Yoga on and off the mat. That's what we should all aim for. But what does it even mean? Practicing yoga on and off the mat means that many of the life lessons and self discovery that happens on the mat, can be applied to your daily life. Here are some 4 small steps you can take to include yoga on your daily life off the mat.
Be mindful of your breath. Maybe you have a 9-5 job or maybe your days usually look super busy. But if you could just be mindful of your breath for a few minutes a day it will allow you to stay present, and to re-focus your attention to what really matters. Breathing is the one thing we do ALL the time. Literally. Since we are born until the day that we die. So it is very important to learn how to breathe properly, to breathe slower, and deeper. "The quality of your breath is the quality of your life" Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa.
Listen to your body + have self compassion. Some days your yoga asana practice might flow beautifully, all the balancing positions might be right on point and you might even finally get that hand stand! Buuut, some other days, your body might be more tense, or you don't flow as much, or you keep on falling from warrior III or your bakasana doesn't come as easy. And that's just fine! Same thing happens off the mat, some days you might be super focused and productive and other days not as much. Learn to listen to your body, to be self compassionate, to know how to pause to recharge. Every day is different, and that happens on and off the mat.
Don't compare yourself to others. This happens, a lot. Even if we don't want it to happen, many times we fall into comparison. Even in very subtle ways. Yoga doesn't compare nor judge. It's for everyone and anyone. It's not restrictive nor exclusive. So you never know for how long people have been practicing or what their motivation behind is. Focus on yourself, on your own path. "Practice and all is coming" Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.
Be kind to yourself and to others. Be kind to your body and mind, it's important to know where our limits are, when it's ok to push further and when we need to stop. Learning to let go of the ego is a lifelong process. A good way of letting go of the ego is to try and leave aside your expectations of how something should be/look like/feel like, and just accept whatever you receive as what it is, for what it is.
These are some of the ways in which you can take your yoga practice off the mat with you. Remember to be patient with yourself, we are all doing the best we can.
What else do you take with you from your practice? Leave us your comment below!