Your Yoga MVP
Exhale. Pause. Holiday greetings from BY,
Most of us think of this season as a time for family, friends, gifts, shared traditions, and fireside calm. It is also the time when your yoga and mindfulness practices tend to fall to the bottom of the list.
We get it. Festive drinks, treats, travel, and shifting schedules can knock you out of your routine. It is an easy recipe for falling off the yoga wagon.
In the entrepreneurial world there is something called a "minimum viable product", the simplest version of a product that still works. You can borrow that idea for your practice during the holidays. Call it your Minimum Viable Practice, or MVP. It is the smallest, most reachable version of your practice that keeps you steady and grounded.
Here is how to build your MVP:
Write down your ideal daily practice as if time weren't a constraint.
Pull out the essentials and shape them into a 10 minute version.
Trim it again into something you can do in 2 minutes.
Now you have three versions: the ideal, the quick 10 minute practice, and your 2 minute MVP.
Your MVP might be as simple as:
Five slow nasal breaths
A round of sun salutes
Mindful breathing in child’s pose
Cat/cow stretches
A short rest in savasana
The specifics matter less than the spirit behind it. Even two minutes a day creates a small sense of completion. There is a Pali word for this called Adhiṭṭhāna, which means self-determination. It is the quiet promise you make to yourself, then honor.
What promise will you make to keep your practice alive this season?
If you need a spark to get started, explore our FREE mini practices below. Make sure to download the Better Yoga app for iPhone and use our new streak feature to keep you accountable!
Happy Holidays,
The Better Yoga Team
FREE MINI PRACTICES
5-min Energizing Breathwork with Ben
This quick breathing practice will utilize Dirgha Pranayama (diaphragmatic three-part breathing) and Viloma Pranayama (stair stepping breath) to build your energy! Best suited for a morning practice.
5-min Workday Reset with Kari
In this quick mini practice, Kari helps you undo long hours of sitting in front of a computer or on your phone. This practice is perfect for during a lunch break or after work.
7-min Joint Warm Up with Tiger
In this mini-practice, Tiger takes you through a variation of the Dasha Chalana, an ancient practice of churning the joints to keep them lubricated. This is a great practice for before breathwork, meditation, or as a stand-alone quick practice.