“Practice and all is coming.” ~ Shri K. Pattabhi Jois
I hear this all the time. Most yoga teachers I know have said this at least once. I have.
And yet practicing everyday is always a challenge.
For a long time I will do really well.
I will establish a home yoga practice. I will stick to a schedule of yoga, Pilates or barre classes. I will take regular walks with friends and set alarms on my phone that remind me to meditate.
It is amazing. Taking time to do my self care and spiritual practices always works.
Then life happens.
I get busy running the mentoring and philanthropy sides of my business. I get behind on my writing deadlines. Mama duties always come first and household chores start to pile up a lightening speed.
The practices start to fall away. I always start and end my day with a silent gratitude practice and chant mantras, but for stretches of time that is about it.
After a short time of minimal practicing I begin to notice little things.
My body gets stiff and my mind starts to feel like a million and one thoughts and half formed ideas are flying around like lightening bugs.
I can’t focus on one of them long enough to resist the pull of Instagram, Facebook or blankly gazing out the window for a few minutes feeling inspired but overwhelmed.
I feel like I work all day but get nothing done and am always behind.
Then I remember. “Practice and all is coming.”
As soon as I sit in meditation, even if just for 5 minutes, I get an answer or solution to what I have been thinking about or stressing over.
After a few days of getting up at 5:30am to practice a very short yoga asana sequence my body feels better.
When I begin practicing magic happens.
Opportunities begin to appear and exactly the right people start to come into my life.
I can focus on my son and my boyfriend 100% when we are together. I can trust that all the work I am doing is of benefit to the world and that it will provide for my family.
I know that all is coming.
Do you struggle to keep a daily practice?
If you do, please don’t beat yourself up about it.
Adding guilt and shame into the mix will not help. They are not great motivators.
Instead, focus on what benefits you see when you DO make time to take care of yourself and connect to God, the Universe, the planet, or whatever higherpower you feel called to connect with.
Make a list of these benefits, on paper if possible. Writing it down will make it more special in your mind than simply thinking about it.
If you would like to share your activities and benefits with me, I would love to hear about them. Comment below or send me an email at katie@katieashley.org