5 Reasons Why a Yoga Routine is Important

Routine is important, especially when it comes to maintaining or improving our health and wellness, but it can be hard to create. Creating and maintaining a routine that is supportive of your wellness can be a challenge, and deviating from your routine can be very easy. When you have a routine you’re less likely to make a decision that isn’t supportive of your wellness. When you begin to implement yoga as a daily habit, you’re much less likely to procrastinate.
 
Here are my 5 tips for creating a yoga routine:

1. Don’t focus on the numbers.
Don’t focus on how many Sun Salutes you did or how long you held Bakasana. What matters now isn’t how much you accomplish. What matters is that you show up to your mat every day. When you spend your energy worrying about the numbers, it’s easy to forget that you were present in the moment.
 
2. Make a commitment.
Tell yourself you’re going to practice daily. Yes, I know, a daily practice may seem impossible but it is doable. At the end of the week, make a commitment to practice for another 6 days. Before you know it, you’ll have practiced yoga for an entire month, without having thought about it.
 
3. Practice with a friend.
Go to a yoga class with your partner or  your bestie. Make it a date. When practice yoga with a friend or go to class with someone you enjoy spending time with, yoga becomes a social activity, making you more inclined to keep practicing. Yoga becomes a chance to see someone you care about, and a way to strengthen your bond and friendship.
 
4. Treat yourself.
A treat doesn’t have to be something unhealthy like a donut or cake; it should be something you enjoy that you wouldn’t normally do for yourself. How about a new yoga mat, that pair of leggings you’ve been wanting to buy, yoga blocks, a yoga book? Whatever you feel like treating yourself to, remember, it doesn’t have to be an expensive treat, it could be something as simple as a yummy green drink or a matcha tea after yoga class. Get creative with your treat. When your treat is something that is satisfying you’ll look forward to it, without slipping back into unhealthy habits.
 
5. Practice even on the bad days.
When you’re having a bad day or just feeling blah, that’s when you need yoga the most. When you’re tired, run down, sad, depressed, angry, there is nothing better than a good yoga practice. Yoga will ground you. Yoga will help you find your center. Yoga will help you find your balance. It’s easy to let a bad day takeover and not practice yoga. I have been there. I can recall when I was having a bad month and all I could bring myself to do were Sun Salutes and Savasana. Yoga is what kept me grounded throughout that experience. What people often don’t tell you is that when you show up for your yoga practice, your yoga practice shows up for you. It supports you; it comforts you. Show up on your yoga mat not just on the good days but, especially the bad days. When you use yoga as a tool to find your peace, your serenity, your sanity, and your strength, creating a yoga routine takes care of itself.