5 ways to motivate yourself when you really don't want to do yoga

(+ my go-to 10-minute yoga routine to help you)

For some odd reason I’ve been feeling stuck in my energy. You know those days when you just wake up sighing, huffing and puffing through your day and feel like you’re walking through a wall of jelly? That kind of stuck. The kind of feeling that makes you want to rewatch grey’s anatomy and forget about life in the smoldering eyes of Dr. McDreamy (or Steamy - depending on your taste).....

Oh, back to reality…. 

Sometimes, when I feel like this, I can’t really pin-point exactly where it’s coming from, so it’s difficult to get rid of it. I try many different things from meditation, to good food, walks or listening to music. Hopefully these moments will simply pass as you allow yourself to reconnect, but other times it can be stubborn. The best way for me to get out of my stuck-ness is by getting into my body. Because when my head feels stuck, so does my body. And the worst part is that it’s the last thing I want to do when I’m in that kind of mood...

Even if you don’t suffer from this feeling, you can still have moments where it’s difficult to motivate yourself to do yoga, or perhaps you simply lack time? Whatever the reason (or excuse!), doing yoga - or any movement for that matter - will shift your energy and boost your mind, even if it’s just for a few minutes. 

It’s a known fact that moving your body increases the blood-flow to the brain, reduces stress hormones and releases endorphins, all of which, combined with increased oxygen levels, gives you an instant KICK!

That’s why I’m so passionate about yoga, because it combines all of this, the moving and breathing, and I see the effects of it in just minutes! Yes, minutes, not hours!

We all believe that in order to change a situation, it has to take long. We have to work-out 1,5hrs every day to see results. Yes, maybe that’s true if you’re competing for bodyweight championships or trying to achieve specific goals, but the goal here - in this blogpost - is to reconnect to the body and let-go of stuck energy as fast as possible.

But before even doing yoga, how does one motivate themselves when we really, really don’t want to?

Here are 5 things that I do that get me moving,and usually after just 10 minutes, I feel like a completely different person! If you want to know my-go to routine, read till the end where I share a real-time 10 minute video of my favourite yoga routine when I don’t want to do yoga.

1. Ready to yoga & roll

It sounds simple, but having a dedicated space for your yoga practice or having your yoga mat out will make it so much easier to hop on and do something, than when you have to go down to the car, to grab your yoga-mat, which you left there after that one class you did last week - that’s already too much effort. So least effort = higher probability of doing something. 

2. Placebo-effect

It’s never very motivating when you have one hour left and you tell yourself you have to use that time to work out. Then it feels like an obligation. Instead tell yourself you will only do 5 minutes of gentle stretching, just 5 minutes. What’s the harm in that? 

Until you actually get started and it turns into a 50- minute intense workout. That’s what I call the placebo-effect. Just trick your mind and your body will follow.

3. Pump up your jam

If I really want to get down and dirty and have quick, immediate results, I turn on my favourite tunes as loud as I can and go with the flow. I dance, move and jump around intuitively until I’ve released all blocked energy. Sometimes it takes just one or two songs. Here is a playlist full of my favourite yoga-tunes I use to get in the zone.

4. Mc. Dreamy yoga

Who said you have to do yoga in a quiet zen-space with buddhist monks aum’ing in the background? I’m probably going to be yoga-shamed for even suggesting this, but if I'm really in the I-don’t-want-to-get-off-the-couch-mood, I simply do a little yoga in front of the tv with my favourite series. Say what?! Yeah, the couch is my best prop! I hang on it, I use it for balance or stretching - it’s perfect. And once I get going I’ve often watched a whole episode while moving!

5. One-pose Pony

Challenge yourself to learn one new pose. Whether it’s something more challenging like handstand, fore-arm stand, headstand or splits or something really basic, like getting your down-ward dog right or chaturanga (going down from plank), which is actually a really challenging pose. When I focus on a single pose, my competitiveness gets activated and I want to do more, to get better. I’ll start by doing one handstand against the wall, which leads to ten handstands, which leads to me doing shoulder openers to do a better handstand….and before I know it, I’ve done half an hour of hard work. 

Now, all of the above are great ways to get you going, but what if you’re ready to roll and you don’t know what to actually do? You do a half attempt at a down-dog and end up lying in child’s pose because you don’t know many yoga poses or how to sequence them?

Well, in that case, I’ve got you covered with this 10-minute yoga routine which you can do at any time; stuck or not stuck, little time or just because. I hope you like it and it gets you buzzing!

NAMASTÉ MARIJKE

Dutchie • Digital Nomad • Travel Junkie
Ocean Lover • Yoga Enthusiast