If I was to ask you what you need to start your yoga practice, one of things you’d probably say was a yoga mat right?

Don’t worry there is no right or wrong answer!

But have you ever considered that yoga can be practiced off the mat? I know what you thinking - yes of course, you could use a towel or a chair or even just the carpet. But I’m not talking about a physical practice here, I’m talking about moving beyond the notion that yoga is just about the postures. Confused? Ok, let me explain…

I’ll start from the beginning - I started exploring yoga as a physical practice, mainly choosing hot yoga (I was never a fan of the cold!) to burn calories and feel like I’d had a proper workout. But this meant my practice never really stuck, I found other forms of exercise that I preferred and my mat quickly began to gather dust.

As my journey into self-care practices expanded I learnt more about yoga philosophy and was shocked to read that yoga wasn’t about the postures at all. I won’t go into yogic philosophy here as this will end up being a book rather than a blog! So instead I’ll summarise my most impactful learnings that this revelation taught me and how I now take yoga off the mat and into my everyday life.

1. Observe your breath

   We take around 23,000 breaths per day but how many of those do you actually notice? Probably not many. Giving awareness to our breath through conscious breathing, even just for 60-seconds, can help us to stay present and calm the mind. You don’t have to be on a yoga mat and you don’t even have to be still - give it a go next time you’re out walking.

2. Practice Gratitude
   I often ask my students at the end of class to think of something they are grateful for. A pretty simple question that most of us would find easy to answer. Let’s take this into our everyday life, we can practice gratitude anytime of the day and anywhere. I love to start the day with a gratitude practice, listing 3 or more things I’m grateful for. Written or spoken out loud - either is great. Acknowledging things we are grateful for is known to boost happiness so try it out.

3. Get comfortable with change
   Our physical practice can change every time we step on the mat, not just with the actual postures but also with the way our body feels and how this impacts the way we move. When we apply this to our everyday life, we learn that change is inevitable. We can choose not to become too attached to anyone situation, person or even the identity that we create for ourselves. As Savasana is our time to reset in our practice, every morning brings an opportunity for a new beginning.

4. Notice your words
   Have you been practising and heard yourself say '‘I wish I was more flexible’ - me too! In our practice we learn to be observant not only of the breath but also of what the mind is saying. It can throw up all sorts of comments during practice and we learn to ignore that chatter. Try to be mindful off your mat too. What is your intention behind your actions and words? Be observant of thought patterns and notice what words you are choosing to use. Do you hear yourself saying…

   I should…
   I can’t…
   But…

   How could you change these limiting words to something that feels kinder?

5. Match your practice and your feelings
   The types of yoga accessible to us is rapidly evolving enabling us to pick a style based on what we feel we need. Do you do this in your everyday life? Do you allow yourself to rest when needed? Do you utilise those focused moments to work through the hardest things on your to do list? Learn to listen to mind your mind as well as your body. Give in when it’s asking for time to restore and challenge it when it’s asking to be tested.

What have you learnt from your yoga practice that you apply in your everyday life? I’d love to know, so pop your thoughts in the comments below.

Knowing that the benefits of a regular yoga practice stretch far beyond the mat can be so powerful in helping us to build a consistent practice, something many of my clients struggled with before we started working together. To help you take the first steps towards this I created a free resource. A 5-step process to creating a yoga practice you’ll enjoy and want to commit to. Sound like something you need? Click the link below to download it now.