Quantifying Yoga Practice

Yoga doesn't really seem like something that should be recorded and measured. There are no goals in being present. That being said, there is usually something a yogi is working toward that brings them to the mat. This motivator might be a specific asana, an overall physical improvement like increased flexibility, or a life improvement like better stress management. Changes resulting from a yoga practice can be subtle and best realized over a period of time. Keeping a practice log or journal can really help bring awareness of and celebrate the progress practice brings.

I'm most interested in a better understanding of my human connection with nature. What are seasonal affects on my practice? I want to discover how different types of yoga (ashtanga, intuitive, restorative, etc) specifically affect my moods. I also want to recognize what is happening physically. To accomplish this, I created a simple spreadsheet to record the following:

• date
• day
• practice type
• pre-practice mood 
• post practice mood 
• flexibility
• balance
• strength
• creativity
• flow

Entries rated using a scale of 1-5:

5 - unusually on, practice milestone

4 - improved, better that usual

3 - normal, usual (my own baseline, not based on age, gender, etc statistics)

2 - less than normal, a little down

1 - extremely low, unusually off

I have designated notes fields to be more specific about my mood, physicality and other things I am noticing. Flexibility, balance, strength, creativity, and flow are both physical and spiritual aspects of humanity so it will definitely be interesting to notice the connections and changes over time.