An October Array…

Hard to believe another month has gone by!
Below are pics from the DailyMat Tweets from the beautiful month of October.
Send your own pics in; inspire others! (Quality doesn’t matter; mine are all snapped with a terrible camera phone.) 🙂 BUT – the documentation is inspiring– For yourself, and for us as well! **Click Here**, or, using your cellphone, picmail your photos to the same address. Here’s to our daily Practice!

Oct 6, Knoxville hotel fitness room

Oct 8, Elmhurst IL hotel

Oct 9, Davenport IA, host’s guest room

Oct 10, Cedar Falls IA, lovely theater basement

Oct 11, Ames IA hotel

Oct 19, finally back in class @ the studio. Nice & dark post-savasana.

Oct 22, back home!

Oct 29, at home, practicing my jump-thru

Beginning Mats.

A September Array…

Send your pics in– CLICK HERE!

Send in your daily Mats!

:: Daily? Inspiration :: ::

“Set reasonable goals that are really achievable.” -John Friend,http://www.yoga.com

“Many people feel they don’t have the time or the space to practice yoga at home. Really, all you need is five to ten minutes and enough space to roll out your yoga mat” – Laughing Yoga Mama, See the article here.

“In the beginning, a little yoga every day is likely to be more manageable than trying to squeeze in a longer session a few times a week. Try setting aside just 10 or 15 minutes in your day for some quiet exploration…” -Claudia Cummins, Yoga Journal

“Put your yoga mat at the end of your bed and do a few rounds of sun salutes if you feel you don’t have more time…” -Joanna Johnston, www.yoga-abode.com

“Home Practice is really the foundation of how we grow and improve in our yoga… when we are by ourselves we are able to get in synch with our own rhythms and apply the types of actions and the poses that we need for our own individual benefit. So home practice is really what will help us grow the most. It’s the foundation of our practice that we want to keep coming back to time and time again…” -John Friend, www.yoga.com

“Practice regularly, even if it’s only a few minutes every day. If done every day or nearly every day, even 10 to 15 minutes will help build concentration, increase flexibility and strengthen willpower, making it easier to practice the next day. Consistency is key.” -Edith Howell, www.yogaforbeginners.com

“Each morning wake up.  Do as much yoga as you want. Maybe you’ll eat, maybe you’ll fast. Maybe you’ll sleep indoors, maybe you’ll sleep outdoors.  The next morning wake up.  Do as much yoga as you want.  Maybe you’ll eat, maybe you’ll fast. Maybe you’ll sleep indoors, maybe you’ll sleep outdoors. Practice yoga, and all is coming!”  -Sri Pattabhi Jois, as quoted in Yoga Journal, Sept 09

“Anyone who practices can obtain success in yoga but not one who is lazy. Constant practice alone is the secret of success.” —Hatha Yoga Pradipika

“This practice becomes firmly rooted when it is cultivated skillfully and continuously for a long time.” –The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali 1:14

“enjoy the journey of a daily yoga habit…” –Daily Cup of Yoga

“Exactly which practices you do are less important than choosing ones that resonate with you such that you are willing to make them a daily practice.” -Philip Moffit, for Yoga Journal

“It’s early. The sun is just coming up, and the house is quiet. While the rest of the family is still in bed, Julie Greenberg opens the French doors to what was once her home office and enters a tranquil, candlelit space where a red yoga mat awaits her. Alone, Greenberg stands at the top of her mat, takes a deep breath, notices the faint scent of incense in the air around her, and begins her morning Ashtanga practice.” -Sherise Dorf for Yoga Journal

This is Your Welcome, Mats.

Are you beginning a daily Yoga practice?  Rolling out your mat every day?  Working on a home practice?

As much as we aspire to a daily habit of yoga, it can feel like the hardest thing in the world.  We’re all busy as hell, and when life gets crazy, our wellness practices are the first things to go.  The result? Just showing up on the mat for a couple minutes feels like a major feat.

So let’s change that up.

Welcome to The Daily Mat.

It’s simple:

Every day, take a picture of your mat: Wherever you’ve unrolled it (home? studio? hotel?), no matter how long you practiced.

The photo doesn’t have to be pretty, artistic, or high-quality.  In fact, the dirt and clutter around your mat is important– because showing up for practice in the midst of chaos is what a daily commitment is all about.

Motivation flagging? Your pictures will document your progress and keep you accountable for your mat time.

THEN WHAT?

Send your pics to me: thedailymat@gmail.com

…and send them often! …I’ll post them on The Daily Mat blog.  Then follow us to receive new pics: Evidence of your fellow yogis’ commitment to their practice.

The daily mat?  It might not be easy, but we’re in it together.

Snap a photo.  Email it in.  Follow and comment.  Be inspired. Become part of the Daily Mat community.

See you on the mat!

:: Some random selections; see more at Twitpic! ::