September 4
Do I need a set daily routine for Shiva Nata?
I’m really not so hot on the everyday-without-fail thing…
One question I wasn’t sure about was whether or not I needed to be very strict on myself in terms of daily practice. I’m naturally inclined towards not forcing myself to do something when I don’t want to (not to be confused with waiting to feel like something before doing it) and if you are too then I’ve some good news for you…
I managed just fine with occasional practice
I started off just practicising every few days or so, when I had some time to look at the DVD or read some of Havi’s starter kit notes. It gave me time to get used to the new movements involved. I didn’t feel pressured to be progressing day on day. I could give my brain a rest between sessions. In short, it suited me down to the ground.
Of course, if you’re the kind of person that has a routine or schedule mapped out for their day then by all means plan away. But if you’re more like me then fear not – you will still benefit from intermittent, scattered practices as and when you fit them in.
But having a morning routine is helpful sometimes
I have been trying to find a morning routine that fits my ‘flexible’ approach to life and have found from my little experiments that morning routines (and evening ones, heck any time of day I guess) can have certain benefits.
For me, the morning routine had a way of eliminating those times when I found I’d been staring at the wall for 15 minutes (usually when I’m running late, and now even later)! When I have a set series of steps to work through I don’t have to think about what I’m doing or why, I just get through each of the steps whilst my brain is catching up with the whole oh-my-god-it’s-morning-already-what-am-I-doing-out-of-bed thing. The odd part is that by doing this I’ve found myself getting more alert sooner as I’ve started to do some Shiva Nata (or pilates or stretching or, most importantly, eating) without having to plan what I’m doing next!
And now I actually WANT to practice every day!
I’m a few weeks down the line, but I’ve already had a number of epiphanies and that’s got me wanting more and more. So now I’m hooked (in a totally good way, of course) and find that I don’t need to motivate myself to practice because I want to anyway! It’s that good I set up this whole blog about it!
Now, that doesn’t mean that I actually fit in a practice everyday, the idea of a set routine is one that chills me to the bone, but I do tend to make time for it when I can and I write something in my diary every day. Even if it’s just a comment as to why I didn’t make practice. This in itself can help spot patterns.
But what if I don’t want to practice every day?!
Even if you don’t get as crazy addicted as me, you can go at a rhythm that suits you. It’s certainly much more sustainable as a practice, so you’ll get more out of it than if you push yourself for a while and then give up because the pace is too hard.