Cold weather, festivities, vacations. Perfect events to break your routine and make you leave your comfort zone. With the arrival of the new year, however, you need to gather your energy and restart your good habits! Let’s resume your rhythm, and our yoga classes, and regain your balance and daily routine because once you have identified good resolutions, the difficult part is to keep up the routine over time.
Start slow: if you have suspended your activities for 20-30 days you will have to resume them gradually, without asking too much of your body!
Let’s take a few steps back, start with a lighter session, from the easiest positions, and explore them again, improving them occasionally. Set new goals for yourself and focus on them. Wanna know a secret? It is better to start with small goals, take a breath once in a while, and balance, and then worry about reaching your limits (and exceeding them!).
It takes 21 days to create a new habit so stay strong and keep doing what you are doing! Every journey starts with the first step.
Put it on the calendar
“Look at class schedules, if your needs have changed, re-evaluate all the opportunities you have but don’t give up your daily or midweek time for practice.”
Once you have planned your space for practice you must try to respect it by making time to inhabit and remember it. While it may seem more difficult at first, it will later become part of our good habits. It is said that it only takes 21 days to create a routine. So just keep your Yoga schedule for three weeks and it will become much easier!
Creating a habit helps you to be more organized and live more peacefully. Routines support the rhythm of your days and train you to keep it. This allows you to be able to fit in different activities and invest your time better. Don’t be too hard on yourself! All this does not mean that you always have to stick to the schedule you have created for yourself; now and then you can allow yourself to break out of your patterns!
Take care of your Yoga mat
Taking care of yourself and creating a new and healthy routine also means taking care of your personal space – and your Yoga mat. Keep it clean and refreshed so that every time you start a new practice it is ready and does not smell like the sweat from the day before ;-). At the end of each yoga practice, we recommend cleaning the mat and letting it dry before rolling it up and storing it. Just use a wet microfiber cloth and a mild detergent (we have also created mat cleaning kits).
When you are not practicing always keep your mat inside a Yoga bag made of cotton or breathable material so that it is protected from dust and light.
Create your personal Yoga space
As soon as you have identified your personal needs, you can start creating your own personal Yoga Space. Whether you do Yoga at home or in a yoga studio does not matter – choose your Yoga equipment according to your needs.
The most important tool is certainly the yoga mat. Think of it as if it were a pair of running shoes – its characteristics are important for our well-being during practice and in the results of the asanas you perform on it.
Our invitation is to always choose a product that is environmentally friendly and suitable for your needs, seeking safety and quality.
If you are just starting Yoga, we recommend choosing a mat with a good grip that you can use for different kinds of Yoga – maybe you have not figured out yet how many different Yoga styles there are and which one is the right one for you. We recommend two mats for beginners in particular: Free LIGHT for those looking for a mat that is easy to carry, with good grip and good stability, or Free SOFT for those looking for lightness, grip, and extra comfort.
If you have been practicing for a few years, we recommend choosing a more professional mat for your Yoga style like our Yoga mats in natural rubber or Microfibre.
Some tools you might need to create your personal Yoga space are Yoga blocks: you can choose to purchase your own set when your Yoga teacher recommends using them in their class. Cork Yoga blocks are the first allies in learning to achieve certain positions and are useful at all levels of your practice. They are used in pairs and should be chosen in the same size.
Similar in purpose but with a different approach: Yoga belts. We have created belts in two different lengths and many different colors. They are made with regenerated cotton yarn.
Other accessories that might be useful are Yoga pillows in various sizes and colors, or Eco Blankets, perfect for moments of meditation and relaxation. Choose accessories in your favorite color, it will make you feel most comfortable and your Yoga space gets a personal touch.
Finally, the last tip to make practicing even more pleasant, light some incense sticks or an eco-friendly candle to create a cozy atmosphere.
