coming back to your practice - for the long game

🌿 Start with an intention

In The Yoga Sutras, Patanjali says:

“Practice becomes firmly established when it is cultivated for a long time, without interruption and with sincere dedication.”Yoga Sutra 1.14

It’s a beautiful reminder that our practice isn’t built through occasional bursts of motivation, or by doing as much as possible when we have the time.

It’s built through consistency.

Perhaps that means an hour a day. Perhaps it’s 15–20 minutes, three times a week. Perhaps it’s making it to your Mysore practice twice a week.

There is no magic number.

The important thing is to choose something that is realistic for your life right now — something you can return to again and again.

Your yoga practice should nourish you, not become another thing on your list that you feel you’re failing at.

🧘🏻‍♀️ Make a plan

Once you know what feels realistic, put it into your week.

Book your classes. Block out the time. Prepare your mat. Protect your practice time in the same way you would any other commitment that matters to you.

And remember that this is where tapas comes in — the discipline and willingness to continue, even when life is busy or motivation isn’t there.

Not forcing.

Not striving.

Simply returning.

🤍 Practise with others

There is something very special about practising alongside other people.

A room full of practitioners creates an energy that is difficult to recreate at home. There are fewer distractions, and the simple act of showing up together can help us stay committed.

In a Mysore room, you also become part of a community — people practising at different stages, with different bodies, different lives and different challenges, but all sharing the same intention to show up and practise.

And supporting your local yoga studio or Shala also helps keep these spaces alive. Small, independent yoga spaces depend on the people who choose to practise with them.

🏡 If you practise at home, create a space that invites you onto your mat

It doesn’t need to be a dedicated yoga room.

Move the furniture. Put your phone somewhere else. Make the room comfortable. Dim the lights. Create a little space that signals:

This is my time to practise.

The more inviting your practice space feels, the easier it becomes to step onto the mat.

🌱 And if your body changes, adapt your practice

Our practice will inevitably change throughout our lives.

Injury, illness, tiredness, changing circumstances, pregnancy, age — all of these can affect how we practise.

That doesn’t necessarily mean we have to stop.

Sometimes we simply need to practise differently.

A shorter practice.

A gentler practice. More breathwork.

Fewer postures.

A modified sequence or using props like chair and bolsters.

Or simply coming to the mat and being present with what is.

Yoga is not about achieving a particular shape.

The practice is the relationship we develop with ourselves through showing up.

So as we move into this new season, perhaps don’t ask:

“How much yoga should I be doing?”

Instead ask:

“What kind of practice can I realistically sustain — and how can I make it something I genuinely want to return to?”

Because ultimately, yoga is the long game.

A little, consistently, with awareness and care, can become something incredibly powerful.

✨ Choose your intention.

Make your plan.

Start where you are.

And keep returning.

Come and practise with us 🌿

If you’re looking for a supportive space to establish or re-establish your practice, I’d love to welcome you to The Yoga Tree.

Our Mysore practices are small and personal, with individual guidance while you develop your own self-practice. There’s no expectation to be perfect or to practise for hours — simply an invitation to show up and work with where you are.

Monday evening Mysore
 from 5:30PM

Or Friday morning Mysore from 6AM

I also offer private 1:1 classes for anyone who would prefer to begin, return to, or deepen their practice in a more intimate and personalised setting. These sessions offer space to work at your own pace, with guidance tailored to your individual needs and experience.

If you’re already part of our Yoga Tree community, I look forward to seeing you on the mat again soon.

And if you’re new to the practice and would like to find out more about our Mysore or private classes, just get in touch.

Warmly,

Gabriella 🌿

The Yoga Tree