How to start and then maintain a yoga practise

“Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.”
The Bhagavad Gita

As I outlined in My Yoga Journey, it took me over 20-years to start and then maintain a yoga practise. That’s a long time by anyone’s standards. To save you time, I’ve put together my top tips to help you begin, and then sustain your own practise.

1. Find a teacher you connect with

I gave up on yoga many times before I realised that actually, it wasn’t me, it was them. From the guy who seemed far too focused on his own practise, to the woman who had me doing complicated backbends in my first class (I left in pain); if you don’t connect with your teacher, chances are you’ll lose interest. There’s no one size fits all. You might prefer a teacher who focuses on the spiritual side of yoga whilst somebody else might just want a cardio workout. Once you find the right teacher, it makes all the difference. I felt an instant connection with both of my foremost teachers and that is when my practise became consistent and consequently, deepened. So shop around, don’t settle on the first teacher you try.

2. Discover what style of yoga you prefer

In the same vein as finding the right yoga teacher, figuring out which style of yoga you prefer is game changing. What do you want from yoga: a workout, to relax, to be more flexible?

Vinyasa style yoga consists of a flow of postures held for different lengths of time and the movement is usually coordinated to the breath. This can vary, from Ashtanga, where the same sequence of postures are done every session (it’s really hard) to something like Hatha, where the posture are similar to Ashtanga but the order in which they are performed will change each session. Vinyasa (or yang) yoga will provide more of a cardio workout, although the focus should always be on the breath and going within. You’ll also improve strength, balance and flexibility.

Yin yoga is much more restorative, slow paced and relaxing. It works with the meridian lines (a concept in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the meridian system are paths through which the life-energy flows) to balance the flow of energy around the body. You’re mostly on the ground holding postures for an extended period of time, allowing you to really turn inward, rest and restore. It it still challenging and is great for improving flexibility.

Yin is definitely my favourite and I tend to do a short yin based practise before bed. I’ll then do a vinyasa style practise in the morning to give me energy for the day. You might want to do one or the other, or a combination of both.

3. Try virtual classes

If in-person classes aren’t for you, for whatever reason, try a virtual class. There is no shortage of options, especially since the pandemic. Local teachers will likely offer online classes or recordings. Otherwise, there are so many apps or exercise platforms available. These give you the option of joining a class at a time to suit you and you can also try different styles and teachers. more freely. I like Asana Rebel, the Deliciously Ella Feel Better app, and Annie Clarke’s online yoga platform The Practise. All are reasonably priced but if cost is a barrier, there are plenty of free classes on YouTube; Yoga with Adriene is a popular choice.

4. Start small

When I started out, I had an all or nothing approach. I thought that unless I practised for an hour a day, I wasn’t doing enough. Because I couldn’t realistically commit to 60-minutes a day, I’d do nothing, and then feel like a failure. Then I realised that consistency is key rather than the length of the practise, because, anything is better than nothing. The apps listed above offer classes from a little as 5-minutes long and it’s surprising the positive effect that those few minutes can have on the rest of your day.

Now, I aim for 20-minutes in the morning and 20-minutes in the evening. Sometimes I do less or miss one, or both sessions for whatever reason. I can’t remember the last time I practised for an hour or went to an in-person class, but, I am consistent.

5. Make yoga a habit

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, says that to make a new habit stick, you should stack it on top of an existing one. E.g., if you want to practise before bed, tell yourself that after you’ve brushed your teeth you’ll spend 15-minutes on your mat. Or, commit to practising for 10-minutes as soon as you get in from work. Think about how this could work for you?

I recently started walking with my husband at 6am, after which, I head straight to my mat. Clear’s process takes away the overthinking that we are prone to. The decision is already made and before long, it becomes a habit.

6. Be safe

I went through a (long) phase of wanting to be able to hold a handstand away from the wall. I would spend hours flinging myself up in the air, to no avail. I knew that I should work on my arm and core strength first. I knew that hand standing wasn’t what yoga was about; still I wanted that Instagram picture and so I persevered. I never got that picture, instead I got a stiff neck and a large massage bill.

My message then is, be safe. Start with the basics, build a solid foundation, and progress at your own pace. You are meant to feel a stretch in yoga but not pain, especially in the joints. Pull out of a pose as soon as you feel pain, take a modification if you need to and ideally don’t try anything that has the potential to cause injury without adequate supervision.

7. Don’t be too hard on yourself

Yoga is meant to be a positive addition to your life. It should make you feel better about yourself not worse. Some weeks you will practise more than others. There may be periods of time when you don’t practise at all. Don’t beat yourself up. Just do what you can and, most importantly, stay safe and have fun.

***Obviously, I’m not a medical professional; please do consult with your doctor before you start, if you are new to yoga and have any concerns.***