3 Minutes a Day

The director of my first yoga teacher training, Suzanne, introduced me to this concept of "3 minutes a day." There were twelve students in the training, and we met one weekend a month for eight months. At the end of the first weekend, Suzanne gave us a homework assignment: "Get on your yoga mat for 3 minutes a day." She challenged us to make time for ourselves each day, "and it starts with just 3 minutes." 

Suzanne explained how every year she offers this challenge to her students in hopes that, at some point, none of the students will miss a day during the month, "But it hasn't happened yet."

The moment I was given the assignment, I knew I'd have no problem committing to 3 minutes a day; being in the military, being a perfectionist, being Type-A, being a Virgo… you give me a homework assignment and it will get done. So when our group met for our second weekend together, you can imagine my surprise when eight of the twelve women failed to get on their mat each day.

"I missed day two."

"I made it halfway through the month and gave up."

"I never started."

What?? I was blown away. How could these women not find THREE minutes a day to follow a simple homework assignment?

This happened every month for the entire eight month training. Not once did all twelve women manage to find three minute a day for an entire thirty day period.

At the end of the teacher training program, Suzanne personally challenged me to miss a day. She explained that I was "missing the point" with my 3 minutes a day; that my 3 minutes a day didn't really serve the purpose of what she was hoping I'd gain from the exercise. It wasn't until years later that I understood what she meant.

When I used to step on my mat for 3 minutes, I would watch the clock; every second of every minute seemed to drag on. Suzanne was right, I was totally missing the point. Stepping on my mat for the sake of saying I did so was not the intention of the homework assignment at all. In fact, missing a day would be more powerful in my situation. Why was it that I felt so afraid to miss a day on my mat? What would it mean if I actually faltered or took a day off?

Eventually, I forced myself to miss a day; and as the years passed, the lessons learned during this exercise drifted off into the distance. It wasn't until I started having major problems in my personal life that I finally understood the purpose of "3 minutes a day."

As I went through the final stages of a divorce several months ago, I spiraled into a deep depression. It was at this time that I committed to developing my own personal yoga practice. I committed to stepping on my yoga mat every single day - no matter how tired, sad, anxious, or angry I felt. I also committed to not placing a time requirement on my daily yoga practice - I would not wear a watch, and I would not look at a clock.

At first, this commitment to my daily practice was brutal. I would hop on my mat and feel completely lost as I forced myself to maneuver through a few random yoga poses; thirty minutes later, I'd find my mind racing so much that I'd end my practice and find something else to do. But, over time, I found my time on the mat increasing. It wasn't long before my practice lasted an hour, two hours, and sometimes, even three hours. I began to look forward to my daily practice - it was my time to explore, reflect, be still and calm.

My daily practice became my sanctuary during the hardest months of my divorce - during the hardest time of my life.

One day, a good friend of mine was going through a difficult time and I asked him a simple question: "What do you do for yourself each day?"

He looked at me with a confused look on his face as I spoke about the importance of making time for yourself each day, "even if it's just 3 minutes." My friend happened to be a pianist, so I challenged him to "commit to playing the piano for 3 minutes a day."

That's when it hit me how important it is to have a daily practice. That's when I realized how few people in this world actually take time out of their day to look within. That's when I realized that a daily practice can be anything that gets you in touch with your true Self.

That's when I realized that it all starts with a simple commitment of 3 minutes a day.

So, I challenge you dear readers: can you give yourself 3 minutes a day?