Sometimes yoga practice doesn’t give us that awesome feeling we are accustomed to. Sometimes it’s a real struggle. Some days, just getting to the mat can seem like a marathon itself. Other days, we expect our practice to deliver the bliss, yet we muster through the practice in a barely-there, fight-til-the-end, just-wanna-go-home state. Mama said there’ll be days like this. Despite the difficulty, the mental anguish, the physical exhaustion, and the small and big annoyances, these are the most important and revealing days of the practice. After all, life is not a walk in the park. Neither is yoga, not always anyway.

You may have the expectation that the physical yoga practice itself will help iron out these kinds of days, helping to somehow neutralize them or drive away the suffering. But the reality is, our practice helps us to be present in such moments. Sometimes we come to our mat as an escape from the stressors in life, but ultimately, this practice will actually bring those stressors front and center, so that we are fully aware of them and of their effects on us. The result of this process, at times, is an uneasy practice.

You may have one of those days when you feel every pose is a great physical challenge. Or you may have one of those days when every little distraction is maddening. Or, you may end up crying in a heap for no explainable reason (or for a crystal clear reason). These are a few manifestations of a hard day on the mat. They happen. They’re tough. But these are the days that can open us up to the subtler practice of awareness.

By simply recognizing your experience of a hard day on the mat, trying to not get sucked into the long and droning dialogue in your mind that wants to explain away your experiences, you can step back and take the position of the observer. Find your breath and notice your experience. Inhale. “I feel tired.” Exhale. “This pose feels impossible and horrible today.” (You may notice that your mind wants to add all sorts of commentary, “This pose feels horrible because I am weak and will never be able to do it like Peggy Sue over there. Why bother?” Try to notice when your mind has added commentary, and come back to your breath as a way to again simply notice what is happening in the moment. Lather, rinse, repeat—the mind will be persistent with its commentary.)

It may be comforting enough to know that what happens on the yoga mat is a reflection of what happens off the mat. Some days are better than others. The same tools apply on hard days as on any other day—use your breath as a tool to help anchor your mind in the moment. Simply breathe and notice your breath. Follow your inhalation and exhalation. This will help you find the space that allows you to take a backseat, so to speak, and become the observer. It is there that insight arises. Learn how to view these days as teachers—opportunities even—and let them help you go deeper.

If you have been practicing yoga for a while, you are familiar with the relationship between breath and movement. You understand that certain movements correspond to either an in breath or an out breath, each complimenting and facilitating the other. Over time the practice of linking breath to movement starts to feel natural, and you have to think less about the specifics as you flow through your practice. You find that you are able to breathe in a way that, for the most part, matches your practice.

There is an important aspect of this relationship of breath to movement that is often left out. Not only should breath be linked to movement, but the breath should initiate the movement. Even before your arms begin to rise in Sun Salutation, your inhalation should start. In this way, you use the energy of the breath to lift your arms. Likewise, before you fold forward, your exhalation begins and guides your descent.

Practicing yoga in this way—with the breath initiating movement—will change your practice. It will take you deeper into the practice in a way that heightens your awareness and participation. Sure, you will not be able to initiate every single movement with breath at first, but try to incorporate it as much as possible. You will see that it gets easier and begins to feel more natural. Just like everything else in yoga, it takes practice.

As you get more comfortable with beginning each movement on the mat with breath, you will notice that your breath becomes more even and deep, which confers a feeling of ease to your practice. Also, you may start to take this breath practice off the mat. You may find inhalation helps you up as you move from seated to standing, and the exhalation helps guide you as you sit down. Experiment with your breath this month to see how your practice evolves when you let the breath take the lead. It will open you up to some new experiences both on and off the mat.