Celebrating Small Victories Within Your Yoga Poses- Physically and Mentally
How many times in your yoga practice have you said, “I still have so far to go,” or “I got further today, but I doubt I’ll ever get the whole pose”? When we diminish our progress we also successfully diminish our desire to keep practicing. That is why celebrating those small victories in your yoga poses are so important!
You can never compare yourself to another yogi because no one has the same body or strength as the next person. Your journey is your own and no one else’s, and that is more than okay. If you don’t look at the wins in your practice, you may not want to get on the mat as often.
However, when you start looking for the successes in your practice, the practice becomes more natural and enjoyable. Success is motivating. It gives you hope and energy to keep going.
Here are some ways to keep celebrating small victories within your yoga poses:
Begin to look for your wins
Find all the successes, no matter how small or insignificant you may think they are. Perhaps you held a handstand, even just for a second. Or maybe you got a half an inch further in your splits. Take a moment and breath that positive feeling of success into your body. Not only will this feel good physically, but mentally you will begin to feel more and more proud of yourself. Which encourages you to keep up with your poses and practice.
Focus on one instruction at a time
Instead of focussing on a pose a whole, break it up into different parts. This way it ensure you are working your way up rather than setting yourself up for failure and trying the whole pose right away. Focus on each small component. Taking the pose one cue at a time helps you stay present and get curious about what each component does for your body and mind.
Celebrate each small victory to get to your goal
Rather than fixating on how long it took to get to that pose you have been dying to perfect. Take pride in all the conscious effort you made, again and again, to get there. Listen to your body and how good it feels to go deeper into your pose. Listen to your mind and how good it feels to mentally be in your practice. And feel how good it feels when you do pick both feet up and fly!
The small victories are so important, it helps you get to where you want to be in your practice. If you don’t take a moment to enjoy the journey, the destination won’t seem as bright! So, embrace your poses and remember anything worth waiting for is magical.
Kristin McGee is a celebrity yoga and Pilates instructor in New York City. She is currently teaching yoga with Peloton. She is the star of over 100 videos, seen in several magazines and tv shows and is a spokeswoman for many brands and causes she believes in. A proud mom to three, she sure keeps herself busy!