible goal.

Yoga goals to expand and deepen your yoga practice

Whether you’re new to yoga or already practicing, taking on one or more of these goals will guide you to improve your practice. For any of the items on this list that you’d like to explore, think about creating both flexible and rigid goals to use. Create and write down a detailed plan to achieve your goals with as many small steps as you can think of.

Increase your flexibility

Many people take up yoga to improve their flexibility and range of motion. Even experienced yogis work on improving flexibility to advance in the practice and be able to perform more challenging asanas. If your goal is to increase your flexibility, then focus on stretching poses that target the major muscle groups that are tightest in your body. Generally, you will want to focus more on seated and floor poses since they allow you to hold the position for a longer time. Yin and gentle yoga classes will focus more on flexibility than other styles. Don’t push, pull or force your way into the stretch—instead, work on relaxing into it.

Improve strength and build endurance

If your goal is to increase strength, then focus on holding poses that activate the muscles you wish to strengthen. If you want to build upper body strength, then incorporate long holds of Downward Facing Dog, Plank Pose, Cobra, Dolphin, Side Plank and arm balances like Crow Pose. If you want to develop lower body strength, then focus on standing poses such as Tree Pose, Mountain, the 5 Warrior Poses, Chair, and Goddess pose. If you want to develop your core, you can include exercises like Low Plank, Bridge, and Boat. Focus on breathing deeply during each pose and slowly building up to holding the pose for longer periods of time.

As you strengthen your muscles, you build endurance. Endurance refers to how long you can hold a position. Endurance is important as it helps you recover faster after intense workouts. Yoga builds endurance so you can hold the postures with ease and feel great after class.

Get stronger bones

Yoga has been shown to reduce stress fractures and help with osteoporosis. Bone density increases by strengthening bones through weight bearing exercise. To build strong bones, focus less on stretching asanas and incorporate more of the above strength building poses.

Regulate your emotions

Emotional imbalance can lead to poor decision making and unhealthy relationships. To achieve emotional balance, focus on yoga poses that calm the nervous system and open the heart center. Calming poses include forward bends, twists, and hip opening poses like Seated Forward Fold, Bound Angle, Wide-Legged Forward Bend, Child’s Pose, Wind-Relieving Pose, Happy Baby Pose, and Pigeon.

Build balance

If you want to build better physical balance, then start with focusing more on standing poses. Standing poses require you to maintain proper posture and challenge your ability to balance and stabilize yourself in different positions. Once you feel comfortable balancing in a standing pose, move on to balancing poses such as tree pose, dancer and eagle. These poses are great for building balance and strength because they require you to place all of your weight on to one leg.

Reduce stress and anxiety

Stress affects every aspect of our lives. It causes us to lose sleep, eat poorly, and make poor decisions. A regular yoga practice promotes a calm mind and helps to turn off the nervous systems “fight or flight” stress response. If your goal is to create a calmer mind, then focus on practicing meditation, slow deep breathing and soothing and gentle poses like Child’s Pose, Happy Baby Pose, Forward Fold, Bound Angle, and restorative yoga poses.

Strengthen your mind

Yoga and meditation improve concentration, focus, and memory. To give your brain a boost, practice meditation and practice balancing poses and inversions like Tree, Tiptoe Pose, Dancer, Plow Pose, Shoulder Stand, Downward Dog, and Rabbit Pose. Studying and practicing yogic philosophy is also a great way to stimulate and strengthen the mind.

Promote positive thinking

Excessive negative thought patterns are harmful to both the body and the mind. Positive thinking leads to positive actions, which ultimately creates a happier person. Practicing kindness, gratitude, compassion and forgiveness is an effective antidote for negative thinking. There are also several other yogic techniques you can practice to transform a negative mind.

Learn pranayama

Breathing is an essential component in hatha yoga. If you are ready to move beyond the basic breathing techniques you have learned in class, check out our section on pranayama to learn additional energizing and calming breath exercises. The advanced pranayamas are best learned under the supervision of a qualified and experienced teacher.

Create a healthy diet

Yogis believe that eating healthy foods helps them achieve spiritual goals, promotes inner peace, and helps them practice advanced asanas. A regular yoga practice naturally supports a healthier diet by increasing how aware of your energy level and how you feel after each meal. To improve your diet, try to eat a wide variety of foods. Try to not eat foods with pesticides or chemicals. Minimize your intake of processed food. Balance your diet by eating more fruits and veggies than meat, or eliminate all animal protein from your diet.

