20 Second Yoga is Still Yoga

 Another school year has begun here in Austin. Whether you are tethered to the schedule of a young person, you work in the school system, or neither of these things, you can likely feel the electricity in the air as students, teachers, staff, and administrators head back into the classroom for a fresh start and a new beginning. 

Right now in Online Yoga Membership, we are doing a series called “In One Word.” In this series, the whole supporting theme is one word. Often I use stories, affirmations, quotes, or text as the inspiration for our heart theme, but this is much more concise. It’s one word. How does each word reveal itself through repetition? How does it feel to embody that word? What are the layers of the word as we delve deeper into it through breath, movement, contemplation, and sound? 

The first word was ONE. 

The second word was GRACE.

Tuesday’s word was BEGIN.

It has been a really profound experience to distill full ideas and inspiration down to one word. And each of us comes to the word with our own unique background history with that word. And the sense of it even changes through the practice! 

As a little 20-second yoga and self study practice, I invite you into this world of one word:

⚫️ Choose one of the words from above.

⚫️ Read it as if you’re drinking it in through your eyes.

⚫️ As you gaze at the word, deepen your breath and relax your mind around it. 

⚫️ Let memories come up, let sensations arise, notice emotional shifts as you breathe and continue to gaze steadily at the word. 

⚫️ How does the word make you feel?

⚫️ What does that feeling mean to you?

⚫️ How might this inspire you today or this week?

Yoga doesn’t just happen on the mat! It’s happening all the time, as long as you’re paying attention. And paying attention gets easier when you do yoga. Why? Because “yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.” (Yoga Sutra 1.2) Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be an hour-long class. It doesn’t even take 30 minutes! 

So much research has gone into the beneficial effects of just 20 minutes of a good thing. Writing, reading, exercising, walking, meditating–these habits, and we, flourish from doing them for just 20 minutes a day! 20 minutes of yoga each day will increase your focus, ease your stress, change your perspective, and help you manage life’s inevitable ups and downs. 

This is why I created AM/PM: 20 Minute Practices to Start and End Your Day. 

And it’s why I’m leading THREE 20-minute practices at Free Day of Yoga!

I encourage you to harness the energy of the back to school vibe and add a 20 minute practice to your Labor Day. Start the day with bright and happy energy, take a noon pause to tune in and reset, or end the day ready to sleep easily and soundly. Or do all three! I’d love to see you in the Zoom room! Simply register for free and show up to practice. This is a great place to begin.

May you be inspired by the simplicity and contemplation of one word, and may 20 minutes of a good thing become a daily ritual for you.

Much love