The world of yoga is extensive, full of dozens of moves with multiple advancements, modifications, styles, and traditions. For beginners, this can seem daunting. So, many newbies pick a routine and stick with it.
While this is ideal for the first few days or weeks, should you continue doing the same routine every single day? Or are there benefits to switching up your routine? There are advantages to each option, but we’ll explain more in the following sections.
Should You Do Different Yoga Every Day?
There’s certainly no lack of variety when it comes to yoga. While many yoga styles utilize the same moves, they often feature advancements or tweaks to target different areas of the body. So, you don’t necessarily have to stick with the same yoga routine, especially if you’re tired of doing the same moves.
Repeating the same yoga routine daily can be a soothing open or close to your day, but you might become bored of the same flows as time passes. For some, the same exact yoga routine every day offers much-needed structure and specific therapeutic benefits.
For others, repeating the same yoga sequence is tiring, so mixing it up is ideal. There are advantages to both options, so the decision is ultimately up to you.
Benefits Of Repetitive Yoga Routines
For some individuals, a repetitive yoga routine is the way to go. Consistent, unchanging yoga sequences offer a range of benefits, including the following.
Acts As Physical Therapy
Many people turn to yoga to heal aches and pains throughout their bodies and minds. Yoga can be incredibly therapeutic for both, but you might not notice these benefits when you regularly switch your practice.
Repeating the same daily routine gives you the chance to identify which poses help you the most. You can isolate which flows or movements seem to alleviate persistent aches and pains, allowing you to adjust your practice to target those movements.
If you regularly switch your yoga routine, isolating the poses that make you feel better can be tricky. So, those who live with chronic pain may find it beneficial to stick with a singular, repetitive routine until they find what works best for their bodies.
Offers Structure And Routine
For some folks, having a structured routine is soothing. It allows them to feel grounded every day, like resetting back to normal. So, it’s no surprise that a regular yoga routine is exceedingly beneficial for these folks.
A regular routine provides structure in a busy world with so many elements that are out of our control. It’s a predictable constant in a whirlwind of chaos, offering comfort and a home base regardless of where you are.
Individuals who experience overthinking or anxiety may find it beneficial to return to the same daily practice. If anything, it can offer a chunk of time that serves as a respite from the chaos of the outside world and, in some cases, your mind.
Time To Discover Each Pose
When you switch from one routine to the next every session, you might not have enough time to appreciate each pose fully. When you spend time focusing on the same poses day after day, you can experience each pose deeply, allowing your body to soak up the benefits.
Sometimes, more challenging poses require extra time to fully grasp, so you might not figure it out the first time. This is especially true for more complex poses, where finite balance and strength are essential.
Practicing the movement every day allows you to fully appreciate each sensation, bringing awareness to how each movement feels. In time, you can learn to listen to your body and what it’s telling you, which is something you might miss out on if you were too busy focusing on maintaining the pose.
The Change Is You
When you follow the same yoga routine day in and out, you are the variable, while the poses remain constant. This allows you to observe advancements or sensations you otherwise might’ve missed. For example, let’s say your routine feels particularly soothing or more manageable, allowing you to focus on breathing instead of maintaining a pose.
What changed? You did – your body is becoming stronger as it builds endurance, giving you time to focus on other areas of the practice. At one point, you might’ve been unable to do a particular pose without dropping every few seconds, but now, you can hold it without an issue. That’s all you.
Time For Mindfulness
Part of the beauty of a consistent yoga routine is the ability to be present in the experience. When you practice new flows, you usually need to focus on getting them right, which prevents you from settling into the pose and observing each sensation.
Once you get the hang of your yoga routine, you can deeply feel each pose, allowing your mind to become absorbed in the practice. This creates a beautiful combination of yoga and meditation, allowing you to enjoy both benefits simultaneously.
Disadvantages Of Repetitive Yoga Routines
Like most things, following the same yoga routine daily can be detrimental to your body and mind. While it has its benefits, you should consider a few things.
Potential For Injury
As you move through the identical yoga routine once again, you can put your body at risk of injury. For instance, let’s say your routine consists of random poses haphazardly put together to form a sequence.
