A Seventyish Woman Shows You How to Easily Start a New Habit

Yoga before coffee is my new thing

Looking back over my long life, I am encouraged by the habits I have begun that have led to important accomplishments: learning to play the piano, cater weddings, complete graduate school, self-publish a book. But I am also aware that I have wasted many years wishing for a habit that I have never managed to start or sustain. A clean house, a healthy diet, a regular exercise routine, control of my finances.

I have started on these things over and over and may have done well for a while but then didn’t. In other words, I lost the habit. There are reasons for this, perhaps an injury, a loss, a change of some sort that upset the routine. But in the last few years, I have determined to begin the habits that will lead to my most important goals. It is getting too late to rely on wishing, I need to take action.

This year I began a new habit.

I have had a yoga practice off and on for years, studying with a teacher once a week and trying to do my own practice at home. I have had all the necessary equipment, the knowledge of how to do many postures correctly, the breathing techniques, etc. But I have never been able to get into a regular routine of practice that I follow every day and I craved that. When in-person classes ended last March, my teacher took a different job and closed her studio, I was left on my own and had only practiced sporadically.

But it was gnawing at me. I wanted to do yoga every day. My teacher had repeatedly said that any small amount of yoga was worthwhile and could be called a practice, even sitting and taking a full three part breath and meditating for a few minutes. I did not want to lose my flexibility. After all I am only one of a few people in my circle who can still touch their toes or get down on the floor. I didn’t want to lose that. In fact, I wanted to work at keeping my spine flexible, my lungs and sinuses cleared, my eyes strong, my feet flexible and healthy. There were so many benefits to a regular yoga practice. I yearned for it, for someone to make me do it, for something to happen to force me into a regular practice. But this was unlikely, and I realized I’d need to make it happen, if it was going to happen at all.

Break it down into manageable parts

So, I took my teacher at her word and chose a very small amount of yoga, determined to do it every day. This is what I mean by small.

Yoga Before Coffee

Well, coffee is probably frowned upon by real yogis. But, in my life it is fairly important. It is the start of the day, a real joy in the morning. Whoever gets downstairs first starts the coffee brewing and warms the cups in the oven. We have never learned the details of programming our coffee pot. But the morning coffee making ritual is pleasant and easy to do while half asleep. I decided that this ten or so minutes while waiting for the coffee to brew was the perfect time to do a short yoga routine. I dubbed it “yoga before coffee” –YoBC — and write in my journal when I have done it. It helps me to write it down- like giving myself “stars.” Since January 1 I have done it almost every day. Now, you say, what the heck can you accomplish in the time the coffee brews? Well, we make a ten-cup pot so it takes a bit.

Here is what I can do in that time. (pardon the yoga lingo)

Sit in a dignified posture on our sheepskin rug in front of the pellet stove. Settle into the position, hands up like cups. Do a few moments of deep breathing. Begin with some sitting salutations and maybe add a simple twist. Do some shoulder, wrist and finger exercises. Sometimes I do face and eye exercises, stretching out my tongue, rolling my eyes in circles, making faces with my mouth and huge wide smiles. This makes me laugh.

Then I move either onto my back or stomach. If on my stomach I sit in Crocodile, then Cobra and Sphinx poses. Then I might get into Table position and go into “Thread the Needle” a wonderful stretch for the upper back and inside arms. I rest in Child’s pose between things. I always do the Cat/Cow poses several times as they as designed for keeping the spine flexible. Then I move into Downward-facing Dog, walk the dog a bit, and stand up. I will stand for a moment in Mountain pose, resting. Then go get my coffee.

If I decide it’s a day for my back instead of front, I will do all the leg exercises I can think of: wind-relieving pose, hamstring stretches, inner leg stretches, number- 4 stretches for each leg, end with a Bridge pose, then roll over and do cat and cow before getting up.

On days when I’m more tired than usual I sit and do breathing exercises and meditate the whole time. If I have more energy I throw in some planks or do a standing routine of Stars and Triangles and Goddess and Warriors. It is up to me. I try to flow from one pose to another, not thinking about it too much. I do what seems to want to come next, what stretch my body is wanting. But it is also important to stop and rest now and then, receiving.

Of course, if I am involved in what I am doing, I can take a longer time and often do. But the important thing is that I do this little bit every day. And I notice how much more alert, organized, lucid and pain-free I feel as I sit down to enjoy my cup of coffee and begin some journaling. I am remaining flexible and find myself able to remember more moves and relax into them more deeply. Every day I think about how nice it is that I did YOBC yesterday and I’m doing it again today.

How can you do this?

Pick something — a habit that you want to start because it’s really important to get to your goal.

Suppose you want to walk/run a marathon in the summer but you need to start an exercise habit now and you can barely walk to the mailbox without puffing?

Break it down into its smallest reasonable part.

Start where you are. Walk to the mailbox and then a few steps further today. Time yourself. Maybe add five minute - or even one minute to the walk. Maybe do this for a week. Then add another five minutes. Write down your progress.

Think of something you already do that you could pair it with.

You always get the mail, so this will ensure you always do the walk.

Picture yourself going from the one thing to the other thing, every day.

Maybe pick another destination for next week that’s a little further. Picture yourself walking past the mailbox to the other side of your neighbor’s property to a particular tree or sign. Imagine it before you do it. Your brain is getting prepared for the action next week.

Have the necessary clothes or equipment or tools ready and directly in your path.

If your anticipate it will be raining, find a raincoat, some old sweat pants and sneakers to use in case the weather is bad, or buy yourself new clothes if that would help.

If there are obstacles, move them or rearrange them or figure out how to work them in.

If there is a person who will be affected by your new habit, warn them in advance, try to enlist their support. If not, figure out how to work around them. If there is construction in front of your neighbor’s house, figure out an alternate route. Don’t let anything get in your way.

Then start doing it today and tomorrow.

If new obstacles arise, deal with them.

Say your neighbor’s dog threatens your walk, or there is snow and ice in your area and it becomes impossible to walk outside. Don’t bemoan this, just develop a Plan B: if X happens, I will do this instead.

Don’t fret if something comes up and you miss a day

Say you have an appointment right at the time you would be taking your walk, maybe it is so upsetting that you forget about your new habit. Next day, just start up again. Don’t waste time berating yourself, just move on. If the same kind of obstacle seems to reappear often, figure out a Plan B for it.

Repeat

Get back to it the next day, and the next.

Then, voila, you have a habit.

I have since started another such habit called Walk after Dishes — WAD. I write down the minutes I walked on the calendar. It’s going pretty well. Let me know what you come up with. At this age, we have to take the bull by the horns, decide what we want to have in our life and go after it with gusto. Maybe even joy - it is very satisfying to solve a problem for yourself. Probably there is no one going to make it happen for you. If you really want it, this is a way to start that most important habit today.

May all your habits lead you to your most important goals.

You got this!!!

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