3-2-1… The Bare Minimum
It is easy for me to get caught up in the course of the day with work, teaching, rehearsals, social responsibilities, and personal life, only to forget, or most often put off doing an asana practice. Personally, my body feels OFF when I do not practice, and even moreso if it has been more than a day.
Yes, despite being a yoga teacher, I too procrastinate and put off my yoga practice at times. I can lose track of my personal responsibility to myself in regard to my practice. I often have to make an effort to “show up” for myself, whether it be in a live class or at home alone, which can be even more of a challenge. But once I do, I am ready and steady.
I find it my personal obligation to myself to sustain a daily practice. I often refer to this as maintenance for the soul because my spirit feels better when I get a yoga practice in, specifically an asana practice.
Therefore, I came up with a method to help myself stick to a daily practice, even if it is the “bare minimum”. I have learned that if I do not hold myself to SOME kind of standard, I can easily let personal responsibilities slip by, and before I know it I am beating myself up for not completing a task and then putting it off even further into the future.
What I am proposing is easy, simple, and accessible and can be done with however many reps that you’d like to do of your choosing. If you can, look at this as a base formula for your asana practice.
The formula goes:
THREE… TWO… ONE
Three rounds of Sun Salutation A
Two rounds of Sun Salutation B
One round of Hatha Sun Salutation.
It’s as simple as that.
Now, you may want to do your own version of a “3-2-1” practice according to your wants and needs but at least you get something in, even if it is, again, the “bare minimum”. I often add meditation and pranayama (breathing techniques/exercises) to supplement and even enhance my personal practice. Quite often on days when I am just not feeling life overall, I do my “3-2-1” practice and actually end up doing more than what I set out or intended to do. It is a great way to begin if I am feeling low in energy that day.
I kind of look at this as my “asana on the go” kind of approach. As aforementioned, I often get so caught up with the teaching that I forget to be the student at times, even if it is just with myself alone in a room or studio on my mat.
I remind myself, “A little bit goes a long way…”
Try it out. It may just work for you.