Have a consistent yoga practice

Consistency is key to any exercise program. If you want to see benefits and results, you must stick with it. It may take some trial and error to figure out what works best for you, but consistency will always pay off. To increase your consistency, commit to practicing yoga for a set number of days per week. Once you have integrated your practice as a weekly habit, then work on increasing the amount per day or the number of sessions per week.

Try a new class or teacher

The best way to try out a yoga class or teacher is to attend a free trial session. This gives you the opportunity to see if the style of teaching suits you, and whether you like the atmosphere of the studio. Trying out a new class, style of yoga, or teacher is an easy and fun goal that helps you experience new things and expand your horizons.

Increase your meditation time

Meditation is a powerful way to calm the mind, reduce stress, and increase focus. It’s a great tool for helping people achieve personal growth and self-improvement, yet it is difficult to sit for a long period of time. If your goal is to start to meditate, it is best to start with 5-10 minutes and slowly build from there. If you want to increase your meditation time, you can either slowly add a few minutes to each session, or add an additional meditation practice during the day.

Take a workshop or yoga retreat

The best way to learn many of the deeper aspects of yoga is through an immersive hands-on experience. Attending a workshop or retreat is a great goal that will give you the opportunity to explore the deeper physical and mental aspects of the practice. It’s important to note that not all workshops or retreats offer the same level of instruction. Some may focus solely on teaching poses, while others include meditation, pranayama, philosophy, and other topics.

Read one or more yoga books

There are many types of yoga, meditation, and philosophy books available. Some focus on specific topics like anatomy, breathing, or relaxation; others focus on general principles, like mindfulness or self-awareness. The best way to choose which books to read is by considering what you want from them. For example, if you want to gain insight into your mind and body, try reading a book that focuses on meditation or mindfulness. If you want to understand the philosophical underpinnings of yoga, try a book that explores the history of yoga or philosophy.

Tackle a new or challenging pose

A common goal for experienced yoga students is to master a challenging pose. Don’t expect to jump right in and try to master a difficult new pose. Take baby steps. Most advanced asanas require years of practice before they become second nature. Start small. Practice a few preparatory postures first, and gradually add more complexity. When you reach a point where you are comfortable doing the pose, move onto the next step.

Explore non-physical yoga

The most common type of yoga is Hatha, which focuses on postures and breathing exercises. There are many other non physical practices that you can explore that focus on the heart and the mind. Consider practicing Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga, Mantra Yoga, or Jnana Yoga. Each of these styles has its own unique approach and philosophy to discover and explore.

Take a yoga challenge

A yoga challenge is a great way to focus on and complete rigid and specific goals. These challenges range in time, intensity and duration, so it’s important to choose your challenge wisely. Some people choose to take them at home, while others attend classes at local studios. You can do challenges solo or with friends.

Connect with community

If you want to strengthen your ties with the local yoga community, you will need to attend local yoga classes. Yoga studios are great places to meet new friends and form friendships. Some studios also offer volunteer opportunities, which gives you additional ways to feel part of a community.

Learn about the history of yoga

The history of yoga is ancient, mysterious and fascinating. You can start with online articles on yoga’s history and explore books for deeper knowledge. If your goal is to learn more about the history of yoga, check out Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice by Mark Singleton, The Path of Modern Yoga by Elliott Goldberg, and A History of Modern Yoga by Elizabeth De Michelis.

Start a journal

Journaling can be a great way to track your progress towards achieving your goals. It can also be a fun activity to promote self-reflection, contemplation and mindfulness. If your goal is to start a yoga journal, check out our tips on how to get started.

Establish or expand a home yoga practice

A home yoga practice is ideal for many reasons, including convenience, cost and time. However, establishing a home practice requires discipline and commitment. Make sure you have enough space around your yoga mat to do all the poses comfortably. Books, websites and videos can inform and support a home yoga practice. Practicing at home helps you stay grounded, focused, consistent, and balanced.

Create a home yoga studio

Home studios are great because they allow you to practice in the comfort of your own home with all the accoutrements of a yoga studio. They also provide a safe space where you can focus on yourself without having to worry about interruptions from others. If you want to take your home practice to the next level, make sure you have all the props and essential equipment you may need in your home studio.

