Feeling Uninspired on the Mat? Get Out of Your Yoga Rut With These 5 Creative Tips
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If you’re reading this, then you’re most likely in a yoga rut. That’s ok! Read on for the tips and advice that will help motivate and fill you with inspiration.
Whether you’re a yoga instructor or keep up an at-home yoga practice, it’s not rare to fall into a habit of repeating the same poses over and over and find yourself in a yoga sequencing rut.
But how many times do you really want to do the same exact routine every time you hit your mat? Sure, we can all benefit from having a routine. But doing the same exact thing every time you practice yoga can not only get old – it can lead to actual detriment if you’re not challenging yourself in new and creative ways.
When we do repetitive action, it gets easier over time – both physically and mentally. That’s why adding newness and creativity to your yoga practice can greatly benefit your body and mind.
New movement challenges different muscles which in turn increases your stamina. Mentally, it can create new ways of thinking and finding solutions to any form of challenge.
Bored With Your Yoga Practice? 6 Ways to Spice Up Your Time On the Mat
While there are so many benefits to switching up your practice, it can sometimes be easier said than done. Read on to try these five practices that will add some WD-40 to the yoga machine that is your practice. 
Use These 5 Creative Tips to Inspire Your Yoga Practice:
While yoga sequencing may seem challenging, it can also be fun!
The following tips also illustrate that it’s sometimes the simplest sources of inspiration that bring the most reward. And it’s all about being aware of your surroundings and finding ways to incorporate elements of them into your practice.
1. Get Back to Nature
It’s the foundation for all things in life – the human physiological make up, technological advancements, and the ground that carries physical matter. Many asanas are informally named after animals for this very reason.
So next time you’re outside, look at the various shapes, smell the scents, and feel the textures surrounding you. Carry remnants of that with you and let them inform how you move your body on the mat.
2. Make a Movement Diary
Journaling is a great outlet but it doesn’t need to be restricted to just writing form. What if you brought the element of journaling into your physical practice?
Movement journaling can be just as effective and especially effective for a yoga sequencing rut because it gets you deep into your body, putting the motion in emotion.
Our asana practice can be either a reflection of our current state or a catalyst of change for that state. By creating a movement diary, you open up the floodgates for both opportunities. Hint: try this with music. Music has a way of deeply impacting or connecting to our emotions, so adding music to your practice can inspire your movement.
Follow These 4 Tips to Create a Home Yoga Practice For Yourself
Option: decide the emotion or mood you seek and gently flow into the movements that relate with that emotion. Observe how your physical, emotional, and spiritual bodies transform accordingly.
3. Invest In Yoga Cards
Did you know about yoga pose flash cards? There are a variety of yoga cards to help your juices flow inspiring the journey of your practice. What are you looking for? You can find yoga cards that are:
- Anatomy and education-focused
- Beautifully and artistically designed
- Simple, beginner-friendly
- Made specifically for children
Some flash sets are even color coded with the goal of helping the practitioner piece together asanas in the full arc of practice from start to finish . . . in a flash.
But jokes aside, flash cards may be the secret to stepping up your yoga sequencing game. It’s a fun, simple, and visual way to bring a fresh dose of inspiration to your practice.
4. Go Outside the Box
For the outside the box thinkers, consider getting really creative with your resources for inspiration. This can be open-ended, but there are two outside the box examples.
The first: read the dictionary! If you own a hardcopy dictionary, flip through the pages and randomly pick one to see which letter you land on. If you don’t own one, go to dictionary.com, pick a letter and then of a yoga pose name (in English or Sanskrit) that matches it.
Make that your peak pose in your yoga sequencing and find creative ways to build around it.
The second outside the box idea: gain inspiration from your dreams! While the meaning of dreams can be subjective, one thing many people agree on is that dreams have a way of revealing themes, emotions, and even hidden desires we aren’t always aware of in our waking life.
Be aware of your dreams and pull from them anything that sparks inspiration for your next flow.
5. Practice With Fun and Creative Teachers!
Last but certainly not least, inspiration comes easiest when we seek out sources that inspire us! Enter: taking a class with a creative instructor. And while your regular go-to teacher may be fun and creative, challenge yourself to try someone new too. It’s when we mix up our practice – from the teacher, to the setting, to the music / mood / theme – is when we find fresh inspiration.
If your favorite YA Classes teacher is Ashton August, that’s great! But perhaps you try the Funky Flow with Bentley Fazi to find a fresh perspective.
If you love going to your 6pm yoga studio class each week, maybe you opt for a different time slot or try a different studio this week.
If you’ve only ever gone to a yoga studio, then chances are you’ll find endless inspiration online! YA Classes has hundreds of classes with dozens of instructors who are experienced, knowledgable, and passionate. Try our membership free for two weeks and get inspired on your mat!
Watch Your Yoga Inspiration (and Motivation to Practice) Flourish
What do these five practices have in common? They all turn you back inward using external resources. And they all help you gain the inspiration and motivation you need to get out of your yoga rut and never go back.
Our bodies may be made up of 60% water, but when we get thirsty, we don’t seek the water that’s already inside. We source external water to add to that which we already possess.
Did this help you get out of your own yoga rut? Have you been in a yoga sequencing rut before? If so, what other techniques did you use? Please share in the comments below – we love hearing from you!
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