While many people have extolled the great benefits of yoga, all those will not be achieved without consistency. The problem is, despite our best intentions to stick to a routine that includes a regular yoga practice, almost always, life gets in the way.
Whenever something unexpected comes up, whether it’s an opportunity to enjoy a vacation off to a tropical island or a personal emergency, a carefully established regimen can be easily thrown off kilter.
Excuses, Excuses…
For some people, they launch their yoga practice with all the enthusiasm they could muster, only to lack have the energy and interest after several days, especially when feeling overly exhausted from a long day from work. This can become a concern if this cycle has been an ongoing theme in your life – of starting something new but unable to follow through.
If this is the case, you have probably secretly admired people with their staunch and unwavering determination to stick to their fitness routine and able to do so, despite any curve balls life throw their way, right? You on the other hand, despite all your best intention can’t seem to get your act together. So what seems to be the problem?
Don’t be overlay hard on yourself. A lot of people deal with this problem. But the thing is, you should not take comfort in numbers, so to speak. While this problem is prevalent, it should not be used as an excuse to not do something about it. A successful yoga practice requires consistency. So how do you keep yourself motivated to stick to the program and live to enjoy the great benefits a yoga practice is known to deliver? Read on and find out.
The Modern Lifestyle
A major part of this problem is the fact that we currently live in a throw-away society, where people are conditioned to think everything is disposable. We have grown so used to instant gratification that has become an acceptable social norm, with everyone used to seeing instant results with very little or no effort at all.
But then again, we should not blame society for our own attitude towards yoga practice. After all, you have full control of yourself, which gives you the power and capacity to turn yourself around, right?
What Is Motivation?
So what is motivation for you? Where does it come from? How do you get it and keep channeling it for your yoga practice? If only we can bottle motivation, it can easily turn into a multimillion dollar product.
Motivation is defined as that feeling that propels you or the impetus that compels you forward towards achieving a certain goal. Motivation is a catalyst and without it, you will constantly find yourself in a state of inertia.
Motivation can be categorized into two: external and internal. The former is much like a reward or money, or a less tangible one such as popularity, respect, notoriety, etc. On the other hand, internal motivation is the need for satisfaction or self-acceptance with a marked improvement on one’s self-esteem.
How to Stay Motivated
Inspiration is merely a spark that can drive you forward for a limited period of time. If you want to start and stay consistent with your yoga practice, consider these tips:
Eliminate the black and white thinking. Again, don’t be overly hard on yourself. If you happen to miss a session or you have skipped a number of yoga practice, simply acknowledge the mistake and get right back on track.
Find a mentor. For a successfully yoga practice, it is also important that you are able to choose a capable yoga instructor or a mentor that can provide a constant source of inspiration and guidance. Whenever you feel your motivation slowly waning, strive to embody the winning mindset that you have seen from your mentor.
Practice discipline. More than just merely sticking to a yoga practice, you are working on fortifying your self-discipline, which can greatly benefit different aspects in your life. By instilling discipline, you have programmed your mind for success.
Write down a mantra. A lot of people keep a mantra, whether or not they are engaged in a yoga practice. Write it down and post it somewhere that is easily visible. You can also carry a copy inside your wallet to serve as a constant reminder.
Perform creative problem solving. Study yourself and find out what keeps you motivated. Spend time on this and work on stoking it regularly. You are the only person who knows the answer to this question.
Cut yourself some slack. You read it right. If you are too hard on yourself, you are bound to fall short sooner or later and end up stopping your yoga practice all together. You are not striving for perfection here, instead focus on making progress.
I hope these tips will help you stay consistently motivated in your yoga practice. The first few weeks during the transition period are also difficult. However, once you start seeing results, you will no doubt find enough motivation to simply keep going.
