How to design a yoga practice for a specific activity
That is a funny thing about a yoga practice – it doesn’t work if you don’t do it. 🙂 Yes, we are all busy, and making time for a 90-minute class (plus all the driving, parking, changing, etc. time) is not easy for many students. But almost anybody can do a little something at home. That’s why we always encourage our students to practice on their own.
Of course, we can’t MAKE anybody do yoga. But what we CAN do is break it down into manageable pieces and make it relevant to our students. Let’s say your student likes to play golf – excellent! Doing a little yoga before the game will loosen him up, prevent potential injury, and even improve his swing. Or let’s say your student spends a lot of time in front of the computer (who doesn’t ?). We all know how the neck and back get stiff, breathing gets shallow, and attention starts to drift after staring at the screen for some time. But doing a short yoga practice right there in front of her desk will release tension, improve energy, and refocus her mind.
Convincing a student to do some yoga before or after an activity that they are already doing is much easier than beginning a general home practice. Once you get their attention and begin to design a practice for them, it’s easy to fall into the trap of too much. Yes, we know a lot, and yes, we want to maximize the benefit for the student, but let me ask you – is she more likely to do a practice that’s 7 minutes long or one that’s 40 minutes long? Exactly. It doesn’t matter if the practice you design for your student is absolutely fantastic; if she doesn’t do it, she won’t get any benefit.
It needs to be short enough not to be threatening yet long enough to make a difference. We call those practices “yoga snacks” because they are short, to the point, and easy to do throughout the day, anywhere you are. Here is how you do it.
Check out examples of short yoga practices that prepare you for an activity, work on a specific body part, help manage a particular state of mind, and help treat or prevent certain ailments.
thank you so muchhhhh!
great
Dear Olga, would appreciate a yoga snack for cycling. Namaste.