What #YogaEveryDamnDay Actually Looks Like for Me
What #YogaEveryDamnDay Actually Looks Like for Me
Even if you’re not someone that practices yoga regularly, you’ve probably heard someone talk about practicing every damn day. Rachel Brathen (huge yoga celebrity) created the hashtag #yogaeverydamnday several years ago and basically everyone lost their minds. While I am not one of those people that misplaced their brains, I did make the commitment three years ago to practice daily and enrolled in a local program that was created to help me keep this commitment. I was rolled into the program for three years and each year my daily practice looked different.
The first year I normally practiced at a studio for 60 minutes 4 times per week and the other 3 days of the week I mostly did some light stretching and breathing. For the most part, this was the perfect balance for me and it seemed to fit my lifestyle pretty seamlessly.
The second year I wanted to get stronger for several different reasons. One of those goals was to successfully manage a handstand so my practice was physically demanding 6 days per week. This wasn’t a sustainable practice for me. I was often injured, burnt out and basically loathing yoga. I was also way too obsessed with my weight which is something that I fortunately haven’t struggled with too much.
With all of these mostly negative feelings, I decided to switch gears for my third year. I was always pretty rigid with my routine and expectations and would usually just push through pain or malaise. I thought it would probably benefit me to finally learn how to listen to what my body actually needed. I also was much more into meditation at this point in my practice. I had been practicing daily long enough that I realized the mental benefits were far more valuable to me than any physical gains that I had made. I’m happy to report that year three was my best year so far. I have a much better understanding of my body and what it needs and give myself more grace than I ever had in the past.
This is my fourth year and while I’m no longer enrolled into an accountability program, I’m still meditating daily and moving my body when I feel like it. I will say in the winter, I almost hibernate. I just don’t have much of a physical practice; it’s more short drills and lots of long stretching sessions. Some days it’s making space to sit quietly and that’s it and that’s enough (which probably coincides with my personal and professional life.) Owning a landscape business alongside a travel and retreat business are generally more busy in the warmer weather months, but isn’t that how a daily routine should work? Honoring the seasons of your life in order to complement it is far better than allowing it to make things more difficult.
Ultimately, it’s become a self-investment. Always making sure that I carve out some time just for me to sit with myself and assess what’s happening has become a way to objectively check-in instead of keeping myself busy to avoid dealing with my anxiety or stress. Overall, I’m really happy with how my daily practice has evolved and I don’t care what it looks like anymore. There is so much freedom in that.
Do you have a daily practice? What does it look like?
Images by Personal Branding Maven Elise Kutt at Mod Bettie Portraits
My name is Anna VanAgtmael, and I am a certified yoga instructor with a passion for yoga, travel, and connecting with others.
I believe in trying everything once. My values lie in collecting memories over things. Though we desire adventure and authentic experiences, naturally our fear holds us back.
My ambition is to inspire and encourage you to unmask your fears and jump into the unknown.
Anna VanAgtmael | Yoga Enthusiast | Travel Designer