THE PRACTICE HABIT

One of the many unique aspects of Suhaila's format is that it has its own language and structure, and therefore doesn't rely on the student being in the same room (or even the same state!) as Suhaila in order to learn, practice, and grow. In fact, many of Suhaila's long time students (such as Lois, Alexia, Stacey, and Renee) live out of state, and have therefore relied on a home practice, in conjunction with periodic trips to the mother ship, to develop as dancers within the format.

Even students who regularly attend class in-person most likely have a home practice, because 1 or even 3 classes weekly simply isn't enough to time to build the strength, stamina, or conceptual understanding necessary to really learn and grow. In future posts I will discuss the components of my own daily and weekly practice, but the purpose of this post is to discuss techniques for making a home practice a habit.

Based on my own experience, and that of other women training in the format, some of the biggest challenges to implementing a regular home practice include:

1. Not enough time and/or guilt associated with prioritizing dance over seemingly more important obligations.
2. Too many goals/ too high expectations (i.e. letting the ideal practice get in the way of an adequate practice)
   
3. Motivation to start and maintain a practice
   

Below are some simple steps to addressing these challenges and building a practice habit:

1. Develop ready-to-go practice modules: Create 10, 30, and 60 minute "mad-libs" style practices ahead of time to keep on hand, so that you can choose a practice that fits your schedule on a given day. Suhaila's Fitness Fusion dvds also work perfect for this.
2. Create additional time in the day: Ideas to do this include implementing a productivity system (I love Zen to Done by Leo Babauta); reducing email consumption to once a week (and other scary/ fabulous techniques implemented by Tim Ferris in The Four Hour Work Week); or "cutting the fat" by doing an 80/20 analysis on the areas of your life that cost the most time, money, and energy.
3. Eliminate guilt: For years I struggled with guilt associated with setting aside time to dance, despite the fact that the nourishment I gained from dance sustained every other aspect of my life. While there is no easy way to silence the inner voice that is judging the way you use your time, just recognizing it, and not believing it on face value is a great start. The Artist's WayJulia Cameron, and The Voice of Knowledge by Miguel Ruiz are both tremendous resources in overcoming this challenge.
4. Set a single, specific goal and/ or intention for your practice: Given the complexity of the format, it is easy to become overwhelmed and so difficult to prioritize one movement or concept over another. This alone has paralyzed me from time to time! By setting a single goal, you are more likely to gain confidence and momentum associated with achieving that goal, while avoiding the pressure of feeling like you have to improve everything in every practice. (And remember: our artistic path is a life-long one... and in the context of a lifetime, what is wrong with taking your time and savoring each moment on the path to achieving one's goals?)
5. Log your practice: Briefly jot down notes, or at minimum, place a big fat X on a calendar, after each practice. Use this as a source of inspiration on days you are lacking motivation. I love the simplicity of Joe's Goals for this purpose.
6. Remind yourself of your dreams: Write down your dreams (or long term goals) as a dancer, and WHY you believe in your ability to achieve them. The second part is important, because if you don't believe in your own power to achieve your dreams, you won't have the motivation to practice. Don't edit yourself in this practice-- no dream is right or wrong!

For more tips on implementing habits, check out the great tips in this article on Zen Habits.

Have you experienced any of the challenges outlined above? Have any tips for over coming them and/ or building habits? If so, please share in the comments section!