January can be a tough month to set yourself big resolutions on health, life and work. But we are often bombarded at this time of year with articles and social media graphics encouraging us to try this, do that, start this habit, stop that habit.

Combined with disruptions to our usual routines due to festivities, wintery weather, shorter daylight hours, infections, lethargy, and the post-festive slump, it can be challenging to get going, not only with your usual routine but implementing new things which we hope will become habits.

At risk of adding to the surfeit of articles telling you what to do, here’s some of my top tips for how to establish, or re-establish a yoga routine at home. These are the things that work for me – let me know if they resonate with you as well.

Tip 1: Start small

I like to achieve things as this makes me feel good. I know I can achieve 3 minutes or 5 minutes of something. This is a realistic amount of time I can find in the day.

Habits are said to take anything from a week to three months to establish. If you can establish a small habit first, you can then lengthen it if you want to.

You can achieve a reasonable amount in 5 minutes. For example:

• 1 minute seated breath awareness
• 3 movements or postures e.g. cat, downward facing dog, tree balance
• 1 minute mindful meditation

Your ‘small’ practice might start as 5 minutes a day, and you do this for a week or two. Some days you may enjoy yourself and you end up doing more accidentally. If you want to make it longer you can, but you don’t have to.

Tip 2: Focus on the benefits and why you are doing it

Why do you want to ‘do yoga every day’, for example? Is it because you feel you ought to? If you feel you ‘should’ do something, it’s harder for it to become a habit than if there’s a real benefit you can tap into.

Does the 5 minute yoga practice make you feel calmer, more flexible, stronger, more relaxed? If you can spend a few moments enjoying the good feelings once you’ve finished your routine, you can then recall those feelings on days when it feels more of a struggle to get going with your routine.

Don’t do something just because someone on Instagram says so or is doing it.

If it helps, write down what you are doing and why, so you can remind yourself. Write down the nice feelings you have afterwards, or that come to you later in the day when you remember achieving your routine.

Or maybe you have a particular health or wellbeing goal in mind and the routine will help with that. Write down the goal so you can stay focused on the reasons for doing it.

Tip 3 Do the routine earlier in the day (or find the best time for you)

This might not suit everyone, but I find if I don’t do my yoga and meditation practice in the morning it’s very unlikely that I’ll do it! Obviously if you go to a yoga class after work this doesn’t apply.

If you find you are too tired or lack enthusiasm in the evening, or busy with cooking, childcare, catching up with other things, see if you can carve out some time in the morning.

But if mornings are jam-packed, can you fit something in during the day, or before you start cooking/eating in the evening?

The trick is finding a time that works for you and your other commitments.

Tip 4 Start with things you like

If you intend to run 3 miles every other day, but really dislike running and haven’t got a clear reason or goal in mind, it’s unlikely that this routine will stick.

If you want to practise yoga every day, or once a week, at home, I would start with the bits of yoga that you like. There’s time later to introduce things we don’t like as much, once we’ve got the habit established. If you don’t like downward facing dog for whatever reason, don’t do it!

Do things which make you feel good.

Again, the trick is to enjoy what you’re doing so that you get the positive feedback feelings linked to our ‘happy hormones’ of dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins.

The body likes movement: ‘motion is lotion’ as many body workers say. So pretty much any movement you do will be good for the body. This could be joint mobility movements, rhythmic or swaying movements, and of course ‘formal’ yoga postures and movements.

Have you got any top tips for motivating yourself, for exercise or anything else?

Stuck for ideas of what to do in 5 minutes?

Try this 5 minute video of the salute to the moon sequence.

Here’s an infographic with some other suggestions of getting a movement or exercise routine established.