In FAQ style, here are the 2010 guidelines I set for my 360 days of Adho Mukha Svanasana, in all my verbosity... Revisions for 2012 are noted as needed.
- First, what defines a daily yoga practice, i.e. for how long will I do yoga each day?
I am committing to spending a minimum of 30 minutes on my mat doing yoga.
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Does lying in Savasana for 30 minutes equate to a day's yoga practice?
No. It does not. But I might sit for 30 minutes in meditation as my daily practice. Trust me, that is a lot harder than a typical asana practice. Regardless of whether I spend the bulk of my daily mat time meditating or moving,
I will spend a few minutes lying in Savasana at the end of my practice. Meditation and rest are very important parts of yoga, I am
committing to practice these quieter elements as well as the
more active ones.
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So other than Savasana, what else will go into a day's practice?
I am committed to
meditating for at least 5 minutes every day of 2012. I follow meditation with a brief Savasana, so unless I make plans to sit at some other point of the day, I will likely put meditation near the end of my practice.
The only asana (pose) that I can all but guarantee will be in every day's practice--notwithstanding injury or another unforeseen physical limitation--is Downward-Facing Dog. I can't think of the last time I practiced yoga without doing this pose at some point, thus "360 days of Adho Mukha Svanasana" is the perfect title for this blog.
Other than Downward Dog, I expect the asanas in my practice will vary day to day. My body and mind's daily condition often dictates the poses I do or don't do. Forward bends and inversions can be helpful in alleviating general anxiety, but they can agitate a migraine or headache. Likewise, back bends are good for opening the heart and elevating one's mood, but if my lower back is bothering me, I might not want to do either of
these!
- How will I track my yoga practice? How will I hold myself accountable?
I've relaxed this a bit for
2012's challenge: I'm just checking off the days on the calendar that I hit the mat so that I make sure I practice at least six days a week. I don't know how to absolutely prove to the world that I do yoga on all of those days, shy of filming my practice with a live feed to the Internet (that is NOT going to happen). But I will write about my practice here every 2 weeks or so, noting how I am practicing and where, limitations and ideas that may be guiding my practice that week, poses and concepts I'm struggling with or loving, and so on. This way I not only hold myself accountable, but I am accountable to the Internet, whatever that is worth!
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What if I get the flu, food poisoning, pregnant, or cancer, or what if I break a bone, sprain my ankle, suffer a concussion or spinal injury, am in a coma, am imprisoned, on a 20-hour flight, or have some other impeding physical condition/limitation?
2012 revision: This year, since I'm allowing myself a day off every
week, I will rest a day if I really feel like crap or hurt myself. Here's my 2010 rules: First, for long days of travel and vacation: I will find a way to practice somehow, though it may be a lot more pranayama (breathing) and meditation if I am sandwiched in the middle seat of a flight across the world. Should I decide to go somewhere like Thailand, which requires a very long airplane ride or two and puts me on the ground a day and a half after my departure time due to the time change--I will either do yoga twice that day, or I will make it up when I come home and go through the reverse time shift (living through the same day twice pretty much). Also, there are still ways to practice yoga if I break my leg or arm, become pregnant, or have the flu, food poisoning, or even cancer some times. All such conditions will limit the range of my practice, but should one of these physical issues arise, I will adjust my yoga practice accordingly. More breath work, restorative poses, gentle stretches to uninjured regions.
BUT if I suffer a spinal injury, or be hospitalized and completely immobilized, or chained up in prison (I really don't expect this to happen!), such conditions are clearly deal breakers.
