I saw a fundraiser for a charity on Facebook: “Do yoga for 10 minutes a day and help raise money…”
I discounted the fundraiser part because it wasn’t a charity I would normally support, but the yoga part – the yoga part interested me.
I had been thinking of starting some yoga again. It’s something that is always in the back of my mind – yoga is good for me, I need to make more yoga space in my life – but rarely acted upon.
So at the start of October, I decided to jump in on this initiative and attempt 10 minutes of yoga every day for 31 days.
What I learned:
* 10 minutes is not a long time
* In fact, most of the time, 10 minutes of yoga did not feel like enough. My body usually wanted more.
* If you’re on a mission, you can find 10 minutes every day, even if that 10 minutes is the 10 minutes before you get into bed.
* People who think they’re not flexible enough to do yoga should do 10 minutes a day for a month. You will become more flexible. I became more flexible. I noticed it when bending down to tie up my hiking boots.
* There’s a lot of yoga out there on the Internet if you’re looking for a guided practice. Useful tip: if you search for 10 minute yoga and the video is 10 minutes long, look for something else because at least 2 minutes of that 10 will be the yogi introducing themself and asking you to like and hit the subscribe button. Look for something in the 12-13 minute range.
* Yoga doesn’t have to be vigorous – some of the going-to-bed yoga practices involve a lot of lying very still. I did one yoga for anxiety practice that involved sitting and breathing through alternate nostrils with a few side bends for stretching.
* Taking 10 minutes for yoga at the end of a working from home day is actually a great way to transition your mind from work mode to home mode.
We are now two weeks into the next month and have I continued my 10 minute yoga practice?
Unhappily no.
But I am conscious of needing to keep some yoga in my life. I like being more flexible (even if I am never going to be able to do that “step your foot between your hands” move). I like the feeling of having stretched and released and relaxed.
I am now thinking, what other 10 minute things could I attempt to fit in my life? Exercise, writing, meditation? Should I have a rolling ball of things where I can fill 10 minutes a day?
Gratuitous plug: here’s a link to Sarah Rush Yoga. I know Sarah and am happy to recommend her yoga videos.
Tales from Tobhamhor 