“Long-term consistency beats short-term intensity.”
-Bruce Lee
Finding time, making time
Last week I wrote about how we can begin to tune into what we need from our yoga practice: slow, dynamic sequences of postures or stillness and meditation? Exercise, stress relief, or spiritual inspiration? Or all of these?
But before I dive into specific practices that you can do in 5-10 minutes, I want to just inspire you to take that first step of making time for yoga. Without that step, it won’t matter what else I suggest. Plus, you deserve to practice yoga every day!
Self-care is a mindset
Every yoga mama wants to know what postures to do to get rid of their specific aches and pains. We want yoga to make us feel good, balanced, calm. I have good news and bad news about this. The bad news is that yoga doesn’t always make us feel calm, at least not right off the bat — maybe you feel centered in the poses that come easily and stressed in the ones that you struggle with. The good news is that if you practice consistently and with compassionate attention towards yourself, whether or not you feel perfect won’t matter anymore because you’ll be more focused on just being real with yourself and others. Did practicing yoga make you realize how tired you really are? Bonus! Now you can take steps to give yourself a break. Did meditation or yoga postures highlight how restless you feel, physically and mentally? Let yourself go for a walk or do something more active instead of forcing yourself to calm down.
You’ll know where you’re at when you practice with this kind of self-awareness and knowing where you’re at is key to choosing the right postures and practices. Of course, there will be days when you just long for an hour-long practice, or a few hours (or a full day!) away from the kids.
But believe me, five minutes a day has the potential to add emotional, mental, and spiritual depth to your life. You might not achieve the perfect hanumanasana, nail a handstand, or achieve unshakeable equanimity, but who cares? You’re a mom, which means you brought new life into the world, and that is one of the most badass, powerful things you could ever do. As comedian Jim Gaffigan (father of five) says, “But truly, women are amazing. Think about it this way: a woman can grow a baby inside her body. Then a woman can deliver the baby through her body. Then, by some miracle, a woman can feed a baby with her body. When you compare that to the male’s contribution to life, it’s kind of embarrassing, really.”
Moms are powerful! But I get it, sometimes it’s hard to recognize and feel that power. Yoga can keep us in touch with that.
Taking Steps to Find Time
So, Yoga Mamas, know that you are powerful and capable; daily yoga practice is a reminder of that. Five minutes of yoga a day might seem like a piddly attempt, but it has longer lasting, more transformative effects than the occasional killer yoga session that has you floating on cloud nine, but ends up being something that doesn’t fit into your busy life.
Start here: what is one thing you do everyday that is not actually very important to you? Can you avoid doing it daily or take 5 minutes off whatever amount of time you spend doing that thing so you can devote those 5 minutes to yoga? Here are some things I do that I could stand to do less of in the name of my sadhana: scroll on social media, stand in the kitchen waiting for something to finish cooking, wait for my kids to be done playing at the playground, and watch the kids play in the living room while I think to myself that I should be doing dishes.
What about you? What time fillers do you have that make you feel more busy or distracted than you need to be? Once you find that thing, make the decision to do your yoga practice for 5 minutes instead of that thing. Or, if it’s something you are unable or unwilling to give up, shave off 5 minutes you would normally spend on it and do yoga instead. Maybe for now, that means doing a few standing or seated yoga poses; or maybe you do a brief meditation, deep breathing, an affirmation or sankalpa, or some combination of these.
Don’t worry if you find yourself at the end of a busy day realizing that you forgot to give yourself these 5 minutes. Just assure yourself that you’ll find a way to remember the next day, and the next, and the next. Stay tuned for more specific guidance on brief yoga sessions this month of May!
Oh, and Happy Mother’s Day:). May you be celebrated, pampered, and honored. Jai Ma!
I especially needed to hear these words - thanks! "The good news is that if you practice consistently and with compassionate attention towards yourself, whether or not you feel perfect won’t matter anymore because you’ll be more focused on just being real with yourself and others."