I used to go to a yoga class in Prague.
I liked it, but it took a big chunk of time out of my day.
The class was from 6 to 7 in the evening. Already an hour gone.
But then I had put on my winter clothes before leaving my apartment, walk to the tram stop, get there a few minutes early so I wouldn’t miss the tram, ride the tram, walk to the studio, change clothes in the studio, wait for the class to begin. And then repeat all that after the class.
That 60 minute class easily became a two hour yoga odyssey (a long journey).
Then the light bulb went off….
“Hey,” thought genius Mr. Vig, “What if I… stretched…at home!”
Brilliant!
“And is there a rule that says yoga has to be 60 minutes?”
There isn’t!
Another amazing discovery!
I never went back to yoga class again.
And today I can still touch my toes and squat like an Asian.
By simply using my imagination, I saved hours every week.
When I hear a student say “I don’t have time” I think they’re thinking like I used to think about yoga.
“I must go to English. I must sit in a classroom for 60 minutes.”
But why?
What if, instead, English came to you?
And why do you need 60 minutes?
Is that a rule?
Is there research that says 60 minutes is magic?
No.
So here’s an idea.
Monday morning you get in your car to go to work. The phone rings. You turn on the speaker phone. A friendly voice with a UK or US accent says, “Good morning! How was your weekend?”
And you have a friendly, easy conversation. And you do that again Wednesday morning and Friday morning.
Everyone has time for that.
Or maybe your imagination will give you a better idea…