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How to Become Regular in Your Yoga Practice
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by Dada Vedaprajinananda
People come to yoga looking for various things: peace of
mind, stress reduction, improved concentration and weight
loss. Yoga can help you to accomplish all of this, but "yoga
works, if you work!" You have to do the practices on a
regular basis in order to get the results.
If you have bought some books on yoga and meditation, don't
let them gather dust while you sit around thinking that
maybe one day you are going to practice.
Yoga postures and basic meditation exercises are simple
enough to learn. In fact, I teach them to children and they
pick them up quite easily. So I am sure that you can learn
what to do fairly easily and quickly. The big problem for
most people is to establish the habit of doing the practices
on a regular basis. Here are a few tips which may help you
to do your yoga and meditation on a daily basis.
Get in the habit and start with firm determination.
Yoga begins and ends in the mind. Make a determination that
you are going to give yoga a fair try and you are going to
practice, because it is important to you. Close your eyes
and think, "For the next three months, I am going to do it
every day." Over the course of time, whenever you start
thinking, "Oh today I don't want to do my yoga exercises,"
remember your initial determination and stick to it.
Do it together with some friends.
Learning how to give and share is an important part of yoga,
so don't keep yoga to your self. If possible, find one or
two friends who would benefit from practicing yoga, and do
it together with them. The good thing about practicing with
others is that if a day comes when you are not motivated to
do the practice, the enthusiasm of your friends will carry
you along and you will do the practice with them.
Make a regular schedule and stick to it.
Yoga is not like tennis or some recreational sport that you
do if the sun is shining and you feel like doing it. To get
the true benefits from yoga, you have to do it every day. So
free some space in your busy schedule and reserve this time
for your practice of yoga and meditation.
If you get up a bit earlier in the morning, you will have a
nice quiet time to do your yoga before the rest of your
neighbors wake up. In the evening, do your best to keep some
time free for yoga before your evening meal. Once you have
set your schedule, stick to it as best you can.
Do your practices with a free mind.
It is not enough to reserve time for yoga with your body
doing the exercises if your mind continues to worry about
other things. When you stop to do your yoga and meditation,
you should remember that the next 30 or 40 minutes has been
reserved for yoga and for your development. Don't jump up to
answer the phone or respond to every minor disturbance. This
period of time is for you.
If you begin to think about all your other responsibilities
and problems, gently drop these thoughts and imagine that
your problems are tucked away along with your shoes at the
corner of the room — or better yet, in another room. (You
shouldn't be practicing yoga with your shoes on!)
Be patient.
Sometimes you will feel the effects of yoga, and sometimes
you will not feel anything. Don't worry about the immediate
effects; continue to practice. It takes a while before the
most profound results of yoga are realized.
It took you many years to build up your present personality
and physical structure. You can't change it overnight. But
the good news is that you don't have to wait many years to
change yourself, because the regular and systematic practice
of yoga postures and basic meditation can help you to make
great changes in a period of six months to one year.
So hang in there, start practicing, continue practicing —
and slowly but surely, yoga will help you to realize your
most important goals.
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You are never alone or helpless. The force that guides
the stars guide you too.
Shrii Shrii Anandamurti |
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Tips for Better Meditation
How to Become Regular in Your Yoga Practice |
