Since May 4, I have been practicing yoga every day without fail.

A longtime yoga practitioner (I started in 2010), I’ve pursued a very wide variety of approaches to fitness and wellness — but I always come back to yoga because it makes me feel amazing, clear, and present.

I have always gone through more and less diligent periods. Lately it’s become even more difficult since I’ve moved out to the country and am 80-90 minutes from work.

I’ve never done an extended period of daily practice. 30 days here and there at the most.

But here I am, almost 90 days in to #yogaeveryday and I can feel the habit having been ingrained.

Two things shifted my thinking, prompting me to start.

• I decided to practice at home and that some yoga, any amount, would count as my daily practice. (I still practice at a studio whenever I can, that is my preference.)
• My wife pointed out to me some time ago that all the successful people we know of set aside time very early in the morning to work out. Something about that stuck with me, and I decided I could easily fit in 30 minutes at 5:30, before I had to get ready for work.

I’ve begun to experience the effects of longtime habit — yoga is easier, it’s less of a struggle to get myself started, I feel more and more present, my body is more and more graceful and strong. All the things.

Will I keep it up rigidly? I’m not sure. But I know I am now a daily yoga person — a day missed here and there won’t knock that off.

There is nothing especially noteworthy about doing something every day for a while. After all, most of us brush our teeth every day and no one seeks an award for that. And indeed, I know a number of people who have much longer-lived daily yoga practices: my wife did a year and more of daily yoga during and after COVID; my high school friend Julie has over 900 days in a row of yoga; another high school friend Michael recently passed away, having lived a daily life of yoga for many years. All of these people inspire me.

I’m kicking myself for not starting this sooner in my life, because I already have an example of how a small daily change, practiced consistently over time, can make big changes. That example is my daily spiritual letter that I have been doing daily since January 2014. That started the same way: with the commitment to do at least a little bit, daily. And from that have also come astounding rewards, unexpected and much greater than just having a deeper faith.

My message: there is power in small, consistent, daily practice — of any kind. Before you know it, and faster than you might expect, you begin to experience remarkable benefits that outweigh the effort.

If there is something you want to start, try starting with the bare minimum — daily. Keep at it — daily.

You’ll be surprised.

Here are some photos I’ve taken of my current yoga journey. (I post them just to keep a bit of a sense of accountability.)