How Skipping Yoga for One Week Helped to Improve My Yoga Practice

[ChromAzonyx108]

Yoga (or at least some types of yoga) puts an emphasis on non-attachment (vairagya) which would include non-attachment to yoga too. However, another emphasis of yoga is constant practice (abhyasa) which is what I’ve been doing the last 3 years. I’ve been doing yoga for about 4 years now – the first year was kind of off and on but after that I became more dedicated to my practice. Sure, I might miss a day here and there but I would say that I’ve averaged 6 days a week.

Recently I started to wonder if I might be addicted to yoga so I’m going to see if I can go one week without it. I also want to do this to see how my body would feel afterwards because after doing yoga for so long I’ve started to take it for granted and I don’t notice its benefits as much. Absence makes the heart grow fonder they say, and it should also give me a new appreciation for yoga. Furthermore, you can’t have peaks without valleys - I feel like I've hit a plateau here lately.

I’ve kept a short journal of my week without yoga (also, I didn’t practice tai chi either):

Day 1:

No noticeable difference yet, but I have gone days without yoga before. However, I’ve never gone several consecutive days without yoga.

I played some tennis in the evening. I don’t get to play very often so I may feel stiff tomorrow.

Day 2:

Not as stiff as I’d thought I’d be. A few muscles feel a bit tight though.

I went for a walk today and then played some more tennis. Two days in a row of tennis without yoga to help me recover. How will I feel tomorrow?

Day 3:

A few tight muscles, slight stiffness, the most I find is my midsection from playing tennis. It was raining all day and I had to get up early for work – so today wasn’t that good. There are memorable days and then there are just meh days. This was definitely a meh kind of day.

So far this process is proving to be quite introspective. I have to keep checking in with my body and asking myself “how do I feel right now?” I’ve found that I don’t really feel as bad as I think I do sometimes.

Day 4:

I slept in until noon yet I woke up with a bit of a headache. Go figure. I think this has more to do with my sleep schedule than yoga.

I planted a few flowers for my mother. Otherwise, it was a lazy day.

Day 5:

My body feels alright today, though I’m beginning to miss doing yoga. My life feels kind of empty without it.

Day 6:

For going 6 days without yoga I don’t feel very stiff at all. However, it feels a bit like my blood is starting to stagnate from the lack of movement.

I had work today and in the evening I played some dungeons and dragons with a few friends. So there wasn’t much physical activity today.

Day 7:

Well, for one week without yoga I don’t feel as bad as I thought I would. It seems like I’m not addicted/attached to yoga.

I’m looking forward to getting back into yoga tomorrow; I think I’ve renewed my enthusiasm for it.

Day 8:

I was a bit tired this afternoon after work but I went ahead and did yoga anyways. I took out one of the first yoga DVDs I ever bought and followed along. The first time I went to do warrior 3 (picture below) I ended up going sideways, haha. So there’s definitely something to be said for constant and continuous practice. Anyways, it felt good to get back into yoga.

My week without yoga has given me a chance to re-evaluate my practice:

~Continuous practice is important but the body needs time to recover too. Perhaps I’ve been wearing myself down by aiming for 7 days a week of yoga, without missing any days.

~I’m not addicted/attached to yoga; I can go one week without it, albeit with some minor discomfort.

~My practice was largely based on frequency, with each session lasting between 30-60 minutes. Perhaps I can reach more depth by swapping frequency for intensity such as by doing yoga fewer times per week but for longer, like 1-2 hours at each session. I could also increase the intensity of my yoga practice by holding poses for longer and doing more sun salutations. I’ve definitely built on my flexibility over the years – starting off I couldn’t touch my toes without bending my knees. However, there is a lot of room for improvement on my endurance and strength.

~My plan now is to alternate yoga with tai chi by doing tai chi every third or fourth day and yoga every other day. Tai chi is gentler and more restorative, so it can give my body a chance to recover from more intense yoga sessions.

If you find that you’ve reached a plateau in your yoga practice (or any exercise) then I suggest going a week without it. Doing so may give you some new perspective, and if you can identify areas of discomfort then that is where you can make some more progress.

[Prof_Don]

I can empathize with you. My biggest problem with exercise is that I overdo it, then I get burned out, then I don't workout at all for weeks or months.

Even now, I have to force myself to take a break from swimming. I've been swimming the past 4 days in a row for several hours, and my body is fucking BEAT!

[Schrodingerscat]

That's an interesting perspective to it :)