And what about when the spark is gone?
How to Reignite Your Passion and Practice
The spark in your in your practice(s)?
The spark in your relationship(s)?
At work?
Is it important for you to feel that energy so that you can take action?
I’ve been thinking about this in many contexts but the one that keeps coming up is my yoga practice. Specifically the poses or asana.
I’m gonna be that teacher lady that specifies asanas here because, the practice of yoga as whole — the philosophy and spiritual components — continue to be a staple in my life.
I often romanticize the time in my life when I used to practice asana more or less everyday. Hour or 90 minute long classes.
When the chemistry was so high I wanted to master every pose. Every arm balance. Every inversion and transition. I couldn’t get enough of this thing!
As the time and years passed by, that drive for the poses slowly dwindled. I became interested in other practices like meditation, energy work, pilates, tennis, lifting.
So it makes me wonder - do we need to reintegrate a practice that has fulfilled us in the past?
Is that even needed?
As I’ve been pulling out my seasonal clothes for fall and winter, I’ve rediscovered some of my favorite pieces — like this cute turquoise turtle neck I wore religiously last year. It wasn’t that I stopped loving it, it just wasn’t the time. It was too hot for a chunky sweater.
Our practices, like relationships, can become routine and lose some of their original intensity or charm.
Maybe it’s also just a different season in your life and not needed as much.
And at that point it’s not necessarily the spark that needs to be the driver - but what we call in yoga tapas.
Tapas refers to the inner fire that drives our commitment. The inner discipline we have to show up to something we may not want to. Practicing even when you don’t feel it.
I don’t know why I’m reminiscing on my asana practice so much these days. Maybe I’m craving flow, ritual, moving in community, the savansa at the end.
Whatever it is, I’m making an effort for it. Even when I don’t want to. Even when my inner dialogue at the end of class says “it was an OK class.” (yes, yoga teachers have that thought too sometimes)
Perhaps you’re also wanting to rekindle your practice, or a project, or a relationship right now too.
Here are some tips that I’ve been using to help me reconnect with my asana practice:
Try something new – Sign up for a new class or the new student pass at astudio. Explore a workshop, or gathering in that area of interest to create a new perspective.
Commit to small steps – Like attending one weekly class after work or setting aside a specific time, to rebuild momentum with a friend or personal project.
Embrace consistency, even without the spark – Sometimes, just showing up regularly is enough to keep the fire alive until a renewed passion returns.
As you come back to whatever it is that momentarily lost it’s spark, what new perspective are you coming back to? 🌀
I’ll share mine the next time we connect.
Talk soon,
Brenda
△ what I’m listening to: Anytime I travel, I love listening to this album. It feels a bit in the theme of rekindling and spark.
△ what I’m kind of obssesed with: So random, but the Shark Hairstyling Tools. Can’t believe I didn’t get this sooner.
△ what I’m reading: It haven’t done a lot of reading this year but currently enjoying: After Dark & The Courage to be Disliked.
Meditation On Paper
