Yoga Changes Everything

Anyone who practices can obtain success in yoga but not one who is lazy. Constant practice alone is the secret of success. —Svatmarama

Six weeks ago, I started taking yoga. Twice a week, I go to class and do the same poses over and over. Each time, I learn a bit more about how to align my body so that I can hold the pose. Even though am getting better at yoga, I still find yoga to be hard work. But I keep at it, because I am enjoying the secret benefits of practicing yoga regularly: I am writing more.

Psychologists have found that people who add one hard goal to their life and keep at it for six to eight weeks often do better in all areas of their lives. So it makes sense that after practicing yoga for six weeks, I would be writing more. I am also exercising more and eating better. Why? Any hard goal strengthens your ability to self-regulate—to control your behavior. And that ability spreads to your actions in all parts of your life.

Here’s the challenge: choose one hard goal to take on for the next six to eight weeks. It might be writing that book you have been thinking about for the last ten years. It might also be revising the novel you wrote during NaNoWriMo. You might even choose to start taking yoga. Whatever you choose to be your hard goal, I’ll bet that doing it changes your life.