Yoga 24/7

I remember when a friend told me “You keep slumping in the car when you drive, then you go to yoga to fix it. Stop slumping throughout your day and with yoga you will move a great deal further”. I was in constant negligence of the body throughout the day. The next yoga class was just repairing the damage. I wasn’t yet in the 24/7 state of mind. 

We show up for class for an hour or an hour and a half. We practice once or six times a week, but we still have much more life beyond the yoga class. The trick is to learn to live your whole life as if it were a yoga class. I probably say, “lift your belly” hundreds of times a week. A little lift in the belly that still allows you to breath fully while adding support the back. Indeed it is crucial when we try and do any fancy moves. However, it is just as important to find that support when sitting in front of your computer or driving your car. Yoga class will help make things better, but you need to take responsibility and action in your life all the time. Think of it as yoga 24/7.

It is not easy to remember to have the right posture while walking. Lower the shoulders while trying to keep space between the shoulder blades. Even to breathe! Yoga classes help create better habits if you are practicing with awareness during class. A good teacher will constantly remind you to breath. To relax the shoulders. To soften the forehead and release the jaw, to focus the gaze. Even to smile! But when we go through our daily life, there is so much to be aware of. Practicing awareness in our body is not so easy.

Build the 24/7 Yoga Mentality

In order to create healthy habits, and have better awareness of your body, you can set up reminders where needed. For a while I placed a red pillow on my car seat. Not only did it support my back, but also, just seeing it there reminded me to use my Bandhas (the lifts in the pelvic floor and belly), to support my lower back. A sticky note at the side of your computer with a smiley face and a note to sit up tall, or simply set an intention before you go for a walk to stride tall with shoulders relaxed and deep breaths.

You can set up your computer at the right height so that you have to keep your spine tall for typing. If you have a screen that is separate from your keyboard, set it up higher up so you have your neck long, stacked over the shoulders. When going for walks, see how it feels to walk with lightly supporting your back with a lift in the belly, or maybe decide that every time you come up from sitting you will go in slow motion so you can really notice the long spine and support of the back with your core.

Take all these practices as fun little challenges, approach them with a smile and a good attitude, and they will be engrained in you in no time.

Share the State of Mind

What tips and tricks do you have for bringing your practice into your daily life? Let us know with a comment! Share this article with a friend and see if you can develop your 24/7 state of mind together!

Read the Doron Yoga Manual for more helpful reminders on how to bring yoga into your daily life.

Blissful Living,

Doron