A few months ago, I started doing one small thing differently: showing up a little early for yoga class.
It had started to occur to me that while yoga is my calming happy place (see also: Why I Love Yoga), I was often cutting it really close on timing, showing up to class with seconds to spare, harried and stressed. I was joking with it about a friend awhile ago, about how running late for a yoga class seems like the ultimate irony – “I have to hurry up and get there so I can slow down!!!!”
So one day I decided I’d start showing up early for yoga. Not crazy early, but about 10 to 15 minutes. Early enough that I’d have time to calmly arrive, put my stuff away, change if I needed to, and spend at least 5 or so minutes lying down on my mat and chilling out before class started. It’s something simple but it makes such a difference.
When I was younger, I always used to be on time or early – but I find as life gets busier and more distracting I’ve started tending more towards running a tiny bit late. Never for client meetings or work calls – but for personal stuff, like fitness classes and hang out sessions with friends. Not only is this rude if you’re meeting someone else, but it makes life way more stressful than it needs to be. So – here’s to intentionally being early, not just for yoga but for the rest of life, too.
Does anyone else purposefully show up early for yoga (or other things in life)? I’ve found there are usually a couple other people there getting their zen on a bit early as well! And if you’re like I used to be and usually tend to screech in last minute, give showing up early and taking a minute to breathe a try! I find it’s one of those little things that can make a big difference.
Namaste, my friends. <3
