Namaste!

 

Yoga – Definition: a Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, a part of which, including breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily postures, is widely practiced for health and relaxation.

 Consistency – Definition: the steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc.

As with literally everything in my life (except for working in Finance and my accountancy exams, much to everyone’s surprise(!)) yoga is something that I am extremely interested in and keen to be wonderful at, but I have struggled to find any sort of consistency with the practice.

The key to anything you want to be great at/a master of is that you need to be consistent with the learning and practice of that thing. It seems the only habit that I consistency excel at is the inability to be consistent.

In a previous blog, about books titled ‘Books and Whatnot’, I highlighted how my attention span wanders and I find myself always moving from topic to topic, as soon as new subjects catch my eye. This has been the same throughout all hobbies and leisurely interests that I have begun. From swimming, going to the gym, colouring/doodling, running, crochet, yoga.. you name one of my ‘hobbies’ and guaranteed I have not consistently carried out any of them on a daily, or even weekly, basis for any prolonged period of time. Instead I jump from one hobby to the next, having no solid topic which has stood the regular top-spot (here is hoping that ‘blogging’ is not going to be the next to follow suit).

HOWEVER, I digress! Yoga stuff..

At 18 I joined a weekly yoga class and kept it up for a while, dropped it again, did a different class, did something else, did a bit of online yoga, did a different class, dropped it again. Etc. You get it, right.

I have always enjoyed yoga, except it also frustrates me. I want to be good at yoga! The kind of good that makes people know you do yoga. I want to do balances and be bendy and have the yoga physique, but have never given it my commitment (shocker, I know).

The dedication it takes to BE a ‘yogi’. Hell, I even look at yoga retreats on an almost daily basis with grand ideas of booking one so that I can ‘be amazing at yoga’.. when all it takes is time, determination and CONSISTENCY.

So yesterday I joined The Yoga Collective (sounds fancy, doesn’t it!), which is an online yoga site that contains hundreds of sessions that you can access at your own leisure (once you are a member).

This morning I got up, rearranged the living room, laid out my (dusty) yoga mat and did a 24 minute ‘Heart Opening’ yoga session with a lovely lady called Andrea Jensen. I am not going to lie, it was level 1+ (easy level).. it was not pretty! I was out of breath in parts, quite clammy throughout and I didn’t realise just how inflexible I have become! .. but I still did it and I even enjoyed it.

I am now determined to make this hobby a habit and try to CONSISTENTLY practice this every day, where possible. Let’s see how long this lasts… (keep the faith, people!).

Yoga benefits: increases body awareness, relieves stress, reduces muscle tension, strain, and inflammation, sharpens attention and concentration, and calms and centres the nervous system, increased flexibility, increased muscle strength and tone, improved respiration, energy and vitality, maintains a balanced metabolism, weight reduction, cardio and circulatory health, improved athletic performance, protection from injury… what is not to love! Namaste!

B x