Recently, a student asked me “how many hours a day do you do yoga?”
I laughed because if we are just talking asana, I could quickly fall down the rabbit hole to feeling like a fraud because tbh….on average 5-20 minutes a day, with a goal of 1 community class a week.
And then I remember the wise words of one of my teachers, Tracee Stanley in her book Radiant Rest:
"Let go of the idea that your practice needs to be 15, 30, 60 or 90 minutes long to be meaningful or valid. Instead of one long practice, try 2-3 minute mini practice portals that you can weave throughout your day. Be creative. Look for pauses, transitions, spaciousness, and silence. Use these natural moments to pause and to implant mantra, affirmation, blessing"
Invitation: reframe the idea of what yoga practice looks like or who a dedicated yoga practitioner is…
Release the idea that we must commit to 60-90 minutes in order to be a “good student”.
Instead, let’s consider the full 24 hours of our day to find moments of magic.
Sometimes it’s 20 minutes of asana, others it’s sitting on my porch to journal and breathe with the early morning birds, but often its that little pause between things - a simple breath, a moment to remember “I am here now in this.”
Sure, community classes are super awesome. There’s a certain energy to being in a room filled with folks moving and breathing together.
And it’s my personal practice that gets me just what I need - which isn’t always strictly asana.
Sva Tantra - a personal practice, or tools to facilitate a life of beauty and skillful abundance ✨
Tracee also offers this Householders Prayer as practice expansion:
House Holders Prayer - Tracee Stanley
The altar is in my heart.
The sun and the moon are my gurus.
I trust the earth to support me.
Each time I close my eyes, I enter the void.
My heart is the portal to my sacred cave.
I whisper the names of the Divine as I prepare my meals.
I notice the flow of my beloveds’ breath as they fall asleep, and I synchronize my breath to the flow of love.
I place a blessing in the pause between the breaths.
I hold the power to create a new reality with every thought.
I honor silence as a blessing.
I explore who I am and who I am not in the mirror of relationship.
I question my beliefs with curiosity and courage.
I honor my ancestors.
I lay down all self-doubts with compassion and forgiveness.
I remember the light of my soul as I enter the dream state.
I recall the beauty of truth as I transition from sleep to waking.
I know the vibration of truth.
I remember that nothing is mundane.
I honor the power of the transition as a portal to transformation.
Everyday is an offering.
My life is a sacred ritual.