New year's resolutions have come and gone by now, flying in through one ear with intentions and out the other with inaction. What may have started off as a promising and productive January for some might now have tapered off into more of a fruitless and floppy February. How are you doing with those goals or habits you set out for yourself not too long ago?
Don't worry or feel bad if you haven't been keeping up with them. I haven't stuck to all of mine, either. But, I have been doing yoga every day for nearly four years now.
I know.. FOUR years!
To figure out how to keep my January intentions, I had to think back on how I made yoga a daily habit, and why I'm still going.
Before we start, I want you to think of a daily habit YOU have managed to do everyday, and one you want to start. Seeing how you've created a daily routine in the past, will help you set one in the future!
Daily Routine Question #1: Ask yourself Why
Why would I want to do yoga every day? There's a few reasons, actually.
1. So that I can feel better mentally and physically. I like feeling more energized upon waking up and starting the day off on the right foot.
2. I like that I can still achieve a small goal every day without fail no matter how my day may have gone .
3. To better cope with the chaos of existential crises by having control over one thing.
Daily Routine Question #2: How did I start?
Believe it or not, I started my journey by only doing five minutes of yoga a day. Five minutes is hardly anything, yet little things like that add up to so much more over time.
Sometimes even as few as just three poses is enough.
Some days I could only do one.
My favorite is corpse pose. You just lie on your back with your limbs spread out, either like a star fish or extended out to rest by your sides.
Hey, it counts as yoga. It's being mindful, showing up with intention, and resting with purpose. I swear.
Being unproductive is actually, contrary to popular belief, very productive.
I won't lie and say that it was easy at the start. There were days when I didn't want to show up or do the work. There still are. But, once you break the streak of a daily habit, it can be hard to jump back into it.
So, what's the secret? How can you master something in your day?
Think about the daily habit you wish you could start, and the one that you currently do every day. You may notice one thing that separates the two.
It's my simple trick to set sustainable daily habits.
The Simple Trick to Set a Daily Habit or Routine
Be Consistent & Have Flexibility.
Have consistent flexibility.
Be consistently flexible.
That's the key.
To create sustainable daily habits, you can fumble through with one of these things, sure. But, you need both for long-term success.
You need consistency to show up for yourself every day, and you need flexibility to stay motivated when things get tough.
They work exponentially better together.
Some days are harder than others. We're only human. It's far better to do something, anything, even at like 40% of your normal capacity, than to not do it at all. It's part of the routine of basic self-care.
Showing up every day on the yoga mat helped me get from five minutes to forty-five minutes a day. This helped me not only practice yoga, but patience and self-kindness too.
Some days you may need to pull back and do less. In the long-run, though, the consistency helps set you up for success and prevent burnout.
Good things take time and patience. Before you know it, you'll be a master at whatever it is you set your determined mind to doing every day.
What Daily Habit Do You Want to Make a Routine?
If you started a new daily habit today and did it daily, even for a minute or two, where do you think it will take you in a year? In two? In ten?
It gives me goosebumps to think of where certain habits can take me.
It even makes me really excited.
So what are you waiting for? Start today, start right now.
You don't have to wait for a special day or the perfect moment. Now is as good of a time as any to start. Own your self-care.
You deserve to be proactive in caring for yourself. You've got this!
Interested in more self care ideas? The Self Care Bucket List is filled with a ideas and activities that you can turn into a daily habit.
What sustainable daily habit are you hoping to set for yourself? Let me know in the comments below!
Daria :)