Firstly, it’s essential to think out your sequences, as poorly thought-out sequencing can be detrimental to your body. But, over a long-term period, this random sequencing may begin to tax certain areas of your body as it stresses unused areas.
Even if you practice with a well-planned sequence, stretching and strengthening the same muscles over and over while disregarding others can become a problem. It can create an imbalance, putting you at higher risk for injury. So, it’s crucial to develop a routine that evenly targets your body, as focusing on specific muscle groups with complete disregard for others can do more harm than good.
Boredom
For some folks, yoga can be a tedious practice. This is especially true for many athletes where there’s a heavy emphasis on doing and achieving. Yoga is the complete opposite in that the focus shifts to experiencing different sensations of each pose and flow.
If you struggle with boredom during yoga, repeating the same routine every day will likely dampen your motivation, making you less likely to find the time to practice. You might find yourself wishing to move on to the next pose so that you can be done.
Incorporating different flows and moves that challenge your body and mind can help ward off boredom, as it keeps you focused and in the moment as you up the ante with specific flows.
Mental Impact
Sticking with a strict daily yoga routine can be great for you in that it allows you to explore how your body is improving through each flow. However, this can be a frustrating roadblock for some folks, as not every day will be the same.
One day, you might have an excellent session and notice your body feels able to handle tougher poses with ease. But in the next session, your body is struggling, barely able to do the bare minimum.
You might find yourself berating your body, wondering, “I could do this without an issue last time, so why can’t I do it today?” While the ebb and flow of our bodies is standard, as you may have good weeks and bad weeks, this can be extremely frustrating.
We often expect consistent improvement in our lives, especially in exercise. So, when we notice we take a small step back, it can be disappointing. These experiences are great learning curves, but it’s usually aggravating in the moment.
Missing Out On Other Benefits
While repeating the same practice is beneficial in some areas, you might miss out on other aspects of yoga. Specific yoga poses or flows not included in your routine might help you better your body and mind in ways your current practice cannot.
For example, certain poses target different muscles in different ways. Incorporating new flows into your routine can help you challenge other body parts, forcing these areas to improve with the rest of your body.
On top of that, if you stick with the same routine, you might miss out on the benefits of different practices. For instance, some yoga practices are designed to invigorate and energize you, leaving you ready to tackle the day. On the flip side, other yoga styles are designed to relax the body and mind, giving time to focus on healing.
Should I Pick A New Yoga Routine Every Day?
For some people, the same yoga routine quickly becomes tiresome. If you struggle with boredom during the same yoga routine every day, selecting a new routine every day or so might be a great idea.
However, if you switch your routine too frequently, you might not spend enough time in specific poses to fully comprehend the movement and advance the pose. This doesn’t mean you need to spend weeks doing the same yoga routine. Maybe you do the same routine two times in the same week, giving your body the chance to advance its understanding of the flow.
Or, perhaps you stick with one routine each week, switching to an entirely new sequence the following week. The choice is yours – you need to discover what works best for you. If changing the sequence daily helps you stay motivated, then, by all means, keep switching it up!
How Often Should You Do Your Yoga Routine?
Yoga can be the perfect way to challenge your body and mind, forcing you to become a better version of yourself. However, listening to your body’s cues is essential when you first start. This includes how many times you practice a week.
For example, if you feel sore or drained after a challenging yoga session, you might want to give your body a break for a day or two. Over time, you can build your strength and endurance, which will allow you to increase your practice frequency.
Beginners might want to start with one to five sessions per week based on how they’re feeling, whereas more experienced yogis might practice five to seven times per week. It all comes down to you and how your body is handling the transition.
Remember, pushing your body too far can do more harm than good. So, while challenging your body is an excellent way to improve your stamina and strength, remember to work within your limits.
You might find it easier to follow the same routine when you start practicing yoga. This is totally okay – it’s up to you how frequently (or infrequently) you switch the routine. If the same practice offers comfort, stick with that routine. If you find you need some variety, try a new routine.
