HOW TO STICK TO YOUR YOGA ROUTINE IN LOCKDOWN

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LOCKDOWN

Right guys we have just entered another lockdown and who knows when the next one will be or how long it will last. It can feel frustrating, scary and like you’ve lost all control.

Maybe you’ve just got back into your yoga routine at your favourite studio and now that hard work feels like it’s out the window. Or maybe you want to make sure that THIS lockdown doesn’t go to waste with no exercise or work on your mental health.

It doesn’t have to feel this way!

There are things you can do to stick with your yoga routine over lockdown and keep yourself active, healthy and happy. The hardest part of continuing, or STARTING, a yoga routine is showing up in the first place.

Once you do that the other stuff falls into place. Sure to make it stick and for you to continue showing up you might need a collection of planning, accountability, perseverance and a positive attitude BUT that’s what I am here for!

Get your pen and paper, your ical and a cup of tea. We are going to put the pieces together for a yoga practice that becomes part of your daily routine.

STEP 1: KNOW YOURSELF

Are you a morning person? Or a night owl?

What times of the day are you most reliable and what times of the day will you always choose the couch or a glass of wine?

Spend some time journaling about what days of the week and times you practice yoga already or attend classes. If you’re not already going to classes when do you work the best or feel energised? Why is this?

Make 3 categories:

RED – no yoga practice time (this is when you would never be able to motivate yourself or get yourself out the door to a class)

YELLOW – could be a good time, perhaps something like meditation or yoga nidra, but perhaps something less active

GREEN – this is when it is optimal for you to practice and you will do classes here. You want to carve out time here for your practice and perhaps more active practice.

STEP 2: BEDTIME CAN BE YOGA TIME

It’s important to understand that yoga has many aspects and not all of them are the physical movement and postures. 

You can of course choose a couple of stretchy poses or breathing exercises that you can do in your bed before you get up in the morning or before you go to sleep.

Doing even one posture is better than nothing  at all, and it will set you up for feeling the thrills of progress. A side stretch, seated twist, and seated cat cow can feel extra-nice after a night of sleep.

You can also work on meditation, yoga nidra or start developing a breathing practice. Coffee, Water, Whiskey breathing are simple techniques that can be used at different times of the day depending on the result you want to achieve. 

STEP 3: CREATE A PLAN

Map out what you want to do and make it achievable. Maybe you want to practice 6 times a week or maybe you’d be happy with a couple times a week. 

It doesn’t have to be intense vinyasa flow every time. You could be doing:

• Restorative
• Yin yoga
• Yoga nidra
• Meditation
• Vinyasa flow
• Workshops
• Shorter classes
• Live classes

Look at your calendar and take into consideration the red, yellow and green times you set out previously. Map out your yoga and plug it into your phone, on the family calendar or into your online planner like asana. Set an alarm in your phone, and set it like a meeting that you would treat with the same respect as any other.

It’s easy to watch the week fly by without a single yoga class if you don’t make it a priority. So prioritise your yoga and start planning it in from tomorrow! 

STEP 4: SET GOALS

Working towards goals and targets has always helped to incentivise me towards action.

What might you be working towards?

• A daily meditation practice?
• A headstand?
• Being able to do a full chaturanga

Write down 3 goals right now.

They can be small or the can be big dreamer goals too! 

STEP 5: FIND AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER

You don’t have to do it alone.

Maybe you live with your accountability partner or maybe your accountability partner lives far away. Schedule it in and do yoga at the same time, take a picture of yourself practicing or send them a checkmark when you’ve done your class. Obviously it’s more fun to practice with someone so why not Facetime them if you can’t be physically with them?

Make sure your accountability partner is someone you respect and you can trust. Tell your partner your goals and get them to share theirs too! 

Want to feel like you’re part of a community and get more than one accountability partner? Join the Yoga with Meegan Facebook group and get the group to cheer you on! Share a sweaty selfie or an enlightened smile after a class or meditation! 

STEP 6: START SLOWLY

The key to not burning out is to start slowly. To create a consistent routine, make sure you start small, set realistic goals, and build in recovery days. Incorporating rest days is just as important as scheduling your workout or yoga practice. Allowing yourself time to recover and heal will help you return to your routine even stronger.

With my online membership it is easy to plan out your yoga and what you want to achieve. You can start small and build over the weeks. Feel free to repeat classes you like or focus on different areas of the body.

Categories of classes are:

Meditation

Yoga Nidra

Vinyasa Flow

Gravity Yoga

Workshops

Restorative

Short Videos

Posture Breakdowns

STEP 7: SWITCH IT UP AND BE CREATIVE

Did you know that my online membership offers a range of styles of yoga, lengths of videos and different workshops?

You can explore the videos that are on my YouTube channel or stretch your mind with a large collection of yoga and wellness blogs. Choose the specific classes you’re going to do and pop them into your calendar. 

Try these interesting ways to stay active:

Do 10 squats every time you pick up your phone. Challenge yourself, especially if you’re trying to cut down on your screen time.

Make use of your cooking time.  While you’re cooking try some breathing exercises or work on a meditation. Maybe get yourself into some stretches, push ups against the counter, calf raises, or squats.

Set a five-minute timer and do a speedy room cleanup. This knocks out two items on the list — a cleaner room and a movement break!

Use Netflix time to get in some Gravity Yoga. Work into a deep Pigeon Pose while watching your favourite show. Choose a few hip or hamstring opening poses and pop a timer on. The TV will distract you from the intensity of the posture.

Switching up your classes keeps your routine fresh and fun, and will keep you excited to come back for more.

STEP 8: CREATE A YOGA SPACE

It’s important to have a space where you can go and practice your yoga.

Now, let’s be honest, we aren’t all going to have the luxury of a large space in our house that can be dedicated strictly to our practice. BUT that doesn’t mean we can’t take a corner or a room.

Clean it up and make sure the props, mat and any other yoga paraphernalia you need is together. Even having to go collect something from another room can act as a distraction from keeping you on track. If you want music have it set up. If you want candles set them up. If you want it to be quiet then shut the door. 

START TODAY

JOIN MY 10 DAY STRENGTH FOR FULL CHATURANGA CHALLENGE

Over these 10 days I will be going live in my Facebook Group with strength drills, rehab for sore muscles, anatomy chats and vinyasa tutorials. 

By the end of the 10 days you will:

• Get stronger arms
• Stronger core
• Stronger shoulders
• Understanding of different modifications of a vinyasa
• Empowered in your knowledge
• Injury free movement
• Ways to stretch sore muscles 
• and a whole lot more!

JOIN MY ONLINE YOGA MEMBERSHIP

Join In!