7 Insights From 90+ Days Of Daily Meditation and Yoga
How one daily commitment became a nourishing daily necessity.
To sit comfortably, while one silently observes the breath, body or thoughts, or to move mindfully in quietude, is oftentimes, rather peaceful. To awaken the skills of being comfortable with discomfort, is a blessing. To nourish and nurture the body and mind; the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, is a joyous gift indeed.
However, a full work schedule, bodily fatigue, mental resistance, afflictive emotions and other commitments and responsibilities can seemingly transform these fountains of wellness, into dreaded and laborious chores. Suddenly, your opportunity to relax and pause, becomes another box to check off of your ‘to-do’ list. Or, so I thought…
Until I actually made the commitment to myself. And stuck with it.
Here are 7 exquisite insights I gained from this journey:
1. It is helpful to make a sustainable and specific commitment.
When forming a habit, frequency and sustainability are more vital than quantity. According to PsychologyToday, people who set small, yet specific actions, are more likely to adhere to them, when cultivating a new habit. If your commitment is too vague, or feels overwhelming, you will be less inclined to persevere.
My promise to myself was specific and simple: at least 15 minutes of yoga, and 5 minutes of meditation, each day. This was less than one sixtieth of my day, and definitely doable. This promise to myself ensured that I kept ‘showing up’ for my practice, even on those lazy, bed-loving Saturday evenings.
“Little by little, a little becomes a lot.” — Tanzanian Proverb
2. You can be flexible with it.
According to various yogis and meditation experts, the ‘magic hours’ for meditation practice are before sunrise, or ideally prior to 6 AM. Although an early meditation or yoga practice can work wonders for you (this may help set the foundation for the rest of your day), it is just not feasible for everyone, as we all have different circadian rhythms (internal biological clocks).
A morning lark may prefer a morning routine, while a night owl gravitates toward an evening ritual. Or, you can even be like me — some days, I do a refreshing morning practice, other days, I do a tonifying evening cool-down. And on some wonderful days, I do both.
3. Follow your intuition.
While other people’s guidance, expertise and advice is certainly valuable, you do not always have to follow it verbatim (especially if it does not feel right for you). Many people swear by setting a precise routine and time for their practices, but I tend to listen to my body and mind, and honour when they are ready to move and meditate.
However, in the early stages of your habit formation, setting an exact time may help anchor you into the practice, and encourage you to follow through with it. It may also root you into a sense of security, comfort and familiarity.
It is up to each practitioner, to find out what works best for their body-mind constitution (that is, are you a more ‘go with the flow’ kind of person, or do you prefer being rooted in routine? If you choose one over the other, could you possibly benefit from choosing the opposing option, for more balance?).
I chose to flow with it. Though I do benefit greatly from routines, my personality is rather free-spirited, so I tend to enjoy a sense of spontaneity outside of work hours.
4. Strive for balance.
Listen to your body and mind. What needs nourishing?
If you feel lethargic, perhaps you could do a more active Vinyasa flow to wake you up. If you feel overwhelmed, try a passive and softening Yin yoga session to calm you down.
Do the same mentally and emotionally. Ask yourself, “How do I really feel today?” If your mind is racing rampantly, from thought to thought, a silent breath-awareness or body scan meditation may serve you abundantly. If you are lacking self-love and are plagued by self-criticism, perhaps a guided metta or self-love meditation will be wildly fruitful.
Always check in with what it is you need (and that could be the same meditation or yoga routine, at the same time, each day). Each day, I strive to truly feel what will be medicinal for my body and mind, in that moment. But for another person, that may just be one consistent routine.
“We all strive for balance, often moving to extremes to find ourselves somewhere in the middle where we can sustainably exist in optimal inspiration. Working toward balance takes a lot of ingredients. We need courage, reflection, attention, action, and a push-and-pull relationship between effort and relaxation.” — Tara Stiles
5. Every practice may not be beautiful, but there will be something beautiful about every practice.
Some days, the practice will invoke mesmerising awe of everything that is. Even sipping a cup of tea in the garden, post-meditation, may be a magically delightful one, and your yoga practice may extend for a few delectable hours.
On other days, it may seem like you have to drag yourself to your mat. Your practice may feel more like a tedious chore, than a relaxing pleasure. On some days, I avoided the mat completely, and did bed yoga at 11 pm. Even though the bed yoga didn’t start off as a particularly enthusiastic practice, it ended in a sheer sense of calmness and presence; that “Ah. This is why I do it.” moment.
So yes. A spacious pause and sincere connection is available in each moment, even if you don’t consciously feel it in each moment.
6. Do it all with (compassionate) awareness.
While calmness is an optimal state of mind, it is not a crime to feel agitated, drowsy, fatigued, overly-emotional, anxious, bored or overwhelmed, during a meditation or yoga practice (regardless of how much you enjoy doing it, or how long you’ve been doing it for).
The desire to grow and progress is a firm foundation for expansion in life, but when you are constantly monitoring for results, it can become taxing. Think of when you plant a flower. Do you stand and watch it grow, or do you give it some water, and walk away?
Also, you become what you practice. If you practice judgement, harshness and criticism, this is what you will grow. But if you practice compassion and acceptance, this is what you will foster.
Acceptance does not mean complacency, taking the ‘easy road’, or giving up. It simply means not jostling with your thoughts, emotions or body, but befriending them, with a sense of awareness, curiosity and loving-kindness. Awareness is the first step to organic and sustainable change. You cannot transmute that which you deny.
I found when I allowed my body and mind to just be (even if that meant being tired or impatient), I subsequently didn’t lose additional mental energy trying to assure myself that I wasn’t. These feelings and emotions often passed anyway. Some days, there was beauty and bliss; other days, peace and tranquility; and then, of course, the more-than-occasional visits from anxiety, frustration and insecurity. I simply welcomed them all as old friends; coming and going, into my innate sanctuary of awareness.
7. Breathe into each moment and embrace the journey.
Few habits come with effortless ease. With awareness, resilience and patience, your practice will (likely) become more effortless, consistent and enjoyable. Try to take it all in, just as it is. Try to replace “I should be better at this by now” with “I am exactly where I am meant to be”. Appreciate how far you have come, and place an intention as to where you wish to go, but remember, that where you are right now is what truly matters.
“Your life requires your mindful presence in order to live it. Be here now.” ― Akiroq Brost
Essentially, there were days when my practice felt like a half-hearted chore. Some people would probably advise, “If you aren’t doing it with all your heart, don’t do it all.” Others would say, “Push yourself through the discomfort and persevere.”
But I heard my inner voice. It told me not to skip even a single practice, even if I felt fatigued or jaded.
And I’m thrilled I listened.
More often than not, the feelings of fatigue or resistance softened after the practice. And even if they didn’t — I was aware of them, thus had the tools to perhaps shift something in my day, for the next time (like less time on social media; more time doing what nourishes me).
