Fitting Yoga Into Your Routine

There is no doubt that finding time to commit to conscious movement and a healthy lifestyle is challenging, whether you are training for a marathon or working toward a complex yoga posture. At least once a week, a student will ask me how often I suggest they practice yoga; my response is always the same, “How much time do you have?”

Yoga classes generally range anywhere from an hour to ninety minutes. That doesn’t include the commute during rush hour or the fact that you have no groceries in the fridge. While doing yoga at home may not feel the same as attending a group class, take the time to work in few sun salutes before your morning meal; it’s energizing! Or set the stage for your afternoon break with legs-upthe-wall pose; it’s relaxing. Many of the stress-reduction benefits of yoga can be felt in just a few minutes of mindful breathing!

In the practice of yoga, time is not measured by minutes or hours, but by the number of breaths that a person takes through a posture or sequence; it therefore is unique from person to person. Some methods will encourage you to practice 6 days a weeks while others might recommend 2-3 days a week. If you are using yoga to complement an existing exercise routine, you might only have time for a few poses.

As one of my professors would respond, there is no absolute answer, only the response of “It depends.” The important concept here is that you continue to put effort into your goals. Train for a marathon that you want to finish, make healthy food choices, and go to that yoga class you missed last Saturday. Take time to step onto the mat and see where it takes you!