This entry was posted on Aug 6, 2025 by Charlotte Bell.
Why follow yoga? There’s a multitude of various solutions to this query. As with every longterm relationship, over time, our follow evolves; it ebbs and flows. Generally our follow feels recent and very important; different instances it might really feel as if we’ve hit a plateau. At instances we could drop the follow for some time, and at others we could stay up for stepping onto the mat or sitting on our meditation cushion. It may be useful to recollect why we determined to prioritize yoga follow within the first place. Reflecting on our preliminary motivation to follow can assist us keep not solely consistency, but in addition inspiration.
3 Suggestions for Growing Motivation to Observe
After I have a look at my motivation to follow, I’ve discovered that it’s actually easy. I follow as a result of after 37 years of meditation and 43 years of yoga, I acknowledge the immeasurable worth they carry to my life. I don’t follow as a result of some terrible hurt would befall me if I don’t. It’s not merely one thing I’ve added to my day by day to-do record. It’s not a ought to. I belief the follow. I place confidence in the follow. And it’s not blind religion, however a religion that’s been verified by way of a long time of expertise.
How will we develop motivation to follow? Whether or not our core follow is yoga or meditation, we frequently should be reminded why we’re doing it. Listed below are some ideas for staying on the trail:
- Consider your follow as a part of your morning ritual, a method to keep the well being of your physique/thoughts. We don’t assume twice about consuming a good breakfast, brushing our enamel, showering, and so on. Yoga and meditation practices are they methods we deliver equilibrium to our our bodies and minds.
- If you put aside the time to follow, give it your full consideration. You’ve acquired loads of time to go over your to-do record, or to mirror on that tough dialog you had with somebody yesterday. You’ve acquired time to formulate your reply to that particular person—later. Use your follow time to speculate your full consciousness into what you are feeling in your physique and thoughts, right here and now. Your follow time is treasured. It deserves your consideration and care.
- Mirror on the worth of your follow in your day by day life. In accordance with the yoga sutras, the advantage of asana follow is the cultivation of equanimity within the face of the ups and downs of our lives. This may apply to minute day by day annoyances, or it may possibly apply to main challenges and losses. The advantages may be delicate or apparent. What advantages have you ever skilled? Reflecting on this could remind you why you follow and can assist you keep motivated.
Belief Your Yoga and Meditation Practices
Reflecting on the worth of follow in your life may be tough. Whereas there are advantages you possibly can really feel straight away once you follow yoga and meditation, among the deeper advantages are delicate. That is the place reflecting on the millennia-long historical past of those practices may be useful. Yoga and meditation have survived for 1000’s of years. They’ve survived as a result of thousands and thousands of individuals have reaped their advantages. So even in the event you’re simply beginning out, and the advantages you expertise are on the subtler facet, belief the method. Strategy your follow with an open, curious thoughts. Mirror on why you like your follow. Then seize your meditation cushion or your yoga mat, open your thoughts and see the place your follow takes you right now.
About Charlotte Bell
Charlotte Bell found yoga in 1982 and commenced educating in 1986. Charlotte is the creator of Aware Yoga, Aware Life: A Information for On a regular basis Observe and Yoga for Meditators, each printed by Rodmell Press. Her third e-book is titled Hip-Wholesome Asana: The Yoga Practitioner’s Information to Defending the Hips and Avoiding SI Joint Ache (Shambhala Publications). She writes a month-to-month column for CATALYST Journal and serves as editor for Yoga U On-line. Charlotte is a founding board member for GreenTREE Yoga, a non-profit that brings yoga to underserved populations. A lifelong musician, Charlotte performs oboe and English horn within the Salt Lake Symphony and folks sextet Crimson Rock Rondo, whose DVD gained two Emmy awards.