We\u2019re here to tell you \u2018yes\u2019\u2014we can absolutely do yoga every damn day! It may require some creative thinking, but doing so will expand your practice in ways you never imagined. <\/span><\/p>\n When yoga teacher Rachel Brathen started the #YogaEveryDamnDay hashtag, she wanted to remind people to look beyond an intense asana practice. Often we get caught up in believing yoga to be a 90-minute workout, but what about the seven limbs of yoga beyond asana? If 90-minutes a day of a physical practice seems like an unattainable commitment (or is too hard on your body), then there are plenty of other ways to practice yoga. For example, you could work with yoga\u2019s yamas or niyamas. Perhaps you practice satya,\u00a0honesty, or santosha, contentment. <\/span><\/p>\n Instead of a daily asana practice, you could also choose to do 20 minutes of pranayama, or a 30-minute meditation. Perhaps today is more of a yoga nidra day. Thinking outside of the \u00ab\u00a0asana box\u00a0\u00bb puts us in touch with the essence of our yoga, relieves a bit of pressure, and puts us more in tune with what our body, mind, and spirit needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Who says an asana practice has to be 90 minutes, or even an hour?\u00a0 Too often we push ourselves to see change immediately<\/em>, and then we berate ourselves or feel disheartened when we can\u2019t meet our own unrealistic goals. <\/span><\/p>\n A 15 to 30-minute asana practice, or sun salutations every day may work best for your schedule, and yes, it totally counts\u2014just be mindful of wanting to squeeze an hour\u2019s worth of postures into that shorter period. Verse 11.46 of Patanjali\u2019s Yoga Sutras can be a helpful reminder in this case: sthira-sukham asanam<\/em>. It calls on us to approach our practice with ease, steadiness, and a kind of \u201ceffortless effort.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The added bonus of a shorter practice is that it inevitably leaves you wanting more. Perhaps next time you’ll extend your practice by 15 minutes, or be more inclined to return to the mat the next day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Working with just a handful of asanas a week probably should be on every yogi\u2019s to-do list. Instead of a long vinyasa flow every day, how about interspersing your yoga routine by picking a few asanas to work with a week and spending a shortened practice getting to know them intimately?<\/span><\/p>\n Explore which warm-ups work best to support those postures, or how the breath can be used to deepen into a particular asana. Playing with asana on this level of intimacy allows us to better understand the subtle energies of the posture. Take note and record the developments to use as motivation for later. What does the posture feel like in your body? Is there a sensation of energy moving? Does emotion arise? How do you feel after holding the posture for five minutes?<\/span><\/p>\nGo beyond asana.<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
Shorten your practice.<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nPick one to three asanas.<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
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