This is Yoga Too: The Sticker that saved me
A weekly reminder that you don’t need a bendy body, or even a mat to practise yoga — just a moment of awareness, kindness, or pause.
Some people do breathwork.
Some journal.
Some go for a walk.
I do all of those things — but there’s one thing I do every single day without fail:
I put a sticker in my planner.
I know, it might sound childish. Or unscientific. But hear me out… it works.
Years ago, I started gratitude journaling after reading about how it helps rewire the brain. The idea is that if, somewhere in the back of your mind, you know you’ll be writing something down later, your brain starts looking for it — for the moment of beauty, pride, or joy.
It’s a gentle example of neuroplasticity — the brain’s amazing ability to change its patterns. In fact, research has shown that regular gratitude journaling can literally reshape your brain’s default thinking pathways toward positivity and resilience read more here.
I kept the practice going for months. Like many of us, I stopped once I started feeling better (the old “I’m fine now, so I don’t need this anymore” trap). Eventually, I’d feel low again, reach for a new habit, and forget how good that little practice made me feel in the first place.
Then one day, I had a ridiculous but completely “Emma” thought: “If I want this to stick... maybe I should use stickers.”
And so began my most sacred, underrated daily ritual.
Every evening I write down one thing that made me feel proud, joyful, or calm — and I add a sticker. Something cute, sparkly, or soft. It’s part mindfulness, part reward, and part childlike delight.
It helps me see the joy in small things.
It lets me feel acknowledged — even if I’m the only one who notices.
It anchors me when life feels chaotic.
And during this most recent season of deep grief, it’s reminded me that joy is still here — even if it’s quiet.
This simple practice has become a kind of keepsake. I’ve flipped back through pages during hard weeks and actually felt the joy I experienced in the moment I placed the sticker. That’s been a powerful part of my healing.
So… what does this have to do with yoga?
In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Sutra 1.14 says:
Practice that is done consistently, over a long time, with devotion becomes firmly rooted.
— Sutra explained here
It doesn’t say “practice must be on a mat” or “only counts if it’s hard.”
It says: do the thing regularly, with love.
Putting a sticker in my planner is that for me.
It stills my mind.
It reminds me to be present.
And some nights, it feels exactly like the end of a yoga class — when everything is quiet and I can finally exhale.
What about you?
What’s something small — something you’re already doing — that brings you back to yourself?
Could you honour that as your own blissful ritual… even if no one else understands it?
Yoga Classes Return in August
Feeling ready to reconnect with your body, your breath, and that grounded post-class feeling?
My gentle yoga classes start again this August — and there’s a space for you, no matter how long it’s been.
🧘♀️ Click here to view the schedule and book your spot.
Whether it’s your first time or your first time in a while…. you’ll be welcomed exactly as you are.
