Why 'Yoga every damn day' is the perfect resolution (New Year or otherwise)

#Yogaeverydamnday is something that used to appear frequently on social media posts, alongside perfect looking photos of beautiful people holding yoga poses in equally beautiful surroundings. So as a self-styled 'recovering perfectionist' and an advocate for yoga that feels good whatever it happens to look like, it might not seem like something I'd be recommending. Particularly at New Year, when resolutions are everywhere providing a constant reminder of the seemingly endless ways that we could be 'better' in the coming year.

But hear me out. You see for me yoga has never been about picture perfect poses, trendy studios or designer leggings. And I'm about as likely to hit on a social media trend as I am to release a hit single (for the avoidance of any doubt that's absolutely zero chance).

I stumbled into my first yoga class because I was full of work stress & had heard that yoga could help with relaxation. I also had a vague recollection of something we'd done in a school gym class, literally decades earlier, that had virtually sent me to sleep at the time - we'd had to lie down & tense then relax each muscle in turn, & then just lie still. I was sure that had been referred to at the time as a kind of yoga, and could still remember how rested that session had made me feel!

Practicing a restful yoga pose

And then in that very first class - the introductory session of a 4 week beginner course - the teacher talked about yoga philosophy. About how yoga wasn't just about the physical postures that most people associate with it, but was a whole way of life. Yoga had guiding principles like ethical restraints in the way you live your life (not doing harm as an example) & observances in your personal behaviour (like contentment). The poses came later, & were initially in fact little more than finding a comfortable position to sit in for the real practices, things like breathwork & meditation.

And for me that was the moment when I knew that yoga really was what I needed - every damn day! Which brings me back to my point, that 'yoga every damn day' is actually the perfect resolution, despite on the surface seeming designed to set you up for failure. (We've all seen the reports that some huge proportion of resolutions fall by the wayside before January is even over, especially those that involve doing something EVERY day since missing just one day scuppers the whole year!.

But when we look at what yoga really involves, it's not getting out your mat & working through a series of sun salutations, warriors, balances & stretches each day (although that's certainly a valid option on some days, if you fancy).

Give yourself a minute to just BE

It's consciously making the choices that avoid harm (to yourself as well as others); cultivating contentment by spending a couple of minutes reminding yourself of the good things each day (there's always something. Even on a rubbish day there could be a beautiful sunset, a message that makes you smile, a perfectly brewed cuppa just when you needed it);taking a breathing break where you focus on your breath for just a minute or two; (read this blog for some easy breathing exercises ) giving yourself a few moments to stop everything and just BE. And those are absolutely things that you can do EVERY day!

And if there comes a day when you feel like you really haven't managed, then just be kind to yourself about it. (Because not beating yourself up about the way your day has gone, & being content even though you didn't fit the yoga in, are in fact wonderful examples of yoga in action. So you're still on track!)