Six Tips To Help You Maintain Your Yoga Practice

Some days it feels challenging to make it to the yoga mat. There are always other duties that need to be carried out, and plenty of distractions. Maintaining a yoga practice can sometimes feel like a daunting task.

Here are 6 tips to help you maintain a yoga practice over the long run.

Consistency

Choose a time you can be consistent about. I try to practice yoga first thing in the morning because once I get busy with my day, I find it harder to pull myself away from tasks to slow down and practice. You might find yoga is a great way to wind down from a long day at work. If you choose regular days and times to practice and enter it right into your calendar and set a reminder, you may find it easier to keep your practice up.

Practice With A Partner to Maintain Your Yoga Practice

Accountability can really help one be consistent. One thing I find helpful when making a self-commitment is to speak it into existence. I start telling other people about the commitment I have made and it helps me to stay accountable to my goals. Alternatively, you can ask someone in your community to join you for practice at a regular time, or join a 30-day challenge at a local studio. If nothing else you can always book a one-on-one session with me, I'm always happy to partner up!

Create an Inviting Atmosphere

Who wants to practice yoga in a space that feels cluttered and chaotic? It’s tough to feel relaxed when you’re bumping into things while you move. Take time to clear a dedicated space to practice. The space should feel inviting and nourishing, and like a place you want to spend time. You can light a candle, burn incense, or use essential oils to engage your senses. Ensure your space is at a comfortable temperature – too warm might make you sleepy, and too cool might make it hard to relax.

Let There Be Curiosity

Drop the idea that your yoga practice should look any one way or that you should be having any particular experience in your body. Drop the notion that you should walk away from your practice being more fit, more toned, or more flexible.

This is all unnecessary pressure, and it’s rooted in colonial beauty and health standards of perfectionism, which are often unattainable. Your body is simply your body. Be curious, discover how your body moves, and listen to the feedback and wisdom it provides. Instead of overriding the body to reach a set, being responsive to each movement will help you develop a practice that is centred in the present moment. The present moment always offers us something new and interesting if we slow down and observe.

Be Playful

While spiritual growth can be serious work, it doesn’t have to be life-draining. Add a little music, or try closing your eyes and focusing on different sensations in the body. You could try out different props and see how they feel. Allow yourself to be creative with your flows, and let intuition guide your movements. I like to chant the simple mantra “Om Maa” when I practice, which reminds me to surrender. If the practice feels joyful, you’ll be more likely to return.

Allow Yourself to Be Human

Over the past 10 years, my practice has had its ups and downs. I have had periods where I practiced frequently and periods where I took a break from asana entirely. In fact, after I was certified as a teacher, I took three months off from practicing entirely.

Trees don’t fruit year-round – they need periods of rest. In the fall, they drop their leaves, which decay in the soil over winter. They take up nutrients from the soil during this time. In the spring, they make new leaves, and by summer, they can again bear fruit. Periods of rest are natural. Often, we integrate the lessons of our spiritual practice during times of rest. Don’t beat yourself if you need to take a break. Trust that the body has its own wisdom and do what feels right for you in the moment.

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Kendra Coupland is a Metro-Vancouver based yoga teacher who works with activists, organizers, and caregivers experiencing burnout, overwhelm, or disconnection. She offers grounded, trauma-informed practices that support sustainable engagement and self-reclamation.

She has studied yoga for 20 years and completed over 1,000 hours of study in Non-Dual Tantric and Kashmiri Shaiva traditions under Swami Vidyanand and Sally Kempton.