The Best Way to Practice Yoga? Take the Pressure Off, but Keep Showing Up!

Practicing yoga means doing your best – every single day. Is your best different day to day? Of course it is. The point isn’t to show up the exact same way, day after day. Nature doesn’t even do that.

Your yoga practice is no exception.

Yoga is called a practice because we’re never finished. Instead, it’s a continuous string of moments, movements and breaths that make up this life we choose to lead. And it changes all the time.

Some days, doing your best means a solid hour and a half of intense movement on your mat, followed by a day of eating only nourishing foods and working hard on the things that fuel your spirit.

Other days, doing your best means sitting on your bed for five minutes to focus on your inhales and exhales.

Some days, __doing your best is simply taking a break from trying to change who you are. __

It’s meditating to keep your ego from spinning out of control.

It’s allowing yourself to cry when you need to, and to laugh at the madness of the life situation you’ve found yourself in.

It’s moving into the uncomfortable and directing your focus toward the things you prefer not to look at.

How you practice yoga and do your best today is not going to be the same tomorrow. But that doesn’t mean you’re going to give up, does it?

Let yourself have slow days when they feel needed. Adapt your practice to how you’re feeling right now - and without guilt.

But no matter where you find yourself, __keep practicing. Keep practicing. Keep practicing. __

Patanjali said it in a beautiful way that’s stuck for centuries, “Practice, and all is coming.”

What is coming? Everything. Everything your freedom and spaciousness and courage could dream of and more.

Practice to make space for creation, to make space for love - in all of its forms.

So move your body. Breathe deeply and stay present. Go into the tight spots. Release, stretch and let go.

Do the best you can with what today has given you. Your body, your heart and your soul expect nothing more. Give them what you can, and they will thank you and life will bless you.

__How will you show up for yourself today? What will it look like? Tell me below. __

Remember, you are never alone in this whole life practice thing. You can practice yoga and meditation with me and renowned guides - for 5 minutes or 90 - here, where we all support each other to keep doing our best, every damn day.

X, Rachel

Rachel Brathen - Wake Up and Go

Craving a good pick-me-up? This class is it! This class will replace your tired sluggish energy with revitalized vigor! This short 20-minute flow will start on the back, presencing and observing the energy of the current moment.