Six Tips to Build a New Years Yoga Habit

New Year, New Stronger You
Hello Yogis!  The new year is several weeks underway, and if you are like us, our initial highly audacious athletic resolutions have erm... slipped somewhat. After sustaining a resolution for a few days, many of us will often snap right back into a comfort zone and maybe evem overcorrect (cereal and ice cream for dinner anyone?)(1) Whether yoga, running, eating better or selling more, a "resolution" might actually not be the most successful approach.

The secret to making big changes: ridiculously small steps
If your resolutions have already slipped, we have good news - there is an easier way, based on psychology. Instead of an overnight change or resolution, it can be better to set up desired changes as goals to be worked towards, then using the power of habit formation to get there. 

So, don't give up!  Let's review 6 tips on habit formation, loosely based on the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, plus other authors and our experience. 

1. Start with an incredibly small habit.
Researchers say willpower is like a muscle. Would you try to bench 200 pounds on Jan 1? Now way. Instead of drastic changes overnight, start working up to it. Instead of 200 pounds, try lifting whatever your comfortable limit is today, or an even smaller amount.  "Make it easy enough that you can get it done without motivation" says James.

Just getting into the habit of scheduling the activity is surmounting the biggest hurdle, despite low weights. Likewise if you want to start running, but you are feeling tired, just jog a few blocks and come back, but stay on track for your daily run. Once you are comfortable with blocking the time, shower, food etc., you can work up to more effort. (As James would say, build more willpower muscle)  Completing your ridiculously small goal successfully each day will give you the confidence to keep going.

2. Increase your habit in very small ways.
Instead of starting with a big step on day one, start with a tiny step and increase it by more tiny steps each day. 1% improvement each day adds up very quickly! (By the power of compounding).

3. As you build up, break habits into chunks.
As you build up, try breaking the habit into smaller chunks. Instead of running 10 miles at once in a week, try running 3.5 miles three times a week as you build up. Instead of mastering a series of yoga inversions, try mastering one of them each month, inching higher each time, or first getting your bum in the air, then one leg then both legs against the wall, then without the wall.

With yoga in particular, it really IS about building muscle. As we know repetition repetition is the game. In the incredible book Mastery by Robert Greene, he tells a parable of a martial arts master and his disciple. The disciple asks how many times he must practice a particular series. "A thousand. A thousand times a thousand" says the Master. The message is that when building strength, our focus should be on the process of repetition more than the final goal. 

4. When you slip, get back on track quickly.
Don't worry about missing a day here or there when practicing a daily habit. Just be consistent in general, not perfect. "Top performers make mistakes, commit errors, and get off track just like everyone else. The difference is that they get back on track as quickly as possible... You shouldn’t expect to fail, but you should plan for failure. Take some time to consider what will prevent your habit from happening." says Clear.

5. Be patient. Stick to a pace you can maintain.
The zone of growth is halfway between laziness and burnout. Further to the martial arts master above, patience is the most valuable skill in habit formation. In yoga, you should probably go slower than you think. Just patiently focus on repetition of a challenging set of postures or flow, and the strength will soon arrive that allows you to 'graduate' into more challenging poses.  Start with a level you can sustain and just patiently increase with very small increments. 

Says Clear, "New habits should feel easy, especially in the beginning. If you stay consistent and continue increasing your habit it will get hard enough, fast enough. It always does."

6. Map it out
Lastly, we think visuals really help! If you are building a new weekly habit, showing up is always the hardest. Try drawing a calendar and block out your time each week before it starts, considering other obligations, and at the end of each day, record if you were successful and why. Before the next week write down what kept you from achieving the new schedule, and fix that for the coming one. Remember, if you are feeling lazy or resistant, combat that by breaking down the habit into even smaller steps until they are easy to do. 

We hope this discussion helps you refocus on your goals for a stronger you this  year!  Break it down, show up, and the growth will be there. 

Footnotes
(1) Of course there are certain goals that are best approached "cold turkey" and overnight, like potentially quitting drinking, or refraining from a dangerous habit. Here, we will focus on more aspirational goals of self-improvement.