by Antti

Just show up

Regular practice is the key to everything. Create yourself a routine. Any amount of regular practice is infinitely better than no practice. 

Sometimes the hardest thing is to find the time for your practice. Make it a priority, find a slot in your schedule and commit. Build up from there.

Instead of aiming to go directly from nothing to three to six times a week, aim for example to come once a week. 

Learn the difference between pain and discomfort

Some things may be uncomfortable and that is part of the practice. Pain, however, is your body’s way of telling something is wrong, and is never ok. Learn the difference between these two.

Find the edge of your comfort zone

Make your maximum effort: go to the edge of your comfort zone and balance there. Do not let yourself off too easy, do not push yourself over the limits. 

Remember your maximum effort may look very different from that of the person on the next mat, one way or the other. That does not matter at all.

Let go of the result, focus on the action

The form of the posture is a Platonic ideal we reach for. That is, the idea of what the posture is like when done perfectly. Just go towards that, any amount your body allows today. How far you get is irrelevant, trying in earnest is what matters.

With difficult postures an excellent rule of thumb is to give it three honest tries. Do your absolute best, whatever that looks like. 

A practice done is a good practice.

Rest enough and eat well

Progress in your practice rests on three pillars that need to be balanced: physical practice, rest and nutrition. Any one of these missing will hinder your progress considerably or stop it altogether.

Sleep enough. Have at least one day a week without hard exercise. 

Eat healthy, have enough protein. Drink enough liquids, especially if you do hot yoga.

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