I've just finished listening to "Creatures of Habit," an episode of the Hidden Brain podcast that explores how we can encourage our good habits and deter our bad ones. The show's guest, psychologist Wendy Wood, author of Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick, says “to build good habits, make it fun and make it easy. Anything that reduces the struggle and stress is going to make habits more likely to form.”

Lisa, one of my yoga regulars, shared this podcast with me because she heard herself in Wood's words: 

“If people travel about 3.5 miles, they are likely to go to the gym five times a month on average. If people travel 5 miles, then they are likely to go only once a month on average. The 5 miles presents friction. The 3.5 miles is much less friction and makes behavior more likely if you don’t have to struggle so much to get there.” 

Pre-pandemic, Lisa drove 1.5 miles from her apartment to the yoga studio for my Sunday morning classes. She attended pretty regularly. In the past two years, however, as her commute changed to 15 steps to her living room, she's expanded her yoga practice significantly — from once a week to three or four classes a week.

With easy-to-access virtual classes, there's very little struggle to get to class these days. Lisa doesn't have leave her house, let alone brush her teeth or change out of her pajamas. Yoga is now a steady part of her weekly routine. 

Virtual yoga has been a game changer for many, myself and Lisa included. Without a doubt, it’s less work, or less "friction," as Wood would say, to log onto a computer in your home than it is to get in your car and drive to a yoga studio — especially in the winter!

Do you face friction on your yoga path? What’s creating distance that keeps you from a regular practice? I'm here to help. If you’re looking to grow your yoga habit, you can find the path of least resistance here.

Check out the Hidden Brain “Creatures of Habit” episode. I’d love to hear about how you’re working with your habits — whether you’re experiencing struggles or success.

Best,

Heidi