The Power of Routine

We’ve all heard about the importance of R+R (rest and relaxation), but I’d like to add one more ‘R’ to that list: Routine. While some people may have a hard time getting too excited about the idea of a routine, hear me out–because I wholeheartedly believe that routine is an important element in our physical, mental and emotional health. Let me share a handful of specific examples of the power of routine that I’ve been reminded of in just the past few weeks.

I recently got back from a 2-week trip to England. I was a little nervous about going given the chronic health issues I’ve been dealing with for the past year. I hoped that my body would cooperate and that I’d feel fine during the trip. Well, it turned out it wasn’t me that I needed to worry about. I was the good girl who wore a mask through the airports and on the airplane; my husband did not. Guess who tested positive for COVID three days into our trip in the bucolic Yorkshire Dales? (If you guessed him, you’re correct.) This added an element of stress to our trip and made more logistical work for me than I was prepared for. Luckily, my yoga practice is a non-negotiable part of my self-care routine, so of course I had packed my travel yoga mat with me. After rolling out my mat for a mellow Yin yoga practice, I felt much more centered and capable of handling the situation.

While we were in London the following week, I was getting a little overstimulated by the hustle and bustle of big city living–the horns, the sirens, the people–so  I pulled out my yoga mat again one day (and popped in my noise-cancelling airpods) for a nice grounding Hatha practice.

And when our flight back home had to turn around after 20 minutes and head back to Heathrow Airport  because one of the pilots’ windshields cracked upon take-off (yep, we even made the BBC News), I squeezed my mat into a tiny spot on the floor of our room in the airport Hilton where they put us up overnight and did a short 30-minute yoga routine. By that point–while there had been some good parts to the trip–I just really needed some semblance of normalcy. That is where the power of routine came in. Having a yoga practice helped reduce my stress level, find my calm center, and navigate yet another difficult situation with more ease. (I remember hearing similar stories from students during the early days of COVID. Those who continued doing yoga with me online were so grateful to have their yoga routine to give them some semblance of normalcy during a very uncertain time.)

Just recently, I had two online yoga students tell me how appreciative they were of my reminder in their weekly email to stick to their yoga routine, even over the long Memorial Day weekend. One of them told me that she had taken the week before off from yoga while she was on a girl’s getaway, and she could tell that her body was paying the price. The other shared a nice note:

“I have to thank you for the reminder in this week’s email of the importance of routine. I was busy with a number of projects on Monday, enjoying the day off, and considered putting off the Zoom recording until later in the week. Then I read your message, knew that would be a mistake, and put everything else aside for those 30 minutes. So glad I did!”

If you’re ready to experience the power of a yoga routine–to help reduce your stress levels and navigate difficult situations with more ease–and would like some support, join my upcoming Online Yoga Course or schedule some Private Yoga Sessions with me.