Do some self-study

The term Svadhyaya in yoga means “self study.” It can be any type of learning activity that encourages observing what we do and thinking about why we do it. It’s also about reflecting on our experiences and understanding them better. It’s a process of self-discovery—understanding ourselves deeply enough to know when we need to make changes in our life. This can include reading books and sacred yogic scriptures, watching videos, listening to audio recordings, and attending workshops.

Enrol in a yoga teacher training course

While a yoga teacher training program will teach you everything you need to know to become a certified yoga instructor, you can attend without becoming a teacher—to deepen your knowledge and experience. The curriculum includes anatomy, physiology, philosophy, history, meditation, pranayama, alignment, sequencing, teaching techniques, and ethics. If you are not sure if a training course is right for you, check out our quiz to help you decide.

Be part of a study group

A study group is a great way to meet like-minded yogis who share similar interests. It’s also a great opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback from others who may have more experience at the practices, techniques and traditions you are interested in. Meetup.com is a great way to find local groups in your town.

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Starting a home practice can be a great way to maintain and even deepen your yoga practice. It’s also a great option if you struggle to fit classes in to your schedule, or want to practice more often than is financially realistic. One great thing about a home-based practice is that it can be whatever you need it to be! It can start and end at any time, target your mood and physical needs, and use any genre or volume of music that moves you at the moment.

What is a home yoga practice?

A home yoga practice is a regular routine that incorporates some form of yoga into your life. It could include practicing yoga poses, meditating, doing yoga breathing exercises, or chanting Sanskrit mantras. Some people choose to incorporate yoga into their morning routines, others prefer to practice yoga before bedtime. A home yoga practice is highly personal—it is created and defined by your personal preferences, goals and needs. It can be done anytime that your schedule allows, and can be practiced in your home or outdoors in your yard.

Benefits of a home yoga practice vs. going to a yoga studio or gym

There are many benefits of practicing yoga in the comfort of your home. Check out the list below to learn of the reasons why you may wish to start a home yoga practice.

• You’ll save time. You don’t have to travel, park your car, or have to wait in line to check in. There also is no need to arrive early to get your favorite spot in the room!
• Less worry. In your rush to get to a class, have you ever forgotten something important like your yoga mat? Or realized when you got to class that you left your water bottle on the kitchen counter? With a home practice, these things are less likely to happen because they’re not an issue when you do them!
• You have more flexibility. You can practice anytime is best for your scheduled and needs. With a home practice, you get to decide when and where you practice. For example, maybe you’re feeling too tired after work to do a full hour class, so instead you do a few sun salutations followed by a short meditation.
• There isn’t anyone watching. If you are a beginner, you don’t have to worry about being self-conscious about how your body looks in the poses. No one will judge you if you fall off your mat! Having eyes on you during your practice can be distracting and uncomfortable. In contrast, a private home practice gives you complete control over your environment. There are no distractions, so you can fully immerse yourself in your own experience.
• You will not be tempted to judge yourself to other more advanced yoga practitioners in a class. When you go to a class with lots of students, there is always someone who has been practicing longer than you. This person may look better than you, but this doesn’t mean anything about what kind of practitioner you are.
• You have endless freedom to explore your practice. The only limit is your imagination. What would you love to try next? Maybe you’d like to add a guided visualization to your practice. How about trying a different style of asana?
• You can take breaks in child pose whenever you need to without feeling guilty about it. During a long session, sometimes we just need to rest our bodies. We might feel overwhelmed, stressed out, or physically exhausted from all the effort we’ve put forth. Taking a break allows us to reset ourselves mentally and emotionally.
• You’ll save money, especially if you do not need to rely on paid online classes. Most yoga classes cost between $14-$25 per session and online video membership fees range from $13-$22 per month.

Downsides of a home yoga practice

There may be a few downsides to practicing yoga at home. You should be aware of these limitations to plan and make adjustments accordingly.

• You will not have a yoga teacher to correct your mistakes and give you options to modify and adapt the practice to your body.
• You might need to do a lot of work to create and maintain a space for your personal practice.
• You may need to invest in some yoga props like a yoga block, bolster, blanket and yoga strap.
• You will probably stick to the basic yoga poses that you already know and not feel comfortable attempting more challenging poses without the guidance of a yoga instructor.
• You may miss the support and social aspects of public yoga classes.
• If you like hot yoga, it may be impractical to heat your yoga space enough to make you sweat.

