I practice Ashtanga yoga six mornings a week.  I do it regardless of whether I want to or not, whether I’m really looking forward to it or dreading it.  And recently, boy did I not want to do it, not at all!

But with a serious determination to keep it going, somehow, I still got on my mat each day.  And I’m going to share a few tips on how I pulled myself through those mornings without quitting.  Because many times I really wanted to.

First off, my rule number one: just get out of bed!

Too often, I would wake up and lie around, day-dreaming, contemplating and generally procrastinating.  This is a common, unfortunate tendency of mine in life, this leaning towards inertia rather than participating fully in life!  Now there’s a time and a place for dreaming and relaxing and letting go of busy-itis that’s for sure.  But that time is not when your morning is gradually slipping away from you and you need to fit in your yoga practice before you can start anything else.  So that’s my big rule: when you wake up, take a (short!) moment to feel gratitude and be thankful for the coming day…. then get the hell out of bed!  Get up, brush your teeth, get on your yoga clothes and get to it!!  And for God’s sake, don’t even think about hitting that snooze button!

The second big thing: stop thinking about it and just start doing it!

Another big obstacle for me is that I would think and think (while I lay in bed procrastinating!) about how hard it was going to be, how much physical effort was required, how much I really didn’t feel like doing it.  The thing was to begin the practice and even if it was a tough day and my body felt heavy and stiff and tired, to just take it breath by breath and even take some breaks in child’s pose if necessary.  And I have always been able to do more than I initially thought.

The third important factor: remember how good you’ll feel after you’ve done it.

This was one of the major factors that got me on my mat every day even on the toughest ones; I knew that if I could just get through my practice now, I could lie down in Savasana (corpse pose) afterwards and my body and mind would be gently tired and relaxed and I would feel happily satisfied that I’d done it again.  I knew also, that if I gave in to the sultry voice suggesting I skip it just for today and try again tomorrow, I’d probably feel awful, both because I’d regret not having done it and my body and mind wouldn’t get the powerful benefits of the practice.

And my final and most recent discovery: bring back some fun into the practice!

It doesn’t all have to be work and no play.  But life can easily become like that if we only approach it with strict discipline and severity.  I realized this very recently that my practice was feeling a little stark and cold.  It didn’t seem fun or enjoyable anymore.

Now, the Ashtanga yoga practice done in the traditional Mysore-style way (practiced on your own or in a group but at your own pace and moving through the sequence from memory) is simple but incredibly effective.  You focus on your deep Ujjayi (victorious) breath, your drishti (focus point) and your bandhas (energy locks deep within the pelvis).  I had been doing (or at least trying) all this and sticking as much as possible to the authentic, traditional way and didn’t want to interfere with it too much.

So I did two small things: I set up a little altar just in front of me while I practiced, that held a photo of my spiritual role model Amma, two animal figurines with special significance for me and a candle.  The other thing I did was play a CD from Amma’s ashram, of Hindi bhajans (devotional songs – most appropriate considering I view my morning yoga as my Sadhana or spiritual practice).

I felt a little ‘naughty’ with the music on – was I cheating?!  Then again in Mysore, people who’ve been to the original KPJAI Ashtanga shala (which I have not… YET!) often speak of the energy of practicing there, how it lifts them up and carries them through their practice.  I on the other hand, have been practicing completely alone, every single morning since last May and with only three or four classes in that entire time; I have been carrying myself through my practice.  So I figure it was about time I sought out a little outside help for a change.

And you know what, it brought a burst of new life to my daily practice.  I’ve felt a deeper connection to my breath these past couple days, which has led to a more powerful current of energy flowing through the practice which in turn has led to more strength and grace in the postures and perhaps even more importantly, a more concentrated, focused mind throughout.

So this is my experience of how to keep going with your Ashtanga practice even when things get tough.  It’s never the same for everyone and the things I struggle with daily may come a lot easier to others.  But I hope that this may be of some help to anyone else who, like me, has found it immensely challenging at times to keep their beloved practice alive and kicking!!

Peace and blessings to all my fellow Ashtangis!  Om Namah Shivaya.

Love,

Ellie