Goal setting is a fantastic way to make sure you’re living your life with intention and getting everything you want out of it.

Most of us have aspirations and wishes, but how often are you setting real, achievable goals for yourself? There’s a big difference.

Wishes, resolutions and aspirations are vague. Examples:

“Do more yoga.”
“Be better at hydrating.”
“Sleep better.”

Goals are specific. They are simple, clear, and whether or not you’ve achieved your goal is black and white.

“I will do 20 yoga classes in the next 60 days.”
“I will drink 1 litre of water before every meal this week.”
“I will put away electronics at 8PM and be in bed by 9PM every night for the next month.”

There is nothing wrong with wishes. They’re great to help us identify what we want from life! But they’re a stepping stone to setting real, achievable goals.

When setting a goal, remember to be SMART.

S: Specific. Clear, defined, not ambiguous at all.
M: Measurable. If your goal is to drink 1 litre of water and you only drink 750 mL, you know you have 250 more to go before you have reached your goal.
A: Achievable. Your goal is something you are capable of attaining (possibly with some extra lifestyle changes).
R: Realistic. If you’ve never run before in your life, saying you’ll run a full marathon by the end of next week is not setting yourself up for success.
T: Timely. Give yourself both a start and end date so that your brain can help you prioritize in your day to day life.

How does this apply to yoga?

Often, the biggest hurdle is just coming to your mat. One of our favourite things at the studio is watching people surprise themselves with what they’re capable of; so often, we write off classes or postures or intervals because we think we can’t do it. But often if we try, we achieve way more than we think we can. This is the thought process behind challenges at our studio; we’re not asking you to be able to plank for 10 minutes straight by the end of the challenge (though we totally support you if that’s your goal!); all we want to do is encourage you to come to your mat and find out what happens.

If you’re hoping to work towards a specific posture, check in with your fellow yogis or instructors! We can help you identify what’s keeping you from getting there and give you some tips to work towards it.

The hardest part is committing to a challenge Your next step is to figure out how you’re going to get there. Take a moment to sit down and plan out your schedule. Decide how many classes you need to do per week to hit your goal, and then figure out which classes you’ll be taking. Schedule them in at the start of every week, and if the schedule isn’t fitting with your life then supplement by practicing at home with Zoom classes or On Demand videos.

As always, if you’re having trouble getting started or need some inspiration, we’re here for you! Check in with our staff or with your Stronger Together teammates and get to crushing your goals.