How to start a home yoga practice

If you want to add an asana practice into your daily routine, there are a few things you need to consider before you begin. While you do not need to do everything on our list to be successful, the more you check off, the more successful your practice of yoga will become.

1. Find your spot.
   Beginning is as simple as identifying a place to practice. This can be a special spot dedicated to your practice, or any place where you can lay down your yoga mat and have enough room to move safely. The ideal space will be different for each person and is often influenced by your dwelling and other lifestyle factors. Wherever you practice, make the space feel sacred, inviting, and peaceful in a way that means something to you. Donna Nebenzahl suggests, “the key is to create an atmosphere that is so calming that even the family dog, with a deep sigh, is able to relax.” This calming influence can help bring your attention to your practice by allowing your focus to shift away from normal household distractions. You may choose to light candles or incense, use pictures or statues of esteemed teachers or deities, or play certain music. It can be soothing to approach the ritual of preparation with a sense of reverence; your practice has already begun!
2. Gather your equipment.
   If you practice at home, you will probably need a mat, blocks, and other props. And if you practice outdoors, you may need a blanket, a mat, and some water. Make sure you have all of the at home yoga essentials that you need before you begin.
3. Choose a style of yoga that works for you.
   There are many styles of yoga, each with its own set of benefits. Some styles emphasize stretching and flexibility, others focus on strength building, and still others are all about relaxation. In your personal home practice you can even combine elements from multiple styles!
4. Choose your focus.
   Some days you may come to your mat knowing exactly what you want to work on, and move right into your practice. Other days, you may feel less inspired. There are lots of resources out there for these days. You can visit our practice section to find yoga pose sequences for all levels of ability and special sequences to match your mood. You may also find it useful to have a couple  yoga books to reference and inspire you.
5. Start simple.
   Get started with a short, basic and beginner type of practice and build from there. At the start, it is more important to build the habit of a home practice than what it looks like. Once it becomes part of your routine, then experiment with longer and more challenging practices.
6. Commit to a practice schedule.
   Be honest and realistic with yourself, so you are more likely to stick to it. How long will you practice? What time of day will you practice? How many days a week will you practice? If you are still taking classes, it may be useful to try to practice at the same time on your off days.
7. Experiment and go deeper.
   Once you have established a regular practice, consider experimenting with different styles and practices. Try different styles, such as Iyengar, vinyasa flow, or power yoga. Consider incorporating some yin yoga or a few restorative poses. Consider shifting your focus to a different type of movement, such as standing poses, back bends, forward folds, twists, or inversions. Add or try different types of pranayama breathing techniques. Add or try different styles of meditation, such as mindfulness, loving kindness, or mantra meditation. Find additional tips to maintain and deepen your home practice.

Home yoga practice tips

• Do what feels good. Don’t worry about being perfect.
• Be patient. Keep trying until you succeed. The best way to get better at something is to do it over and over again.
• Take breaks when necessary. Give yourself permission to stop whenever you want.
• Have fun! Remember to smile often during your practice. This helps you enjoy the process and smiling boosts endorphins, which makes us happy.
• Practice makes permanent. A daily yoga practice is ideal, but the more often you can practice, the quicker you will learn the yoga postures and breathing exercises.
• Keep learning. Find new ways to challenge yourself by looking up information on the deeper aspects of yoga or talking to experienced yogis.
• Drink plenty of water after your practice. This keeps your body hydrated and helps flush toxins through your system. It’s especially helpful if you sweat heavily in your yoga sessions.
• Get support. Ask friends and family members to help motivate you to continue your practice.
• Release attachment at attaining progress. Enjoy the process—your yoga journey is just as valuable as reaching the goal.
• Stay present. When you find your mind wandering and distracted, bring it back to the moment. See if you can notice where your attention has wandered and gently redirect it back to the awareness of breath and the sensations arising in your body.
• Release judgement and criticism. Accept where you are now and keep a positive mindset.
• Breathe deeply. Taking deep breaths throughout your practice keeps you focused and calm while providing your entire body with the oxygen and energy it needs for the practice.
• Believe in yourself. You’re capable of anything that you put your mind to.
• Trust your intuition and follow your heart. Allow your inner guidance to lead you toward success.

