A few years ago, I started being interested in yoga. I always say that when many people are doing something, you should be interested in it.

My next steps are always the same. I start looking for:

• Articles on the Internet.
• Podcasts.
• Books.
• YouTube videos.
• Specialized sites on the Internet.
• Curses.
• Communities.
• Software or apps related to the topic.

I create an Evernote’s note and start writing down all the interesting information I find out.

It was interesting the information I found out, and, as a tech geek, I downloaded an app: Down Dog (no affiliate marketing!).

I bought a mat on Amazon.

I was ready to go.

Great mistake: I didn’t think about creating a habit.

Because of that, I didn’t think about when I will practice yoga and how many days per week.

If you want to get into something, you have to incorporate it into your schedule.

If you don’t do so, this is what happens. I did 2 practices using Down Dog, and my “yoga spirit” vanished.

Habits are essential if you really want to do stuff in life.

If you want to get into something, you have to create a habit. Not doing so equals you’re wasting your time (and your money).

Second round.

Coronavirus came into our lives. We were isolated in our homes. Without expecting so, I received a bunch of hours into my life for free!

It was time to give yoga a second thought.

I workout 3 times a week, on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. I practice doing HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) sessions, combining everything along these 3 days: cardio, dumbbells, exercises using my own body…

My other type of workout is based on staying on a chair, at least 12 hours per day, from Monday to Friday (and, sometimes, even weekends a little bit), looking at a screen.

Mixing HIIT and “chair HIIT” is not the right combination for human beings.

I wasn’t injured, but I wasn’t perfect either. I had “discomfort” in the pubic area and my low back.

In life, you should always look for perfection. You will never reach it (because it’s impossible), but you will move forward towards it, and you will end up in a better scenario.

Yoga seemed to be an excellent complementary activity for all these reasons:

• I like flexibility. I think it gives you exquisite sensations to your body.
• I like balance. Working on the balance of your body gives you a much more balanced mind.
• I like relaxing. Anything that brings you peace and calm is always worth it.
• I like it when you can use a consolidated habit to create a new one. This strategy is critical for me because it’s easier to fit the new habit into your life. I’ll tell you below how I made it.

So now I was ready to win this game.

First: Think about habit frequency

I always say that if you want something to affect your life profoundly, you have to do that thing as many times as possible.

That works for me for everything: learning languages, practicing journaling, reading…

It’s always better less amount of time but more frequency, if you really want that thing gets deep into your life and receive outcomes from it.

So, always choose a 10 minutes daily frequency instead of an hour just one day.

This is so because, in the end, you will finish practicing that thing 1 hour each day, if you really like it, and you feel it’s something good for you.

So I decided I would practice yoga on a daily basis.

Second: Think about the length

My life and agenda are not exactly empty.

Managing 3 different companies and being a proactive person is not the best situation to find free block times. But I always say there’s still time for everything if you really want to do something.

If you don’t really want to do it, you will find an excuse, because that’s how your mind works. It’s necessary to control your mind, to be you who’s in charge of your life.

I decided to start as easy as possible: 10 minutes per session. Not a drama…

Third: Think about the schedule

Now, the great question: WHEN?

I literally couldn’t find any empty space in my schedule.

I always say that if you really want to do something that must be done at the beginning of the day. That increases the probability of achieving your goal tremendously.

It was clear to me. I’d wake up earlier each morning. Don’t panic, we’re just talking about 15 minutes each day.

Alarm set up at 6:45 AM.

Let’s do it!

I decided to go back to my abandoned app, Down Down (again, no affiliate marketing!).

There were even some updates. Great start!

I started doing it.

When I finished my 10 minutes session, it was literally amazing.

I had practiced a very soft kind of Yoga (gentle), which is based mainly on stretches, something that my body needed because of my 2 types of workouts (remember them?).

As I said before, I decided to join another habit (a consolidated one) into this new one. I’m talking about meditation.

After practicing yoga, Down Down has what’s called “Savasana”. You just listen to soft music and relax in the position you want (mine is lying down. After a 10 minutes session, you deserve it!).

That’s how I killed two birds with one stone!

2 habits done, and the day didn’t even start.

I started practicing on April, 20th 2020.

Since then, I haven’t stopped practicing a day. That equals 200 sessions and 80 hours practicing.

I cannot express how well I feel.

I improved my flexibility, balance skills, and the way I begin each day, starting with a positive and relaxed energy, the one you need to perform at your best.

My “discomfort” in the pubic area and my low back disappeared.

My body is mostly grateful because I’m giving him “care” and “softness”.

Your body is not only prepared to lift dumbbells and sitting on a chair. He needs these recovery moments.

Practicing daily sessions makes things work because your body’s always in a smooth way.

Right now, I’m on an Intermediate 2 level. I’ve extended the time to 20 minutes (yes, I wake up at 6:30 every day. It’s not a drama!).

I’ve even incorporated short 5–10 minutes sessions after my workouts. Instead of the gentle version, I practice an even softer one: “restorative”.

My body (and mind) is grateful for it.

Conclusions

If you want something to go deep into your life, something that really changes it, you have to take it seriously, following these steps:

1. Be 100% convinced of it.
2. Think about frequency.
3. Think about length.
4. Schedule it.
5. Practice it as often as you can (always choose small length but “big” frequency).

This will take you into this journey:

1. Habit (you’re just doing that thing).
2. Identity / Results (you are that thing, it’s part of your life, you start seeing results, you get more motivated).

Whenever you transform a habit into a way of living, it’s when you progress, you grow, you become a better self.

Give yoga a try. It’s worth it!

Photo at the top courtesy of Alessio Billeci on Unsplash.