Four questions for your yoga practice

Spend a moment answering these questions:

1) What do you want from your practice?

2) Why?

3) What difference will this make?

4) Why don't you just < ... > instead?
(put in something that is quicker, easier, more convenient etc.)

Once you're satisfied that you've been honest and thoughtful, set yourself a suitable practice target to stick with for a minimum of one month and see if the results fit alongside your answers. 

If they don't, go back and rethink, or ask your teacher for guidance. 

Yoga can be brilliantly effective at many things. It is helpful to know what you want from your efforts and apply the tools appropriately.

If your not sure you have a goal, and just enjoy the practice, that is absolutely fine, no grand goals required, but it can be helpful to have clarity on your aims and means.

Sometimes our the ego tells us our efforts are worth it but it can be a competitive exercise that we are pursuing without realising it. Our goals could well be met with less practice or another activity or more breath focus and meditation and less asana.

I know people who practice to get their back stronger but then avoid the safe back-strengthening exercises preferring to rest the area. Appropriate sometimes but at some point, you need to gain more stability in the back, and maintain it so that the problem doesn't re-emerge. 
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Let me know how you get on.

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