Life gets busy. When responsibilities weigh heavy, taking an hour for yoga is a tough row to hoe. Or sometimes you have a consistent, hour long yoga practice until life comes in the way: travel plans, sick child, massive work project ,etc. These disruptions are inevitable and usually bring our practice to a screeching halt.
But all or nothing approach seldom works. When life gets busy, even shorter practice done with consistency bring results. For instance, even 5 mins of yoga done everyday for a relatively long period of time changes your brain both structurally and functionally.
I hope this blog gives you the knowledge and inspiration to stay committed to your yoga practice and know that even short practices go a looong way to keep your mind-body-soul aligned.
Why short spurts of yoga asanas are also impactful:
No#1 - Feeling embodied is a skill, a practice, and it is key to feeling alive.
Embodiment is about the felt sense, the direct experience of the body. Embodiment builds interoceptive awareness - which is the ability to identify, access, understand, and respond appropriately to the patterns of internal signals.
With increased interoceptive awareness, you get better at identifying your needs and knowing what kind of care or activity you need at any given moment. Those who feel less embodied take much longer to notice subtle bodily sensations such as tensed jaw, stiff shoulders, lower back pain ,etc.
The world needs is embodiment. Our consciousness is contained within the instrument of the body. Without training ourselves to develop a closer relationship with our bodies, we cannot fully support our well-being.
However, embodiment doesn't come from theoretical understanding. It comes from consistently doing practices that helps us be more in our bodies, like yoga.
No 2# Consistency brings results.
The currency of actions isn’t intensity, it’s consistency.
The universe doesn’t reward scale, it rewards consistent, daily action. Did you know that yoga changes the way your brain is wired? The change happens because of frequency of activation not intensity of activation. With consistent activation your brain begins to recognize patterns and develop in a manner that accounts for those patterns. It's called neuroplasticity. So consistency matters, even when it’s small because everything counts!
And here's a pro tio: When overwhelmed, give yourself permission to not push hard. Instead adopt a grounding, less vigorous practice.
No 3# Micro-yoga movements propel us to get back on track - faster
The New York Times dubbed 2021 the 'year of exercise snacks' acknowledging the trend of short movement breaks catching fancy all over the world. These micro-acts not only help us re-discover the fun in the movement but makes us stay committed to our wellbeing.
And that's because when you step away from any activity entirely, it is harder to come back. But when you decrease the intensity and stay present with it, it is not that difficult to re-intensify.
Short yoga flows may not feel that juicy but at least you'll maintain a certain connection to your body and certain intrinsic internal memory of what it feels like to be energized through movement.
In Conclusion
Doing yoga consistency will help you maintain a certain connection to your body, keeping your interoceptive awareness high. This in turn will help you identify your needs from moment to moment, so you can meet them effectively.
A short yoga practice establishes your baseline, so you never completely lose the momentum.
Universe rewards consistency, not intensity. Your brain starts to account for consistent patterns in behavior that leads to positive improvements in its physical structure.
We get stressed on a daily basis, therefore we need yoga or any other movement practice on a daily basis.
If you are inspired to start this journey of narrow focus, big results, you can participate in my 5 Days X 10 mins Challenge. I hope you continue long after the challenge.
You can check out my Instagram post on why 'Past Failure Is Not An Excuse For Present InAction'
Take care of yourself, take care of each other.