Conclusion

There are ten thousand things to pull you away from your practice, and even more when your practice time is dictated by someone else’s schedule. Keep going to your favorite classes, but when you can’t make them, don’t let that stop your practice! Pull out your mat at home, decide what you need, set the tone, create your practice space, and let your own inner wisdom guide you. By consciously nurturing and supporting your home yoga routine will allow you to quickly reap the amazing health benefits of yoga.

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My youngest daughter is fond of saying: “If you want to be a runner, you have to run; and if you want to be a weightlifter, you have to lift weights.” A runner, she knows that the only way she is going to improve on her race time is to run. Her no-nonsense attitude toward running serves for me as a reminder of the spirit and importance of a daily yoga practice.

Why practice yoga daily?

Daily yoga practice is a commitment to yourself and to your own growth. A daily practice is essential to help us stay physically fit, mentally balanced, spiritually connected, and emotionally strong. It is a simple, accessible, and affordable practice that can be done almost anywhere. It doesn’t have to be long or complicated, even if you only have 15 minutes per day, it will still benefit your body, mind and spirit.

The Yoga Sutras (1.14) teach us that to become firmly established in our practice, we must attend to it for a long time, without interruption, with an attitude of devotion and service, and a full heart. When we practice daily, we create a powerful foundation and clear attention to progress along the path towards enlightenment.

The challenge of daily practice

Students often come to yoga filled with enthusiasm. They invest in yoga mats and athletic wear; they sign up for classes and declare they now “do yoga.” As they immerse themselves in their practice, they begin to come face to face with their ego, their fears, frustrations and anger that they can’t touch their nose to knees. Bodies long conditioned to a state of numbness respond with pain as under-used muscles are summoned to the work they have long leveled on joints. Egos suffer as yogis look around the room comparing themselves to advanced students.

Many stop coming to class and eventually quit. But it’s at that juncture where we meet our obstacles and excuses that the true challenge of our practice begins.

The benefits of doing yoga everyday

We will not transform our practice—nor, in turn, our practice transform our lives—if we do not practice regularly. The more we practice, the deeper we delve into our potential, our true selves.

What happens if you practice yoga every day? A daily practice empowers us with the spiritual confidence gained from progressing through the asanas and breaking through mental, physical, and emotional obstacles. A daily practice cultivates the attitude that through patience and compassion, not brute strength, we can accomplish just about anything on and off our mats. A daily yoga practice has many great benefits! It helps keep us grounded, centered, balanced, flexible, strong, calm, clear-headed, focused, relaxed, happy, healthy, and free from stress and anxiety. In other words, it keeps us sane!

How much yoga is enough?

In his book Yoga Beyond Belief, Ganga White responds to students who ask the age-old question: How long will it take? How long will it take before I master the yoga postures? White’s response: It will take the rest of your life.

Yoga is not a destination. It’s a journey. Mastery of the asanas is not the goal of the practice, it is the result of it. Pattabhi Jois said, “Yoga is one percent theory; the rest is practice.” The sage Patanjali did not prescribe a period of time required to achieve mastery. He taught that through abhyasa, constant and determined effort, and vairagya, non-attachment and freedom from desire, we can establish a firm foundation in our practice. That is counter to the way many of us live our lives: we want instant gratification. A lifetime of practice? That’s way too long for many of us.

But we must practice vairagya and let go of our attachment to the goal. We must approach our practice with tapas—the zeal and willpower—to sustain a practice over a lifetime. Along that journey, we see yoga reflecting back on our lives. We learn that what we do on the mat is what we do off the mat. Our attitude as we approach a challenging pose is a reflection of how we live our lives.

How to start a daily yoga practice

Many people struggle with how to begin a daily practice. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the thought of trying to fit in a new activity into your life and daily routine. Here are eight tips to help you get started:

