Doesn't it seem that our modern lives are ruled by time?! Especially those of us living in large metropolitan areas. We're always rushing to beat the clock to complete our work, chores, and family obligations. Our lives proceed at warp-like speed and when unexpected monkey wrenches (car breakdowns, overtime at work, colds and stomach aches and other annoyances) are thrown into our schedule, we have to cut back on our yoga practice.
When this happens every so often, don't beat yourself up or feel guilty. That doesn't help you at all and it contradicts the spirit of yoga. About once a week I abbreviate my yoga practice -maybe cut it in half because I need more sleep because I was up late the night before working on my never-ending to- do-list. However, even if I scale back my practice time to 12-15 minutes, I adhere to the following rules to maintain the spirit of yoga and to gain the maximum benefits from a shorter practice:
1) I maintain my special rituals that take only a moment or two like setting the mood by lighting my battery operating candles and touching my heart with my hands before I begin to set the tone for a heartfelt practice;
2) I shorten the hold times for each pose but I still enter and exit every position SLOWLY and GENTLY and I consciously put everything I've got into doing the pose and keep my focus on all that I am giving myself;
3) I make sure to pause the usual amount of time (at least 3-5 seconds) between each pose so that I am not rushing along and to ensure I allow the requisite recovery time that prevents injury and that enables the energy stirred up to move throughout my entire body;
4) I feel gratitude for the time that I am investing that very moment into my yoga practice and I smile as often as possible as I stretch.
In short, even when your time for a particular day's practice is shorter than your norm, you CAN still reap the same relaxation and benefits from yoga that you usually do. I recently told a reader of my book who said that her schedule had been especially busy of late and sometimes she had only 5 minutes to practice, "that is fine." Even though you may practice only 5 minutes one day, that 5 minutes maintains your commitment to include yoga as part of your daily lifestyle. That alone goes far. Just consciously relax during those 5 minutes - never rush and you'll make the most of whatever time you can give!
Yours for always taking an easy pace during your practice, whether it's 5 or 25 minutes,
Laura Venecia Rodriguez, the Beginners' Yoga at Home Coach
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