I took my first yoga class when I was 18 years old and was instantly hooked. The sweat, the breath, and the community made me feel seen in a way I had never felt before. One class turned into many, and before I knew it, this practice was shaping the entire trajectory of my life.
After completing my 200-hour teacher training when I was 23, yoga was no longer just something I did; it became my whole personality. Three years, 300 more hours of training, and about a million yoga classes later, I finally understood one of life’s hardest lessons: burnout can happen even with the things you love most.
When your practice starts to feel like something you have to maintain instead of something you get to return to, it’s easy to lose the spark. Whether you’re a teacher like me who built your entire life around yoga or a student who just feels a little less excited to roll out your mat lately, here are some ways you can reconnect to your practice.
1.Stop Practicing
…At least for a little while. Sometimes we can dive so far into the deep end of the physical and spiritual practice of yoga that we forget there is a whole other world out there that doesn’t even know what a sun salutation is. Tune into the world you’ve been shutting out. Life outside of self-development has something to offer, too.
Taking space from your mat can create room to remember who you are outside of your practice. When you stop approaching every moment as an opportunity to grow, optimize, or evolve, you might rediscover the curiosity that brought you to your first class in the first place.
2. Change Your Routine
Not just your practice schedule. Burnout in general can stem from doing the same thing one too many times. Small shifts from what you do all the time to what you’re feeling in the moment can really take you off autopilot and make your life feel interesting again.
This can look like swapping your daily avocado toast for blueberry pancakes, skipping your morning workout for a slow walk outside, or even putting on a new playlist in the car. Letting your routine reflect what you actually need in the moment instead of what you think you should do can help bring intention back into your day.
3. Try Different Modalities
In case you forgot (like me), yoga isn’t the only movement form out there. Use this time to explore other ways to move your body. Weight training, HIIT, running, etc. ask for presence in a different way. While these aren’t necessarily grounded in the same philosophy as yoga, they require the same attention to breath in order to properly perform. Plus now that you have a deep knowledge of yoga, you might just hear your teacher’s voice saying “relax your shoulders” when you’re on your last mile or “soften your knees” when you’re in your third set of RDLs.
Stepping into a new environment where you’re not the most experienced person in the room can reconnect you to what it feels like to simply participate instead of perform.
4. Get a Hobby
It took me a while to realize that yoga didn’t have to be my whole identity. There are so many other hobbies that don’t involve touching your toes. Finding a hobby that has nothing to do with how flexible, strong, or mindful you are can be incredibly refreshing.
This might look like joining a book club, playing in a rec volleyball league, learning to cook your favorite foods, or trying something creative just for fun. Giving yourself permission to be a beginner in another area of your life can take the pressure off needing your practice to fulfill every role.
5. Choose Your Teachers
Every teacher has a purpose, but that doesn’t mean they’re right for you. Find the teachers you connect with most; the ones who actually take you out of your head and into your body. And make those your go-to classes. The right environment can shift your relationship to the practice from something you feel responsible for maintaining to something that genuinely supports you.
At the end of the day, yoga is a balance. Going all in on yoga isn’t exactly yoga. Let yoga be a part of your life, not the whole thing. Open yourself up to new experiences and you might just fall in love with the practice all over again.
About the Author
Nicole is a 500 hour yoga teacher at Yoloha Studio and contributor to Yoloha’s MVMT Collective. Her classes focus on building sustainable strength, exploring creative movement, and helping students develop a practice that supports them both on and off the mat.