1. Set a time. I recommend setting aside time each day to do a short yoga routine. Examine your daily routine to find the most ideal time to take time for self care. Set up reminders on your phone to remind you to practice.
2. Start small. Committing to a short practice will make it much more likely to accomplish every day. It can be as simple as five minutes of sun salutations or a few beginner yoga poses, followed by some pranayama (breathing exercises), and ending with a few minutes of meditation. You don’t have to spend hours on your mat; just start small and build from there.
3. Choose an appropriate level. Make sure the yoga classes you commit to are of the correct length and intensity for your ability and dedication. If you bite off too much at once, you may find yourself feeling frustrated and discouraged. Also, consider whether you need more guidance than what they offer in class. Many teachers offer private lessons so they can work closely with their students to ensure they receive proper instruction.
4. Find a yoga teacher who inspires you. Find someone whose teaching style resonates with you, and whose classes are challenging enough to push you to new heights. Ask friends or family members about who their favorite yoga instructor is. If you don’t have access to a teacher, there are tons of great online yoga classes to practice with.
5. Do what feels right. Don’t worry so much about whether a yoga asana “looks” good. Just do whatever works for your body. Some days I’ll start my morning off with a few sun salutations before breakfast. Other times, I might just sit quietly and breathe deeply. Whatever makes sense to you is fine.
6. Take it off the mat. You can start a daily practice anywhere, anytime, by simply taking a moment to slow down and listen intently to what’s happening inside and around you. Remember that yoga isn’t always physical. In fact, many forms of yoga emphasize mental discipline and self-awareness. When you’re in traffic, take a few moments to breathe deeply and focus on your breath. If you’re walking to the grocery store, pause to notice the sensations in your feet, the air on your skin, the touch of the sidewalk beneath your feet. Look for any spare moments to pause, breathe deeply and bring awareness to your body. Find opportunities to move into a posture—like taking three deep breaths in Tree Pose while waiting for your morning coffee to brew.
7. Be patient. There may come a point when you find yourself struggling to stay consistent with your practice. This happens because you’re learning more than you expected. When this occurs, remember that patience is key. Keep reminding yourself why you decided to commit to regular yoga practice in the first place. Like anything else, the experience and benefits of yoga and meditation deepen with practice.
8. Keep at it. The most important thing to keep in mind is that consistency is essential if you want to see results. The best way to maintain consistency over time is to make it part of your lifestyle. Schedule a specific time during which you will meditate or perform a yoga pose. And if you miss one day, don’t beat yourself up! Simply pick back up where you left off next week. As long as you continue practicing regularly, you will improve over time.

Do you have a daily yoga practice? What challenges have you faced or overcome through this practice? What benefits have you experienced by practicing every day?

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By Dr. Kaiya Ansorge

What is a koan?

A koan is a phrase or word that is used in meditation to train the mind. Usually, the koan is somewhat puzzling in order to invite the mind to open in unusual ways. In fact, the term is often translated as “riddle.”

Koan literature involves enigmatic sayings or questions that, when meditated upon continuously, are meant to resolve in specific ways that indicate the path of insight for the initiate. On the other hand, other traditions assert that koans are not meant to be resolved but are instead ways to open us to a contemplative relationship with ephemera in the mind—rather than rational, problem-solving approaches.

The history and development of koan meditation is complex and reaches back to ancient China. However, this form of meditation can be modified to help those of us who are not planning to become Buddhist monks or scholars. We can use koans in their original formulations, or we can develop forms inspired by that practice but that are applicable and relevant to modern life, such as video meditations.

Why practice koan meditation?

The main reason to practice koan meditation is because we all practice it every day without awareness that we are doing so. All of us have thoughts—even if we think in images. These thoughts function in much the same way as a koan. Whether we consciously choose our thoughts or we unconsciously do so, we are in a continual process of training our minds. The stories and thoughts that we tell ourselves are the ones that we increasingly believe. Koan meditation brings our awareness to this process and invites us to explore further. Koan meditation slowly teaches us how to choose, question, and transform our perception of the world. However, this is not hypnosis: rather than putting us to sleep, koan practice wakes us up to a larger, more beautiful reality.

Some traditions assign a lifelong koan. The cognate of this for non-monastics is that each of us is “assigned” a specific dilemma or approach to life at birth or through early trauma/socialization. Most of us will have more than one koan that has arrived and situated itself in our preconscious mind. These range from “you are not good enough,” “you are too much,” even “I hate you,” or “you shouldn’t have been born” all the way to “freedom,” “love,” “joy,” or “you are made of love.” These voices within our mind can be explored and dismantled if they are detrimental and then replaced by ones that are natural to the divine nature within each of us. The degrading messages are always from an early hurt. The messages that feel freeing—or like a peaceful home—are the ones that are true to our nature.

How can you incorporate koan meditation into your practice?

