I forgot to practice!

(4m46s video, 1m40s text)

How many times has that happened?!

All of a sudden you realize that you forgot to practice today… or this week, or for the last month or year.

That’s not a fun moment.
It feels bad. You haven’t done something that you know is good for you, that helps you feel great and keeps you sane.
There’s a moment of painful emotions, for me a mix of guilt, shame, frustration, anger, sadness.

It’s useful to recognize and acknowledge those feelings. They’re reminding us that we’re off track. They’re providing motivation to get back in gear.

And you can!
The best part is that you can actually decide to practice immediately, turning that sad reminder into a moment of practice! Sweet!

How?

Well, after you accept your feelings, you can decide to do your practice right then and there.

If you meditate, you can get present.
If you do yoga, you can stretch your arms out or do a few neck rolls (go ahead, you know you want to :)).

If you do something like run or lift weights or play tennis, you can embody the practice. Feel what it feels like to run or lift or play… what do you notice?

For example, if you lift and you imagine doing a bench press, you can contract your muscles and notice how your body reacts. This can be a nice light practice in itself. It can also give you information about how you move when you press… are you arching your back too much? Are you overly tight anywhere? Stretch! And take that info into your next practice and see what happens.

If you write, paint, knit, etc. you can feel into your current project. How is it going? Do you want to change anything about it? Add or subtract anything or completely switch something up?

You get the picture.

The point is to take that moment of “bleh” and use it.
Immediately give yourself the benefits of your practice.
Turn “bleh” into “yeah”!

Not only will you get the benefits of practicing immediately, you’ll also be that much more motivated to practice tomorrow! Yeah!

Happy Practicing!,
Elena