So during January I've been running every day as part a campaign called RED January. It's all about getting active every day to boost mental health. "Good for you Sarah, but we're here for the yoga chat" I hear you say. Bear with me! You see I'm not a natural runner. I have asthma and I'm not built like a runner. I'm much better at yoga. So running reminds me of what it's like to be a beginner, and what it's like to be pushed out of my comfort zone. And this year, as I've been plodding along, I've been thinking about what I've learned from pushing myself to get out there every day that also applies to yoga, or any physical activity really!

1. Getting started is the hardest part

I say it in my yoga classes all the time - showing up is the hardest part. Once you're through the class door the yoga is actually the easy bit. It's the same for running. Getting out of the door is the first hurdle especially when it's cold and dark. And then the first 5 minutes are always horrible however fit I get. My asthmatic lungs are appalled that I could expect this of them. But then I get warmed up and my body goes, oh OK, so this is what we're doing now. No run has ever been as awful as week 1 of Couch to 5k (and I've done a hilly off-road half marathon). And no yoga class will every be as scary as your first one.

2. A little goes a long way

To keep running every day manageable I set the bar really low. My minimum was 1 mile. For me that's about 12 minutes of running. I know to some of you that still sounds like an awful lot of running but the important thing is I set myself up for success. If I'd said i was going to run for 30 minutes every day I wouldn't have gotten past the first week. So set the bar really low so that you get the dopamine rush of success. Then that will motivate you to keep going. Want to do more yoga? Try a couple of cat/cows on the living room carpet during a TV ad break. Do a downward dog on the kitchen counter while the kettle boils (put your hands on the counter and walk your feet back until you get a nice stretch). Or find a five minute video like this one. After all, the best yoga is the yoga you actually do!

3. You will get better, but it won't happen overnight

The reason I took on the madness of RED January is because I had to take 6 months off running last year due to a foot injury. My fitness had plummeted and I needed a bit of a kick to get back into the habit of running. At the start of January it was frustrating as I was much slower than I had been and every run felt like a slog. Fast forward to the end of January and I'm back to a decent speed (for me) and it all just feels easier. But I didn't notice those changes in the first week or even the second. It's taken until this last week for me to really notice how much I've improved. It's the same for yoga. At first the postures feel awkward or uncomfortable. Our minds whirring while everyone else seems so zen. But stick with it and the shapes become more familiar and it becomes easier to drop in to a focused state. A new student recently shared that she's coming back to yoga after a long time away. For the first two weeks she felt she was struggling, but then it was like her body 'remembered' what to do.

4. Consistency is important, but nobody's perfect

Following on from the last point - we only get better if we keep practicing. But having the odd day or week or month or year off doesn't make you a failure. I've already written about the fact that I fell at the first RED January hurdle. I didn't run on 1 January because I had a massive hangover. I have other friends who are accomplished runners with similar tales. One, who is marathon training, had to skip a few RED January days due to illness and another due to work. But she's still marathon training. And another who is a super speedy runner but chose to break his run streak to prioritise socialising with friends. I write and speak a lot about how important it is to be kind to ourselves and this is one of those times. We are all human. We all have good and bad days. We all have plans that go awry. The important thing is that we keep going. We keep showing up.

5. There's no point in comparing yourself to anyone else

Speaking of those super speedy and marathon training friends - I learnt a long time ago not to compare myself to them. One of the good things about all the fitness tracking apps and things we have now is that I can monitor my own progress over time without reference to anyone else. I can tell I'm doing better than I was a few weeks ago and that is more useful information than worrying about other people running faster than me. It's the same with yoga. Comparing yourself to someone who can do a handstand or acrobatic balances might be the equivalent of me comparing myself to Mo Farrah. But somehow it's more obvious with running than it is with yoga. The person next to you who can touch their toes might just have really long arms (trust me, that's a thing!) or they might be hypermobile. The point is that it doesn't really matter - we are all on our own journey and all the really matters is what you are doing.

6. Focus on how it makes you feel

It's all well and good to say we are all on our own journey but what if some days it feels like your journey begins and ends at the sofa. Firstly, that's OK (see number 4). But the real secret to making any movement a habit is to focus on how it makes you feel after you've done it - not in the moment. In the moment running is often horrible - it's hard, you get sweaty and out of breath. But afterwards - that's when the really magic happens. I feel alive and energised, I feel like I've accomplished something. I think part of the true magic of yoga is the moments of pause at the start and end of class when we check in with how we are feeling. By doing that you might start to notice that you feel relaxed, peaceful, energised, sleepy, stretched, strong. The exact feeling doesn't matter. What matters is to mentally capture that feeling - like lightning in a bottle - so that you can revisit it whenever you need a bit of motivation to move. Whenever I can't be bothered to go out for a run I remind myself how good I will feel afterwards. Most of the time that's enough to get me out of the door. And to loop back to point no 1 - once you are out of the door the hardest part is already done!