Tip of the day:

When starting a new habit, make it as easy to do as possible. Get rid of any obstacles ahead of time.

So, naturally, I sprang out of bed at 5 a.m. and went to do 108 Sun Salutations in a heated room, right?

Ha ha. Of course not.

To be honest, after the past two and a half weeks of coughing so hard I couldn’t breathe, I was wondering what exactly my practice would amount to this morning.

The thing is though, having worked with many people on stress engagement, and changing or adding new habits, I find that it’s always best to start basic and make it accessible. We don’t need to tell ourselves we are going to go from taking a month (or longer!) off of yoga to a two-hour a day practice at dawn. That’s a sure way to set yourself up for failure, or at the very least discouragement.

Start with an intention and then make a specific plan.

Before I went to bed, I decided I would do a home practice this morning with Seane Corn’s Detox Flow Yoga DVD. It’s a good staple to have if you like to use DVDs to practice at home. I don’t feel like it completely captures Seane’s personality the way she is in a class in person, but it is a good, 65-minute basic Vinyasa. It’s one that I often use if a studio class doesn’t fit my schedule on a particular day, or if I don’t want to try something new.

I knew that my kids and my husband would be home and doing their own thing while I practiced, so I made sure I had everything I needed ahead of time: water, my mat, my laptop and DVD, the clothes I wanted. Sounds silly, but the best way to reinforce a new habit (and keep other things from getting in the way) is to be completely prepared.

And it was exactly what I needed this morning.

An hour to myself. A wonderful, detoxing, wake-me-up flow to start the new year.

What was your practice like today? Are you doing #yogaeverydamnday this month? Check back for my updates and follow along on Twitter @kate_bartolotta and Pinterest.

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