How to capture meditation habits using behavioral science

Keep your yoga practice alive and healthy

There are times when we practice a lot and times when practice falls by the wayside. As lockdowns lift and summer is on the horizon, the yoga practices we cultivate so carefully may take a backseat while other activities take up our attention and time. We know that practice, with diligence and regularity, sustains and nourishes us. So how can we make sure we stick with good habits without losing them?

If you are one of those people who live by the motto “discipline is freedom,” you may not have a problem here. But if, like me, it's been a years-long stop-and-start journey to develop a consistent practice, these are a few ideas that might help:

Remember your motivation (why)

Have you ever thought about where your motivation to do something comes from? There is good evidence that when motivation is intrinsic (for the sake of our own pleasure or satisfaction) rather than extrinsic (for external rewards such as money or praise), these corresponding behaviors are easier to maintain. Intrinsic motivators are aligned with your values ​​and beliefs, things that are personally meaningful to you. They nurture a strong internal drive to keep going. Intentionally remind yourself of the reasons why you practice yoga, and if you have never thought about the question “Why do I practice yoga?” If you've thought about it, try asking it.

Hack your environment (where and how)

Managing your environment is a simple and powerful way to support sustainable behavior. To give an example, one way to avoid unhealthy foods is to not buy them! If it is not in the house, it cannot be eaten if it is bored or tired. By not having the food there, the willpower (lack of it) becomes irrelevant. Your environment can be manipulated to encourage the positive behaviors you want to maintain, just as it can minimize the ones you want to avoid.

Try to visualize things that inspire you to take action. Lay out your yoga clothing or mat the night before you practice. Design your practice space somewhere you like to be, perhaps with a beautiful candle or a plant. If you don't have your own space, items like a favorite meditation pillow that accompany you from room to room (or on vacation) create a strong association with a familiar ritual.

Zoom out and show (how long)

Ambitious goals can help some people stay motivated. Whatever the big picture looks to you, it's important to make something realistically achievable in the now. When building a habit, consistency trumps duration. Have you ever heard the phrase, “the hardest thing is showing up”? The repetitive action of showing up again and again helps create a habit that lasts.

So you told yourself you would meditate for 30 minutes every day? Maybe it started well but somehow got lost along the way. Try to scale it down, but keep going. When building consistency, ten minutes is something, as are five minutes and a single minute. When you downsize, taking action becomes less of a hassle and easier to achieve. So make it super easy if you need to. Steps, no matter how small, help you move in the right direction and build naturally into something bigger. A single MOMENT of daily mindfulness, if we choose it, can have profound effects.

Add (when)

Adding a habit to an existing one is another good tip. The brain loves associations and makes connections quickly. For example, a morning or evening practice before or after brushing your teeth allows you to link your practice to something you already do. By combining the two activities, the brain no longer has to build up the momentum to make a new decision and helps bypass any part of the thinking mind that blocks the path to direct action.

Share (with whom)

Let your loved ones know why your practice is important to you so they can support you. Telling others about our efforts helps us stay accountable to others (not just ourselves) and gives us one less excuse to get out. When we take a regular course, we gain not only through learning and sharing, but also through staying committed and consistent to a time and place. Additionally, when we spend time with others who share our love of practice, we find a whole community of support and encouragement - a tribe of like-minded people who inspire us to continue to grow.

Celebrate and enjoy

BJ Fogg, author of Tiny Habits, says that positive emotions create habits and that enjoyment is key. If your practice isn't already giving you that instant happy feedback, we're less inclined to proceed. Perhaps that's one reason why a quiet meditation practice can be less enticing than a guaranteed endorphin-rich Vinyasa flow. Rewards, however small, release a dose of the feel-good hormone dopamine, which occurs when reading a text message or checking off a to-do list (my personal favorite). Treat yourself to that satisfying sense of achievement in a tangible way. Maybe use a phone tracker or app to help. As it turns out, gold stars aren't just for kids!

Don't judge (be kind to yourself)

If the daily practice you may have been aiming for has gone out the window, don't be hard on yourself. When we don't achieve what we set out to do, we tend to view it as a failure. Can we change our perception of what failure actually is? ‘Failure’ provides ripe conditions for growth and is arguably a valuable part of anything worth pursuing. When we view our efforts with compassion and become our own cheerleaders, we can avoid that “all or nothing” thinking that leads us to give up.

And remember, there are times whennotPractice can be the right thing. When the time comes, yoga will always be there, ready and waiting. Remember that you canstart again, anytime, many times.

Habits are, by definition, automatic and effortless. They are behaviors that are so stable and ingrained that you no longer need energy to maintain them. It takes time and repetition to build.

Like the many tools of yoga itself, intentional repeated actions help us go a long way, so hacks may eventually become unnecessary. Maybe one day you'll realize that yoga stops becoming something you do and becomes more like something you are and an integrated part of your life. James Clear, author of “Atomic Habits,” says behavior change is identity change, saying, “Every action you take is a voice for the person you want to be.” So be aware, be specific and most importantly, keep going.

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