Steps for koan meditation

1. Choose how you would like to practice. Would you like to do a seated, lying down, or walking meditation? You may even choose a non-traditionally Buddhist practice such as swimming or writing meditation. Many Buddhists use koans as a continual contemplation throughout their regular daily activities.

2. Choose a koan. You may use a traditional koan such as “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” Or you may want to try koans you discover via a source such as Moti Media’s video series on koan meditation. Or you may choose a poem or a phrase that you want to move from your mind to your entire being. Affirmations and prayers are potent with this practice.

Here is a list of koan sources and ideas:

– Traditional sources are the “Blue Cliff Record” (Pi-yen lu) and “The Gateless Gate” (Wu-men kuan).

– Poems by Mary Oliver are especially helpful for those who practice in nature.

– Choose prayers from your religious background or, even better, from another religion in order to expand your consciousness and challenge it in a way that mystify you and open you to new vistas.

– A new way to engage koan meditation is through short exploratory videos such as “What’s There?” “Pursuit of Heavens,” and “Cycle.”

3. Gently rest your mind on your chosen koan as you meditate.

4. When you notice your mind drifting from the koan, you may follow the thoughts but with awareness, or you may return your thoughts gently to the koan. I find it helpful to mix these two approaches: as my mind explores the trajectories of the koan I watch, but if I find myself wandering off-topic or toward judgmental trajectories, I acknowledge the stray thoughts, thank them, and return to the koan.

5. As you watch your thoughts around the koan, allow yourself to notice those thoughts while cultivating interest and releasing judgment. Rhythmic, gentle breathing helps us transition our judgmental or anxious thoughts into a pattern of calming embrace and release.

6. As you close your session, offer gratitude or love to the koan, to your mind, and finally to your body for this session.

Life is made of koans. These koans come to us in the form of personal, interpersonal, and cultural tensions and puzzles. By learning how to work with koans in meditation, we begin to translate our approach to the challenges of our own lives through this lens. Koan practice also trains our minds to be flexible and creative, thus imparting flexibility and creativity towards our lives as challenges arise. This type of mindfulness-training delivers us into an unexpected curiosity, freedom, and joy in the midst of life’s dilemmas and challenges: in other words, we become riddled with wonder.

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Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Dr. Kaiya Ansorge. Kaiya is academically trained in psychology, philosophical theology, and religion. She teaches at the University of South Dakota. Because Kaiya loves to explore the spirituality of place, she has lived, studied, written, and traveled her way through 24 countries, spread across 5 continents. Her previous works include The Nature of Miracle, The Relationship between the Word and the Thing, “How to Use the 7 Chakras to Get in Touch with Personal Vitality,” and “Ascension: a Different Kind of Gravity.” Kaiya has appeared in Theology Today, Healyourhealthyourself, Your Motivational High 5, and on Sunny 93.3, South Dakota Public Radio, and KELO-TV. You can find her through her website or through Facebook.

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By Alicia Dill

Starting in 2013, I’ve been practicing regularly at the same hot yoga studio two to three times per week. Hot yoga gives me intensity, focus, mindfulness, and dripping heat you feel in your bones even in the dead of winter. While holding a complicated pose well past your comfort zone, you start to comprehend all those buzzwords you’ve heard tossed around. The point where you are working mind, body, and soul. Where you forget your own name and everything else that led you to the class because if you waver, you might fall down in a puddle of sweat. It’s a glorious way to exercise the warrior that needs to push to the edge and just flow. So my confession of the pandemic…I haven’t stepped foot inside a yoga studio since March 2020. That’s crazy talk!

Just writing about it, I’m aching to be back. But the other part of me says, I’m not ready. And I’m giving myself the space to be ready. To be clear, I’m all about the yoga, and the heat, but I’m not ready to practice with other people again. Because throughout the past year and some months, I’ve been in my room, exploring different yoga routines remotely, sometimes cold, never breaking a sweat or remembering to breathe deeply. A very different sort of yoga than my group sessions. And as a former soldier, it reminded me of another time in my life, transitioning out of the military into the civilian world. Here are a few ways I used my military experience to keep me motivated on my mat:

It’s a Group Thing Until It’s Not

Group exercise is common in the military. It’s part of the success as our drill sergeants build us up into the fine specimens we all are. From the very beginning of our basic training, we learn to do things together and follow instructions. Running with a cadence helped me shave five whole minutes off my two-mile run, as I was filled with the baritone of the “Hard work, work,” echoed by a band of high-speed, low-drag trainees. In yoga, that energy builds throughout the class and even when I wanted to give up, I feel the collective will of others helping me through. “Lion’s breath,” anyone? I observe others manipulate their bodies into impossible beauty, and I find a way.

