4.8
October 6, 2012

5 Excuses Not to Practice at Home.

5  Excuses Busted

1. I don’t have time.

There are times in life where you feel swamped and you don’t think you have time. But these are generally the times you need to practice the most. You don’t have to spend more than 10 minutes practicing. Set an alarm, do 10 minutes on your mat, and walk away.

“Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time’ is to say “I don’t want to.” ~ Lao Tzu

2. I start, and then I don’t know what I am doing, and give up.

Self-practice is not about mimicking your teachers hour long session. Choose a short and digestible amount—be it your own short sequence or a something specific your teacher has set for you, and do 10 minutes. If you feel lost, simplify and slowly rebuild. Chances are it’s your brain getting in the way. It’s a physical thing, so don’t intellectualize it. Move. Feel and breathe. That is all.

 3. I can just go to a class.

Yes, you can, and classes are valuable. But the best relationships in life are reciprocal—your teacher teaches you, and you practice. Through self-practice you digest what you have done in class, and meet and overcome new blockages. This is an invaluable and necessary step forward if you want to truly dig into your yoga practice.

A short daily practice is better than a one-hour long practice in a week. It’s like brushing your teeth, and it is the continuity that will start to inform your practice and other aspects of your life.

4. I don’t get the same buzz out of self-practice as a class.

What motivates you about the class? Practicing in a space designated for classes is a real treat. Plus, you can really be energized and inspired by your fellow students. But in my experience, if you truly get hooked into yoga practice, self-practice is where you are headed. The dialogue you have with your self in your own space is so enlightening, and feeds the class next time you go. You will get infinitely more out of class if it is balanced with home practice.

Am I selling it?

No?

5. It’s too hard.

Nothing that is worth having in life comes easily. If it were easy, would you be so interested? So, go for it—you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Start your self-practice today!

With huge thanks to my teacher Jonathan Monks who showed me the way to daily self practice. 

 

 

~ Editor: Nikki Di Virgilio

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