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| I work night shift and am finding it really hard to keep up a regular practice. I am usually a 'morning yogi' but after a long night at work and then getting up late I just can't last on the mat.
I have tried to shift my practice to the afternoon but am still having difficulty keeping focused for my desired 1.5 hours practice (doesn't help that I am practicing in the living room surrounded by my computer and study notes....)
Has anyone had to deal with this before? Any tips or suggestions? |
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| I found myself in a similar situation. By the time I got home from work I had no desire to practice...or do much of anything. My solution was to find a quiet place at work where I can practice before I leave the building. Eliminating that downtime I inevitably had when I got home and hit the couch made all the difference. That's not to say it isn't still hard some days to buckle down and practice but as long as I don't go home first it's much easier to maintain the routine.
Kevin |
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| Thats a good idea but I finish at 2.30am!! |
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| Tough call. My yoga classes are at 8pm, so I HAVE to go after work. It's hard sometimes to get motivated to head out there when I get home around 5:30 - most people get to eat dinner but I just fiddle around. And there's not much time between when I get done unwinding from work and playing wth my cat to when I have to leave to walk to class so I can't get anything done in between and end up feeling guilty sometimes. Most nights it's enough to know how much better I'll feel after practice.
You say you have a desired 1.5 hours of practice - maybe that's part of the problem? Could you set yoursself up to do 30 or 45 minutes? That's still better than nothing, to start, and you might even end up going the full round. Sometimes getting started is the hardest part. Good luck! |
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| twisti - 2005-02-22 8:34 AM
Thats a good idea but I finish at 2.30am!!
Understood. I have the advantage of working in a hospital. I use the mat room in the rehab clinic down the hall from my office. Perhaps more to the point though is the idea of incorporating my practice into my daily work routine. It makes my day a bit longer but it seems like less of a chunk. More importantly, I avoid the many distractions at home. With your schedule I can see how it would be difficult to do that after work...unless you had a situation similar to mine. Is there any place you could use before you start your shift?
Kevin |
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| Practicing at work is not an option for many reasons.
I think like LoraB said, perhaps I just need to be content in my current shorter practice.
Yoga has its seasons, I guess right now I am in winter with my practice. Not point wishing it was spring just yet..... it will come around again
Thanks for the advice and interest dear yogis  |
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| Dear Twisti:
Suggestions: Do not give up. Thee is a solution for every situation which you can arrive at. If you make your resting very deep somehow, you will find energy at the practice time. This also may need an improvement in diet if there is a room, and cutting down other acitivites such as cooking, etc. But, doing Yoga should be when you are FRESH, not otherwise.
Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org |
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| twisti - 2005-02-22 12:25 PM
Practicing at work is not an option for many reasons.
No question, I'm sure that's true of most people. My main point I guess is to look for a way to practice as a part of your routine out in the world rather than at home. Maybe a local gym or community center. Maybe not practical in your situation...shrug. I came on this solution originally in my running routine. I found that if I went home first before my afternoon run, I'd invariably find something else to do. I started doing my run before I went home and found it much easier to maintain the routine. In my case, the same is true for my yoga practice. k |
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Yoga and night shift.
