How to Fall Back in Love With Yoga Again

Faith M. Davis

in Healthy Living Posted on

03/01/2022 01:00 AM

People practice yoga for many years. But like any long-term relationship, it has its ups and downs.

The majority of practitioners go through the honeymoon period at the start of their journey. They practice yoga all the time and there’s no resistance. Training feels like a joy.

After a while, though, resentment starts creeping in. What was once something blissful now feels forced or like an obligation.

This cycle generally continues for many years. Yoga practice is sometimes a chore, other times a blessing. You never quite know which way it’s going to go.

It’s a similar story with meditation. Sometimes you’re highly motivated to do it; other times, not so much.

At first, everything in yoga is new. You find yourself doing poses that you’ve never done before, stretching muscles you didn’t know you had. It’s all about wellness.

Over time, though, it loses its novelty value. After you’ve done pigeon pose a hundred times, you feel like you’ve had enough of it.

What you can do is flip your mindset from thinking of yoga as entertainment to realizing that it is about union with the sacred geometry of the universe. In a sense, it is less about exercise, and more of a spiritual pursuit.

The way you approach yoga, therefore, needs to change if you feel bored by it. It’s not about stimulation or giving you something to think about. Instead, yoga is an act that is supposed to draw you closer to everything around you. And that should never get boring.

To know how to love yoga, treat your practice as an act of self-care. See it like taking a bath, going to bed early, or taking time off from your stressful job.

As with anything, most people hit a plateau in their yoga practice. They get to the point where they don’t seem to be able to push through any further.

Again, reaching this point is okay. It doesn’t mean that you’ve stopped improving entirely. It’s just a resting point before your body allows you to move to the next phase.

Many people take a “yang” approach to yoga. It’s all about getting a good workout, progressing to the most advanced poses, and feeling like a failure if you’re not levitating above your mat by week three.

But that’s not what yoga is about at all. Progression is not the goal, contrary to popular opinion. There is no competition in yoga. Instead, it’s just about bringing your body into closer harmony with the world around you.

That’s why you often see “yin” yoga approaches. These are more receptive, feminine, and laid-back. Moving through the poses isn’t about trying to get somewhere. Instead, it’s all about where you are at right now, and even if you remain in the same place for five years, that’s okay.

Most of the yoga poses taught in classes are actually only the tip of the iceberg, which is why it is pretty easy to figure out how to love yoga again. The system actually goes much deeper than that. What’s more, the physical movements are just a small part of what yoga is about.

Fundamentally, it is a form of meditation. You’re trying to bring what spiritual teachers call “the real” into the physical world. Think about it like a connection with God or the power that gives life to the universe.

As you practice yoga, you’ll discover that it is different from conventional forms of exercise. While it has wonderful effects on the body, it also elevates your consciousness so that you arrive in a completely new place. It also releases tension from the body.

People love group yoga classes. However, they can sometimes force you into a style of yoga practice that doesn’t suit your mood.

Your body is incredibly intelligent. If you listen to it carefully enough, it will tell you precisely the type of practice you need. If group classes aren’t working for you because they are too “yang” focused, then don’t be afraid to practice alone.

The social aspect of yoga is great, but it’s not the core of the discipline. What’s more important is the sense of primal union that it helps you achieve with the world around you.

Try spending 20 minutes or so on your mat at home going through the poses. Listen to what your body needs next. If coming up with your own routine sounds beyond you, look for an online practice that aligns with how you feel on that day.

When it comes to yoga, you don’t always have to be a student, and sometimes knowing how to love yoga longterm is as simple as teaching it. In fact, becoming a teacher is a great way to fall in love with the practice. That’s because when you instruct others, you’re helping them improve their lives.

These days, you don’t have to travel to India to learn how to be a yoga teacher. Online yoga teacher training is now widely available. It introduces you to new methods of yoga practice and ways to structure it so that your clients get maximum benefit from each session.

Perhaps the problem isn’t with yoga, but with your teacher. Maybe their approach to yoga practice is wrong and actually harming your progress. Or maybe you’re just bored with their style.

See whether you feel any different when you switch to a new teacher. Sometimes, you can grow beyond the teachings of your current teacher and need someone who can help you go deeper into your practice.

Remember, there will be yoga teachers out there who have only learned their craft on a superficial level. Many will view the practice purely as exercise, instead of something with other dimensions, such as changes in consciousness.

Outgrowing your current yoga practice is all part of the natural evolution of things. Some people advance much faster than others. If that’s you, your best option is to go with a different teacher and try again.

If your yoga gear is a little below par, it can adversely affect your motivation. You may find yourself low on energy, just because you’re using the wrong equipment.

Material objects, such as mats, blocks, and yoga pants, aren’t important in themselves. But they can give you energy.

Think back to when you were a child and your parents bought something new for you. That simple act energized you and changed how you felt.

When you buy something for your yoga practice, it can breathe new life into the experience. Some people see it as a fresh start. Owning a new yoga mat, for instance, can make your practice more enjoyable and remind you that you can feel good about yourself.

A lot of people force themselves to perform yoga even when they aren’t feeling it. However, that can undermine your efforts. If you feel like doing yoga is an uphill struggle, then that is how you will approach it, so it will be hard to enjoy the experience.

The trick to knowing how to love yoga for life is to change how you see it. It’s not something that requires effort or force. Instead, you want it to feel like something you can just slip into, like a hot bath.

Try changing your mindset. Strictly speaking, yoga is not a typical kind of exercise and it doesn’t require gritting your teeth and getting through it. You want your practice to feel like the universe is moving you, instead of your muscles. When you’re in a state of flow, you’re much more likely to be in love with what you’re doing.