Don’t make excuses -- make good. ~Elbert Hubbard
Many people talk themselves out of starting a yoga practice with a variety of excuses. It’s especially true for beginners who have never been to a class before and don’t really know where to begin. It can seem a bit intimidating at first. I know from experience — we all have a million excuses for avoiding a healthy lifestyle. Not enough time. No place to work out. Don’t know the poses. Too tired. Out of shape. Don’t have the money for classes. Body doesn’t look right or bend right. Lots of excuses. While I don’t blame anyone for making these excuses, because I made them myself, the truth is, most of our excuses are merely rationalizations so that we can continue to be lazy, tired, and out of shape.
But getting into the yoga habit isn’t nearly as hard as you may think. While it’s probably best for beginners to take a few classes to get the fundamentals down, the beauty of yoga is that it does not cost a lot of money, doesn’t [have to] take tons of time, only requires enough space for a yoga mat, and it rejuvenates the tired body and wandering mind. Once you get some of the basics down, yoga is a simple and effective tool for creating the healthy, happy, fulfilling lifestyle that we’re all seeking.
So, if you’re one of those people who would like to do yoga, but have been held back by lame excuses, now is your chance to take the initiative for your physical and mental well-being. Overcome fear of the unknown and enjoy this hour long yoga practice from Yoga Today, designed specifically as an introduction for beginners. No more excuses!! Make good. Make yoga!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
For the past two years I was struggling with getting into a Yoga routine. With a toddler, a full-time job, lots of travelling and the usual distractions I found it very hard to come up with a schedule that actually worked for me. The benefits are so obvious: I can do Yoga almost anywhere (even in the cheap hotels I stay in during a business trip) and even if it is raining cats and dogs.
For me the most complicated part wasn’t getting to the front of the mat (hey, those 30 minutes are probably easily fit into everyone’s daily routine). The most complicated part was finding a spot where those 30 minutes just felt right.
In the mornings I am just too stiff so that doing my Yoga then is just too de-motivating. Plus what if my 2-year-old wakes up and wants her daddy just when I am in the downward-facing-dog? The evenings were no better, since I usually took only a small lunch and in order to do Yoga I needed to put the child to bed or otherwise there was no way of concentrating on the practice. So the time between lunch and dinner (which had to follow Yoga) was just too long.
In the end everything somehow worked out because I wanted it to (now I magically eat less and still make it from lunch to dinner without any serious signs of starvation), set up a blog that documents my daily attempts to do Yoga (which I find highly motivating) and having a range of DVDs in case I need someone to pull me through the practice.
Who knows, maybe someday I will be able to do more than just my daily 30 mins?!
.-= Stephan´s last blog ..11. August – Hauptsache vorbei =-.
Stephan ~ Thanks for the great comment. When I’m home with my family I face a lot of the same concerns you expressed. For me, family always comes first, and with little kids there are plenty of happy distractions. I’ve tried to deal with those by involving my daughter in my yoga, having her practice a few poses with me as she has gotten a little older. I also bought her a yoga book designed for kids that she thinks is lots of fun to open and follow along. Fun bonding time too. I checked out your blog and am now looking for a language translator for Firefox so I can read it. What language is it?
Here’s the book my daughter likes:
The Yoga Adventure for Children: Playing, Dancing, Moving, Breathing, Relaxing
For the past two years I was struggling with getting into a Yoga routine. With a toddler, a full-time job, lots of travelling and the usual distractions I found it very hard to come up with a schedule that actually worked for me. The benefits are so obvious: I can do Yoga almost anywhere (even in the cheap hotels I stay in during a business trip) and even if it is raining cats and dogs.
For me the most complicated part wasn't getting to the front of the mat (hey, those 30 minutes are probably easily fit into everyone's daily routine). The most complicated part was finding a spot where those 30 minutes just felt right.
In the mornings I am just too stiff so that doing my Yoga then is just too de-motivating. Plus what if my 2-year-old wakes up and wants her daddy just when I am in the downward-facing-dog? The evenings were no better, since I usually took only a small lunch and in order to do Yoga I needed to put the child to bed or otherwise there was no way of concentrating on the practice. So the time between lunch and dinner (which had to follow Yoga) was just too long.
In the end everything somehow worked out because I wanted it to (now I magically eat less and still make it from lunch to dinner without any serious signs of starvation), set up a blog that documents my daily attempts to do Yoga (which I find highly motivating) and having a range of DVDs in case I need someone to pull me through the practice.
Who knows, maybe someday I will be able to do more than just my daily 30 mins?!
.-= Stephan´s last blog ..<a href="http://feierabendyogi.de/blog/11-august-hauptsache-vorbei" rel="nofollow">11. August – Hauptsache vorbei</a> =-.;…