Particularly at the new year there's a lot of pressure to start a new habit, do or not do a particular thing every day, learn this, do that, etc etc.

If this doesn't appeal to you, don't buy into it! It's okay.

But, if you are thinking about maybe establishing some yoga into your daily or weekly routines, here are my five top tips to help you come to your mat (or other space, mats aren't essential) every day/week.

Establishing a regular routine can bring many benefits: not just the physical improvements you'll notice, but also a greater sense of focus and calmness, especially if you bring in some mindfulness meditation and pranayama (breath control) to your session.

5 top tips for establishing a regular yoga routine at home

1. Find the time that works best for you

This sounds simple, but isn't always straight forward! For example, you might be used to going straight from work to an exercise class, then home, dinner etc, in the evening. Some people love to work out the stresses of the day, so yoga between work and the evening meal would work well. But you may be physically or mentally tired from a day of work and not feel like practising yoga, and this might affect what you choose to do, or not do, on the mat. Plus, if you work from home as well, it can be hard to create a defined time and space when you finish work as you can be tempted to 'just get this done' or 'just write this email', and then it's too late to fit in yoga before cooking/eating.

If fitting in yoga before your evening meal isn't working for you, try shifting it to the morning.

Some people find that if they achieve something earlier in the day it gives them 'feel good' vibes for the rest of the day. You could experiment with starting your day with yoga before breakfast. It may be necessary to set the alarm earlier, or if possible, shift your work start time back a bit. You may need to adapt your yoga to a 'morning body' which may feel a bit stiffer, but you may find your focus and meditation is easier in the morning and that you feel the benefits throughout the day. The more often you practise in the morning you may find your body adapting and you can practise for longer or bring in more challenging postures and sequences.

The best approach is to try a week or two in a new time slot and see how it goes.

There are other people who like a break in the middle of the day, and that can be beneficial if you work from home at a desk and need a good movement break. (This is partly what my midday movement online class is for!)

2. Set a realistic time length for your yoga session

I recommend starting small and getting the habit ingrained first, and then extending the time length. If you start out trying to fit in 1.5 hours every day and manage it only once a week, it's probably of less benefit than 7 days of 10 minutes a day. And you may feel a bit demoralised by not achieving your goal.

Start with 5-10 minutes and see if you can keep that up for a couple of weeks. If you miss a day or two, it's ok. This shorter time length also means if you get to 8pm at night and haven't done it, you can still fit it in without disrupting your evening too much.

Although 5-10 minutes doesn't sound much, you can still do a balanced range of movements and breathing that will bring benefit. In fact, you might find that this is the optimum amount of time for you and have hit the sweet spot.

Later on, once the habit is more established, you can extend it, if you want to. If you're going for a daily habit then shorter may be more managable but you might find that your on weekend days you spend longer.

3. Have somewhere that's already partially set up as your space, if possible

Personally, I like the path of least effort! So, if my space is ready, with nothing or very little to move, and I can start straight away, I'm more likely to get on the mat. It may not be practical or possible for a dedicated space to be available the whole time, so perhaps leave your rolled up yoga mat somewhere noticeable so it's a visible reminder.

You can embellish the space as you like, with physical objects and with incense, music, candles, etc. Whatever helps you focus and enjoy your time in your yoga space.

4. Have a vague idea of what you want to do

If you're out of ideas, new to yoga, or like the variety of different classes, you might find it helpful to use a yoga video.

Otherwise you have the option to create your own home practice session. You could decide on the day what you'd like to focus on, perhaps a body area like shoulders or lower back, or a type of posture e.g. standing poses or balances, or you might learn or create a sequence of moves that you like. A few rounds of sun salutations will also be a good way to have a range of movements in a shortish amount of time.

If you've come to the mat or space and you're short of ideas, it's fine, don't worry. Try to tune in to your body and do something that feels appropriate to how you're feeling today. The slight risk of this is that we can get into comfortable habits, perhaps doing things that are easy or familiar, and thus not challenge ourselves physically or mentally. Not that a yoga session has to be a challenge, but sometimes pushing the edges is where we grow and learn. So, if possible, have a vague plan and take it from there.

5. Make a list of what benefits you feel and keep it handy

There are some physical and mental benefits you will feel immediately during and after your yoga practice. Make a note of these. Also, if you begin to notice longer term benefits e.g. feeling calmer overall, note these down. On days or weeks when you are lacking motivation you can take a look at the list of benefits and it might encourage you to move, breathe and relax that day after all.

Free 15 minutes neck & shoulders video

If you've got the time now, you could join me in this 15 minute session to ease neck and shoulders.

There are more short videos on my YouTube channel (no account needed), or look through my on-demand video library for not only 15 minute videos (free), but longer 30 and 60 minute classes.

(Image at top, my yoga space as it was 4 years ago, no longer like that now!)