The power of instruction

My remote yoga sessions start with a pre-recorded warm-up routine.

With time, I knew the warm up session by-heart. I then stopped using the video and performed the routine from memory. However, I noticed a curious change. Somehow, the routine felt more boring, more tiring and more difficult to perform. I often ended up half-assing the warm up routine, which eventually led me to half-assing my entire yoga session.

I then went back to using the recorded warm-up video, and found that the rigour was back! I also enjoyed my sessions more. The reason this happened was because I no longer needed to spend precious mental energy on thinking about the warm-up routine while performing it. I no longer needed to keep count or keep track of which exercise was next. I simply followed along with the video.

Even if we know precisely what to do, we benefit from coaches and trainers. While they keep track of our training plans and routines, they liberate us to focus 100% on our performance and on improving it.

PS: My wonderful yoga instructor happens to be my mother. Happy Mother’s day!