Break the Practice Gap

A regular yoga practice (3-4 times per week) has a significant impact on how you feel, think, and build strength. It is not unusual for one to find something they really enjoy and delve themselves into it for awhile. As time wears on, the novelty wears off and so does the drive. Yoga is no different if you let it fall in the same routine. Practice long enough and a time will emerge when your body let's you feel the neglect of not doing the physical moves as much as desired.

Life seems to get in the way and the classic excuse of not having the time to practice emerges from the left hemisphere. (The rationalizing side) If you take a moment of observing what you feel after that justification, you will "hear" the right hemisphere (the creative side) beg to differ. Then, when you actually hit the mat and immerse yourself in a practice, the realization emerges that the gap of time between practices was a bit too long. You will feel the gratitude of the cells as they seem to flow more freely within you. You will feel a little lighter, yet more grounded. The practice stays with you long after you leave the mat.

Like Ganga White said in Yoga Beyond Belief, "yoga doesn't take time, it gives time." Until you get on the mat and practice, you won't truly understand these words. I have practiced for seven years. Every time I let the gap between practices get too long, I re-learn the truth of this quote. Thus, I understand the importance of keeping the gaps between physical practices short. Paradoxically, shortening the physical gaps make it easier to broaden the mental gaps of internal noise.

Unlike the body, the mind can chatter all day and all night if you let it. It seems to have a mind of its own. But, understand this...the mind is separate from the brain. It takes more effort to get the brain stronger than the body. The mind is like a roommate with the brain in that tough skull housing; but know this, the mind is the owner. With a regular physical yoga practice, the brain has to focus on breathing and balance. Keep it busy on that enough times and you slowly disengage its habitual chatter. Eventually, you will realize it exists to work for you...not the other way around.

Add meditation to your routine of self-wellness practices, and you will discover the joy of longer gaps of time between thoughts. Those precious gaps give your heart a chance to whisper to the mind. The mind can then pass the message to the brain. A whisper from the heart is truth and goodness...listen to it.

So, bottom line is this: keep the gaps between yoga practices shorter to discover broader gaps of stillness in the mind. Simple. Practice...breathe...break the gap to make the space in between the heart and mind dissipate.

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