Baby finally fell asleep an hour after his bedtime, and then woke up almost an hour earlier than usual. So it goes. However, it made for a long two hours of breakfast and playtime before his morning nap. When he finally went down, the last thing I wanted to do was head back into the playroom to unroll my yoga mat.

For a second, I considered skipping practice. Almost immediately (although not as quick as I would like), I thankfully dismissed the idea. Skipping a workout would only begin a downward spiral leading to more and more skipped sessions, muscle loss, and pounds gained. May sound a little dramatic, but I’ve been there before. My brain deeply connects to one of Gretchen Rubin’s Secrets of Adulthood from The Happiness Project*, “What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.”

Time to recommit. I thought about taking my mat to another room in the house. Family room? Too dark. Living room? Our dog, Sirius, would constantly interrupt. Other areas just didn’t feel right compared to the traditional playroom ashram. Back upstairs I went, scooting Old MacDonald’s tractor out of the way to make room. I rolled out my mat, opened Yoga Studio App on my iPhone, and got ready to move.

Still not in the perfect head space, I decided to amp up the difficulty level. It was a strength day, and I was planning to do a beginner’s class. I changed it to an intermediate session instead. It might seem counterintuitive, but the challenging workout helped me connect to it more. I needed to focus on the more difficult poses and faster paced transitions, forcing my mind to stay in the moment instead of leaping ahead to plan out my day or backward to bemoan my lack of sleep.

It was only my second time going through the more advanced routine, and I discovered two new things to love about it. First, it took me through two full vinyasas. There is something about flowing through those moves that made me feel strong. Vinyasas are the heart of sun salutations, the movement series that feels like the true essence of yoga for me.

Second, the class connected each movement to a breath. Exhale into forward bend. Inhale into downward dog. Exhale into plank. Connecting each breath to a movement helped me feel how inhaling or exhaling can strengthen each individual pose. When I first started yoga years ago, the concept of following my breath was completely foreign. Now it’s something I cherish. Yoga breathing helps me stay in the moment as I flow through a vinyasa or other poses.

Fifteen minutes later, I felt warm, stretched, and strong. Daily yoga practice anchors my entire day. The hardest mornings for me to hit the mat are always the ones where I finish feeling my best. I have not found a more productive or more relaxing way to (re)start my day.

What is a key habit or routine that you make sure to do every day?