Do you get on your mat often but when life gets busy, you don’t step on your mat for weeks?

Do you want to find a shift from studio yoga classes to yoga at home?

Maybe you have an at-home yoga practice but struggle to find consistency and the discipline to stick with it?

I get it.

Having an at-home yoga practice comes with pros and cons. Just like having a yoga practice at a yoga studio, you need to hold yourself accountable and follow through. Although you aren’t signing up for a class and carving out time to commute there and back – you can still hold yourself accountable in different ways to make sure you’re getting on your mat and taking care of yourself on a regular basis.

I moved states (from SC to AR) a few months ago and I knew, through this transition, I needed to create space for my practice. I needed to hold myself accountable to continue my practice at home (amidst all the boxes and chaos) in order to take care of myself through this stressful time.

These are the ways I continued my yoga practice. Wherever you are in life, I hope they can help you find your practice with ease and consistency too.

1. Schedule Time Out:

I live by my Google calendar and my planner. We all have different ways we live our life but if you’re like me, write down when you plan to practice. Whether it’s at the start of the day or the end of my day, I know what to expect, plan for it, and by the end of my practice, I am so happy I made the time to get on my mat. I also take it as a promise to myself, it’s in writing – it’s happening!

2. Align Your Flows:

I align my flows with my menstrual cycle and it continues to be my guide when it comes to the movement I take. When I first got to Arkansas, I was towards the end of my menstrual phase so I did Yin yoga most nights, pranayama or a short meditation in the mornings, and allowed myself to move slowly throughout the day. A few days after my period was over, I began to do more strengthening flows. Nothing crazy but I did a couple of sun salutations and held postures for a longer period of time. Once I was fully in my follicular phase, I leaned into doing more fast-paced flows and adding in extra drills to build strength. This is also a more creative time for me so I’ll explore certain transitions or practice arm balancing and inversions. If you don’t feel aligned with setting your flows with your cycle or maybe you don’t have a menstrual cycle, you can align your yoga practice with your work schedule, your kids schedule, etc to feel easeful and fill up your cup while meeting yourself where you’re at.

3. Set Yourself Up:

I have my mat, my space, and my clothes laid out so I am ready to go. Having my mat in the room and the space already clean, there’s less resistance for me to get my practice in. I love to lay my clothes out too so I don’t need to think. I just get dressed and put my Airpods in. That’s it.

4. Set Your Intention:

Something I’ve been enjoying is thinking about my intention before I get on my mat. This can be a physical intention, like focusing on opening my shoulders or building strength in my glutes. Or it can be something spiritual or personal, like giving myself more compassion and understanding or letting myself play and have fun! If you enjoy doing yoga on an app or a class on YouTube, this is the time to pick your class too. Again, there’s less resistance because it’s already set up for you. You just open up your laptop or iPad and hit play. If you don’t like taking a class online and like to free flow, maybe you get a playlist ready – this adds another level of excitement because you want to listen to the songs or feel the music guide you through.

5. Have an Accountability Buddy:

This can be your partner, your roommate, your best friend, maybe your teacher (hi :)) but have someone that can check in on you and make sure you’re doing your yoga. I get cranky and irritable if I don’t step on my mat for a few days and my husband can tell, haha. Have someone that can text you or ask you if you’ve done yoga lately so you feel held accountable. If you can’t think of anyone and need someone, feel free to shoot me an email or a DM and say “Hey! I need more accountability with my practice, can you help?” and I will 1000% answer “Hell yeah!” <3

If there’s anything I’ve learned over the years of getting on and off my mat, it’s that the excuse list can be endless. But your decisions are what drive you to where you want to go. If you want to do more yoga, do more yoga! If you want to dive deeper, dive deeper! My books are open for private sessions – if you’ve been thinking about working privately with me, don’t wait. Go to my services page and book your first free call with me now. Let’s talk through what your intentions are and how we can work together to keep you coming back to your mat and be the best version of you. I’ll see you soon!