Habit Change -Science and Yoga

2016 is just about here! At the beginning of the new cycle of the calendar, it is only natural to reflect on what went down, and think about how it could be improved upon. Sure, there are numerous statistics on how long it takes a New Year's resolution to fizzle out, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to evolve ourselves. In fact, we should get on it right now when the motivation is high, to set ourselves up for success.

These past few months, I have been looking at habit change science. Yes, this is one of those places where science and mind body practices dovetail nicely together! James Clear states that "The key to building lasting habits is focusing on creating a new identity first. Your current behaviors are simply a reflection of your current identity. "What you do now is a mirror image of the type of person you believe that you are (either consciously or subconsciously)." (more of his great article at http://jamesclear.com/identity-based-habits, also where I got the image below)

How many times have I heard someone say, "I'm not good at remembering names." or "I never get anywhere on time." or "I can't meditate."

The teachings of yoga have served to bust up our false sense of self. We are changing all the time. What we see in the mirror reflected back to us, our identity is not a constant! Start by looking at the habits you would like to have, and then think about what kind of person would have those habits. The power of belief is stronger than we know.

Pick one thing - let's say it's doing more yoga. Work in small increments. A yoga practice does not have to be long to be effective. Set yourself up when motivation is high. This can include architecting your environment, like getting a practice space ready before you go to bed so you can practice in the morning, creating a manageable schedule for yourself, like picking some days and scheduling some 5 minute timeslots, looking at some helpful books or getting a private lesson. Use a trigger - something that happens on those days without fail - like after I wake up, or before lunch. Do your routine. Increase your time commitment gradually. Reward yourself reasonably - put a gold star on your calendar for that day. Maybe feeling good is reward enough, or perhaps a bigger reward for a month of gold stars can sweeten the deal. Basically I have outlined steps that follow the chart above. Time of day being the trigger, 5 minutes of yoga being the routine, and the gold star being the reward. The key is to make it so easy you can't say no.

Don't give up on yourself, most importantly. You are worth the effort!