When it’s just me, I’m using a pre-recorded class to try and build that energy. It’s harder to go it alone, whether running or practicing yoga. Once I started, I could keep going and I could increase the intensity if that was the right thing for me. This was the Starbucks of Yoga, where I could customize exactly what I had in me to do that day. And I did. To be clear, I had to use every ounce of what I learned with technique from my other teachers to avoid injuries at home and overdoing it. But overdoing it wasn’t usually my issue―it was half-hearted under-doing it.

I remember my instructors from my studio classes saying “Leave it all on the floor.” I was used to a puddle. Now without it, on those cold winter days, I had to remind myself of what exactly I left on the mat and I didn’t have to pick it up. In the height of the pandemic, a lot of nervous anxiety and not knowing what was next. Thank you, yoga! Just like in the transition from the Army, we may be going it alone at times, but the lessons we learned together can still carry us through. Just showing up was the hardest step for me.

Adapt to New Surroundings

Swearing in to the Army, I learned the mantra “hurry up and wait.” Closely followed by, “embrace the suck.” I did both during this past year. I specifically used the ability to adjust to my work-from-home job and maintain a daily activity schedule. This wasn’t my first rodeo working out solo with apps. Before the pandemic, I traveled a lot for work and used various apps for whatever workout I was going to do. Yoga is the perfect post-flight activity in a hotel room. I already paid for a subscription to multiple platforms because I get bored easily. But in quarantine, working out remotely every day made this much harder. I signed into studios I attended in multiple states. I did guided meditations. I worked out outside a lot.

Yoga HIIT/ Sculpt meant tiring out quickly then laying down with 15-minute savasana staring up at blue skies and the puffiest of clouds. My favorite location was the abandoned Gaga ball pit I dubbed the “Octagon” at a nearby school with a softer pad for my knees.

Yin yoga became a way to relieve the pressure on joints from my stand-up desk and the new arrangement working from home. I bought a cushion to ensure it was a studio-like experience and I could fully relax into the dull pain.

Yoga Nidra was me finding that safe place I can go to in my mind at any time with guided meditation. For those who need the mental health benefits more than anything else, this was pure rejuvenation—and I do not write that word lightly. It was beautiful restoration.

Community is Real – Virtual or Not

I wrote about how difficult it was going solo in my practice, but I wasn’t completely alone. Part of the way through the pandemic, I realized that I could start to follow some of my favorite yoga instructors on Instagram the same way I connected to my favorite veteran authors or creators. My community of yogis just opened up in the exact same way as my veteran community. As I started connecting with all their projects and free classes and meditations, I asked myself, Why hadn’t I thought of this before? My isolation in practice was an important step in understanding my own strength. But so was hearing how others were dealing with something similar when I finally connected to other yogis.

My yoga practice is a sacred thing where I connect to a very deep part of myself. Connecting to remote instructors outside of my local yoga community wasn’t something I thought of doing every day before the pandemic. With the success of connecting to other veterans, I needed this boost to grow with other virtual yoga community members―and why not with my veteran yoga community all at once? Now that’s synergy (the last buzzword, I promise!).

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Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Alicia Dill, an award-winning author, Army veteran, journalist, and yoga enthusiast. Originally from Missouri, Dill joined the Iowa Army National Guard at the age of 17, right before 9/11, and flew her first mission inside a Chinook helicopter as a journalist to Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, the weekend after the Twin Towers fell. Dill then received a degree in journalism and international studies at the University of Iowa and a masters from the University of Dubuque, and served as a public affairs specialist for the Iowa Army National Guard and then a journalist for multiple Iowa newspapers. As an author, she writes thrillers that draw from her military experience and speak to the strong bonds between sisters in uniform. Her first book, Squared Away, was a 2020 International Next Generation Indie Book Award winner and a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Award, and her second, Beyond Sacrifice, will be published September 7, 2021 from Circuit Breaker Books. For more, see www.aliciadill.com.

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