Build your momentum up from zero
The 15 & 5 practice I'm doing right now
Happy July! 💜 This month, I started a new daily practice as an experiment—the 15 & 5.
The last couple months, I’ve been quiet on here as I dealt with some deeper health issues, dealing in darkness. I’ve learned a lot as I’ve tried a new medication (it’s helping!), coped with painful nerve flares (omg lidocaine patches tho!) and had the diagnosis confirmed by my doctor, which is, I guess, a win. At least I know approximately what it is (axial spondyloarthritis with a maybe on ankylosing spondylitis).
I’m lucky in a way (maybe); my issues are invisible to most. I’ve pretty much carried on as normal out in the world. However my energy is flagging and requires many naps, and I’m often masking at least low-level pain. I share this not for sympathy, but for solidarity for those who might be experiencing the world in this way. Your symptoms don’t have to be physical to count.
The 15 & 5 practice
As I geared up for a new month and created some goals, I was stuck on developing a way back to consistent movement. I had been intermittently going to yoga, getting in walks or a spinning workout, but it’s been hard to stick to a habit. I settled on 15 minutes of yoga with 5 minutes of meditation. I’m taking this on as a devotional practice this month, but it might change in the future.
The point of all this is to make the way back to movement easy. An hour or even 30 minutes felt like too much to commit to at home right now. I can’t guarantee that I will make the time for that. I will go into it kicking and screaming and with inconsistent results.
Now 15 minutes? I can commit to that. Let’s add a bonus of 5 minutes of breathing. That feels possible right now. I contemplated maybe 20 minutes of movement, but decided that made me feel a bit of dread. I can always practice more that 15, but 15 is what makes me feel excited for the challenge. Of course I’ll also be in studio classes and doing other workouts, but this is my bare minimum commitment this month.
The point is that when you are trying to build momentum from near zilch, you need to keep your expectations reasonable.
If you’re trying to dive back in from a pause, I recommend this: when you set a goal, how do you feel about doing it right now. If you had to start working on your goal right after you wrote it down, does it make you excited? How about after three days? Look at your schedule. Do you see conflicts arising already next week?
Pro-tip: set a timer
If you’re coming back from zero, maybe you try a 15-minute timer. I set this on my phone, and trust that it will alert me when I’ve met my time. When I’m ready to move onto meditation or breath watching, I set the 5-minute timer.
I also do this for journal writing and a little house cleaning. This helps to focus my undiagnosed attention issues. If I’m working against the clock, I have a parameter. If 15 minutes feels like too much, do 10. Lower or raise the number until it feels right.
Let me know how it goes.