Making It Stick

Last summer I attended a yoga conference that I very much enjoyed. I learned a few interesting things, which I wrote down in a notebook. I remember thinking, "I'll have to incorporate these into my daily routine." Never happened. I do, however, mix in one or two of the things I learned at that conference into my life. Definitely not on a daily basis, but I incorporate one of those nuggets every now and again.

You've all seen the marketing messages -- just 5 (10, 15, 20 -- insert your number of choice here) minutes a day. Sounds so simple, right? I'll just add an extra 5 minutes and tack that new thing onto my daily routine. Well, my well-intentioned friends, by the time you add on all of those cool things you learned you'll be maxed out from a schedule perspective.

This is a topic of great interest to me because I absolutely love learning and I'm always attending classes and workshops and other learning opportunities. I like to keep my current skills sharp and augment them with information that comes from another perspective. It's served me well in my career, but I have to admit that it's fried my adrenals a bit (and no amount of Kundalini yoga can seem to correct it!). I often feel overwhelmed by all of the great information out there. That's why I've taken a little informational sabbatical. I need a break! I saw the new Jack Kornfield book in the bookstore yesterday and I very much wanted to buy it. Then I remembered the ever growing stack of books on my desk and I put it back down with an appreciative caress.

I've learned a lot of wonderful yogic "tricks" that can cure just about whatever ails you. I break them out when I need them (for myself and for my clients) but I also like to keep up a daily practice of random practices for myself. Yoga is a non-negotiable -- I practice daily. The rest has to be squeezed in. Although I try, I don't meditate every day. I've learned all sorts of wonderful techniques yet I know that unless I devote my whole day to these techniques, I have to cull down the list. A few of my favorites are cupping (rub your palms together vigorously until you feel some heat and then cup your palms over your eyes, resting for 5 minutes or more), Viparita Karani (I always try to mix in an inversion like Headstand or Shoulderstand into my practice but this inversion is so restorative and relaxing that it's nice to add in), Tratak (candle flame gazing), pranayama (I do some form of pranayama every day -- in fact, I mix it into my daily schedule as well as devote a period of time to it after my yoga practice), centering/integration (these techniques come from my Phoenix Rising training and I like to incorporate them into my day when possible) -- and the list goes on and on. Ah, so many healing/centering/nurturing techniques, so little time. What's a yogi to do?!?!?!?!

What about all of those affirmations that we're supposed to say to ourselves to stay positive and manifest our wildest dreams? And what about yoga? There are lots and lots of styles out there. How do I keep up my Hatha practice and change up the pace with Kundalini and Yin? And what about meditating? My Vipassana teachers recommend 2 hours a day. TWO WHOLE HOURS! Let's see, two hours for meditation, one hour for my yoga -- that's already longer than I spend eating lunch, dinner and breakfast combined!

Ironically, the whole purpose of all of these wonderful techniques is to bring health to the body and peace to the heart and mind. But who the heck can remain peaceful when their wellness to do list is overflowing with "tasks?" Oh, I've been there. I'd love to say that I have an answer, but I don't. Or maybe I do. In a word -- discernment. You have to separate the wheat from the chaff, as they (don't ask me who "they" are!) say. 

When I first started studying in the Krishnamacharya tradition, I learned about course planning and the role of goals in a yoga practice. A yoga practice is designed for an individual based on a number of factors, the individual's goals being one of them. Goals and yoga?!?!?! That pairing just didn't seem to jive with me. Then I thought about what jumpstarted a regular practice for me -- a goal. Yep, that's right -- I practiced because I wanted to feel more inner peace. That is a goal. I didn't really think of it that way at the time but sure enough, that's how it was. I practiced with a goal in mind. I suppose the goal is what drives my daily wellness routine. Lately, I've been struggling with my health a bit (the flu that just won't go away) so I've added in some Qigong. I used to do meridian exercises a few years ago but when my daily schedule got hectic, I dropped them. Now they are back on the list in the form of Qigong.

My informational sabbatical has reminded me to go back to basics and re-examine what I've already learned rather than seek new information. Learning all of those new things is wonderful but there's no way that any normal human (hmmmm...maybe a monk living in a cave high atop a mountain in Tibet could pull this off) can take all of the learnings and incorporate them into daily life. It's too much. I'm trying to chunk down and go with a few things and work them into my life. Once I work with something for a while, I'll know whether or not I want to continue devoting daily time to it. Again, it comes back to the goal and discernment.

Of course there are things that I've learned that have turned into habits for me -- like sitting in Rock Pose after meals and using pranayama throughout my day. Still, there are a lot of things that I learned and thought were so cool that I don't even think about. I have notes that I haven't read in a long time filled with wonderful practice and techniques. But, alas, I am one single yogi gifted with a set number of hours each day. That's where the discernment part comes in.

There have been times when I've had wellness ADHD -- I'd try something for a week and then move onto the next and continue the cycle again and again. I stopped one day and looked back thinking -- gee, I've learned a lot of great things but I'm not putting anything to use long enough to see if it works for me. The ever-informative Zen Habits blog recently offered a great guest post with tips for keeping a razor-like focus at work. These tips go beyond the workplace, so if you're feeling overwhelmed and in need of a little discernment, check it out.

I'm still learning how to handle the information deluge. What I've learned so far? Here goes...

• Take an information sabbatical every now and again. Usually the sabbatical goes hand in hand with the information inventory. Take a good long look at the old information that you took in -- whether it's something you learned from a book or a workshop -- and choose the techniques or information that resonates with you.
• Incorporate a FEW (that means 1-3) into your daily life for a month. This is like a test-drive. See how the learning impacts your life and whether or not it's worth making time for.
• Set goals and match up those goals with your daily practices -- some folks use mind-body work, others prefer affirmations while others prefer something totally different. Figure out what your intention for these practices is and then choose the practice that fit in with your style. Are you visual (these folks like to create things like dreamboards)? Kinesthetic (I'm one of these folks, so I like to do mind-body work like yoga and sufi dancing? Whatever works for you -- do it! If you'd like a little online help, there's a wonderful Web site called 43 Things which allows you to list your goals and seek the support of others who are trying to achieve theirs.

In the spirit of information overwhelm, I'm not going to offer up a lot of suggestions. Just keep it simple. Taking a little time off from new information to process older learnings and try them out can help you incorporate them into your life and make 'em stick. Heck, yoga is Crazy Glued to me!

Namaste!

Comments

[Diane Cesa]

Hi Suzen --
Thanks for your comment and for the link -- wonderful! I'm actually listening to sample audio right now and I'm enjoying it. Thank you for sharing this!

[suzen]

Very good blog. After reading this blog I feel that you are talking about me. Because I am also practicing yoga everyday since last six months. I have realized that it is not just an exercise, its a way of life. One hour yoga in early morning is enough to keep you fresh for the whole day. It maintain a balance between mind and body. You are doing aasnas, you are balancing the body but it has a great effect on your mind. After aasnas if you do Pranayaam, nothing good like this. I am daily practicing aasnas and Pranayaam and at night before going to bed I sit for 'Tratak'. Its an amazing meditation technique for the people of all age group. It not only sharpens your memory and improves concentration. Tratak meditation technique is a boon for the students. It brings relaxation and stress relief.

I came to know about this wonderful meditation technique through one website named www.gurumaa.com. As I am getting so much benefit out of this technique I want to share it with you all. Visit this link:

http://www.gurumaa.com/ajna-chakra-concentration-meditation.php