Yoga Insights

A successful yoga practice is one that leads you toward the goals of yoga: optimum health and deep inner peace and happiness. These five keys offer a practical way to help you make your yoga practice a success.

1. Set a time when you can practice each day

Sleep is a wonderful thing. A good night’s sleep not only gives us a restful break between one busy day and the next, but it’s also a chance for our bodies to heal and rejuvenate. That's why when we miss our sleep, we generally feel lethargic and out of sorts the next day. We may become irritable and stressed, especially as the day wears on, and this can affect our work as well as our relationships with others. Lack of sleep can also depress the immune system, making us more likely to catch whatever virus is going around. So getting a good night’s sleep is really quite important.

As you may have noticed, getting on your yoga mat for an asana session is a way to check in with your body. You notice where it's tight, where there’s tension, and which areas you need to work on to build strength and increase flexibility. (You may also realize that you've waited too long between sessions!)

Sometimes people who practice yoga asanas become proud of their ability to bend and twist their bodies into advanced yoga postures. They like to show off their skill and may be quite competitive in their practice. But this desire for recognition reveals an agitated mind and a sense of false pride—not the signs of a real yogi.

True yogis are humble. They may not be doing extreme backbends or advanced balancing poses; in fact, they may not be practicing asanas at all. But because they have achieved inner peace and calm through meditation, they have attained yoga’s higher goal.