One of the most common questions people ask me is some variation of, “how often should I practice?”

Whether you’re focused on postures, breathing, meditation, or practicing a change in behavior—like setting boundaries or giving feedback—how often you practice is up to you.

How often you should practice depends on many things, including but not limited to your body, your mind, your energetic state, your experience level, what you’re practicing, a variety of internal and external factors, and your desired outcome.

Karma Reigns

There’s no right or wrong way to do it. There are only consequences of your actions, aka karma.

If you’re a beginner with postures and you suddenly start doing vigorous classes every day of the week, you might end up injuring yourself.

If you’re trying to create a frequent and consistent journaling habit and you do it only once a month, you might lose momentum to the point that you feel like you’re starting over each time you write.

Depending on the activity and your relationship to it, too much too quickly can lead to burnout or too little too slowly can lead to inertia.

A Simple Framework for Practicing More Consistently

If you’re struggling to find time to practice something you’d really like to do, the framework my teacher, Jehangir Palkhivala, sometimes offers up at retreats could be a good starting point for you.

On the last day, he asks us to spend some time reviewing what we learned over the week and to choose what we’d love to keep doing, what would fill our hearts, what would fill us with light if we were to carry it into our home practices. He recommends we select only what we think we can manage in a daily, 15-minute practice over the course of 21 days.

Consistent daily practice over 21 days encourages the action to become a habit. Plus, no matter what the practice is, 21 days gives you an opportunity to observe its effect over time and in different circumstances.

A shorter baseline practice makes it more likely to get done. Finding 15 minutes is a lot easier than finding 90. You can always add on if you want to do more.

I often take a similar approach with my coaching clients. When they’re working on developing a new capacity, like a communication technique, energy management method, or approach to finding their purpose, I ask them to spend a few minutes each day over the course of the next few weeks to practice the new skill.

Boost Your Results with Self-Study

If you want to augment the effect, take a few notes after each practice about how it went, what you experienced, what you noticed about yourself. It could be as simple as a few words or bullet points that you jot down on your phone.

This extra little bit of Svadhyaya (Self-Study) will pay off.

After the 21 days, when you review your notes, you’ll notice trends and gain new insights and awareness about yourself and the results you’re getting that can motivate you to keep going or course correct if needed.

No matter what it is, some practice is better than none.

As you deepen your yoga and personal development practices you’ll discover the profound truth in Sri Aurobindo’s words, “All life is yoga.”

Everything gives you the opportunity to practice something.

You need only choose to shift your perspective and see it that way. You’ll be amazed at what opens up for you as a result.

If you want some support creating the best practices for your current needs, click on the button to join my free community. You’ll also get my guide, 4 Simple Secrets to Making Meditation Happen, for free!

This information is for educational and informational purposes only and solely as a self-help tool for your own use. I am not providing medical, psychological, or nutrition therapy advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your own medical practitioner. Always seek the advice of your own medical practitioner and/or mental health provider about your specific health situation.