Happy New Year everyone.
This week I definitely felt the pull of ‘things I want or feel I need to do’ against ‘what everyone needs or expects from me’.
I know, cry me a river right. Three out of seven is not a negative record for the purpose of morning yoga sessions. My previous week’s record was zero after all. Given this information, three is a way better number than zero.
I have been able to take the time to sit down every day on the mat and I have loved it. I absolutely appreciate Yoga with Adriene’s (YWA) approach. With multiple yoga videos that I have tried, I end up walking away feeling like I must really be old, out of shape, and out of touch because I can’t keep up with numerous popular videos or YouTube channels. YWA is there for the beginner and, to me, comes across as incredibly approachable and accessible. There is a reason she has become incredibly popular on YouTube, and why The Guardian called her ‘the people’s yogi’. I like that these 30 days of yoga videos are created for beginners or folks who have been away from their practice for a bit and she takes you to the point you are comfortable and then slightly just beyond that point. This one especially for the focus on breathing it is providing.
I have noticed that because I just want to get to my mat and other things happen to distract me from this task, whenever YWA began with a breathing practice – most days really, it has absolutely helped me to better sit and be in the moment to take the time with my practice. Every day, regardless of when I was able to get my ton the mat, taking the time was worth it every time. Something that keeps me going, even when I have been otherwise incredibly distracted when home and work have felt like they are piling up is something called the ‘two-minute rule‘.
The idea behind the two-minute rule is that the most challenging part of creating new positive habits is merely starting them in the beginning. The focus should be on the initial action, not overall effort in the beginning. This is because a person is more likely to go running, even if they are reluctant when they are able to simply put their shoes on and get outside or onto the treadmill, or in my case – pulling out the mat and sitting down on it.
Yet, here we are. Most days this week I struggled to get my bum out of bed – and I am a certified morning person. Thrice I rose early and two of those times my son followed shortly thereafter in order to spend time with me. One of those days I slowly returned to the waking world at 4:30 in the morning and was so absolutely stoked and motivated to get up and have a few hours to myself.
On that particular early morning, my son woke up at about 5 am to tell me about his dream and the latest Minecraft discovery. Although I had already laid my mat, I sat down with a cup of decaf coffee at our kitchen table to listen to my son’s stories as he ate breakfast. I try to keep in mind that his desire to share such a great deal and spend a remarkable amount of time with his parents is likely fleeting, accordingly try to soak it up when it is offered.
This morning I was reminded of the many years I would do this, talk the ears off of silent, staring family and friends first thing in the morning, while they looked at me with sharp dagger eyes. Children will unknowingly teach many a lessons you didn’t know you needed to learn.
After about an hour or so, he promptly stood up and declared that he was going back to bed. Okay, okay, it was still early enough for me to redirect my attention and sit down on the mat. Yay!
I’ve also had a few tiffs with the hubs about how he has regularly been sleeping in nearly every morning and clearly expects me to manage breakfasts, the kid, and homeschooling, and whatever else arises while he sleeps – because why would I have anything else I might want to be doing?! If you or I don’t, then who does? Surely it isn’t going to do itself. He is not a morning person, but in the last few years he had generally improved his ability to get out of bed before 8 am, with that time basically turning into ‘sleeping in’.
Well, the pandemic has caused us all to modify, adapt, and adopt new strange behaviors for these new strange times, right.
I noticed today that 2021 is clearly attempting to teach him some things if he would just take the time to see the lessons intended for him. But that is the funny part right, it is definitely the reason vast numbers of TV and films are either superb or stink because, of course, we can see incredibly clearly what is going on in everyone else’s lives, but what is happening in our own?
Do you remember when I said I was going to be kind to myself, maybe my struggle to awaken early is the universe trying to tell me to RELAX. What do you think?
I have learned that exercise is my keystone habit, this means the one habit that unintentionally creates a landslide into other positive habits or actions. When I am able to exercise first thing in the morning, I inevitably make better choices and can handle life better throughout the day. In the last week, I have managed three morning sessions and only two were ‘first thing morning sessions’.
I know, cry me a river right. Three out of seven is not a negative record for a goal of morning yoga sessions. My previous week’s record was zero after all. Three is a way better number than zero.
I have been able to take the time to sit down every day on the mat and I have loved it. I absolutely appreciate Yoga with Adriene’s (YWA) approach. With multiple yoga videos that I have tried, I end up walking away feeling like I must really be old, out of shape, and out of touch because I can’t keep up with numerous popular videos or YouTube channels. YWA is there for the beginner and, to me, comes across as incredibly approachable and accessible. There is a reason she has become incredibly popular on YouTube, and why The Guardian called her ‘the people’s yogi’. I like that these 30 days of yoga videos are created for beginners or folks who have been away from their practice for a bit and she takes you to the point you are comfortable and then slightly just beyond that point. This one especially for the focus on breathing it is providing.
I have noticed that because I just want to get to my mat and other things happen to distract me from this task, whenever YWA began with a breathing practice – most days really, it has absolutely helped me to better sit and be in the moment to take the time with my practice. Every day, regardless of when I was able to get my ton the mat, taking the time was worth it every time. Something that keeps me going, even when I have been incredibly otherwise distracted when home and work have felt like they are piling up is something called the ‘two-minute rule‘.
The idea behind this rule is that anything you want or need to do will actually take less than two minutes to complete. The idea is grounded in the idea that the hardest part of beating procrastination and beginning new habits is just beginning the practice. If you can just tell yourself that you’ll do the activity for two minutes, or say just put on your running shoes and get out the door, or roll out your yoga mat and sit down, you’ll be more likely to actually get the thing you want done. This rule is more about getting started each time than ‘getting it done’.
As the TEDx video above outlines, this yoga practice has helped me begin to monitor my breathing and manage my stress. I have spoken with my students this week about new years resolutions, whether or not they do that kind of thing. Many said they do, but are attempting to keep it small and realistic this year. One student said they can’t do yoga because it makes them fall asleep after every session and it doesn’t feel enough like ‘fitness’ to them.
I can understand this, but also disagree, especially after the day six practice ‘burn’ that was a short, but effective core session. I definitely felt that burn today.
It also reminded me of the yoga I would practice while pregnant – I fell asleep after every session and it was marvelous. I guess it depends on what you’re ultimately looking for in a fitness routine.
So, I have a question for you, dear reader. I bought a new journal for my musings and notes in 2021. I’ve been writing in it daily, but should I? I like the idea of completing my yoga practice first thing, then writing in my journal a bit before and after the practice. However, I can’t guarantee that much of the information I wrote in the book actually makes it here to this digital. Is that good, bad, or irrelevant? I haven’t quite decided yet. I didn’t grow up with technology as prevalent in my young life as my son is today, consequently I do generally prefer to take literal notes. I guess I am still working on how best to effectively divide my time without overwhelming myself or attempting to reinvent the wheel.
Which do you prefer, using your device or computer to take notes and make reflections on your life or do you use traditional pen and paper? How do you recommend I keep my weekly notes as I move forward with my challenges?
Do you have a keystone habit or any goals for 2021? How is 2021 going thus far, have you been able to maintain your goals, or have you already stumbled?
Thirty Days to life 