If you find that fighting traffic and your schedule to get to a yoga class is creating more stress than relief, then bringing yoga into your home can be a way to infuse your practice with a simple and welcome ease.
Practicing yoga at home can save you time, energy, and money, and perhaps even set you up for greater success in honoring your intention of commitment. Whether you are new to yoga or are taking your current practice to a new level, developing a home practice can meet you where you are and give meaningful rewards to both body and mind when you need them most.
If you’re brand new to yoga, you can still build a beneficial and fulfilling practice if you take it one step at a time with the help of DVDs, video downloads, or online classes. Find books or DVDs that fit your intention, your needs, and your level. Start slow—try 15 minutes in the morning to begin your day—and build as you go, taking care to be mindful of your body and avoid injury.
Practicing yoga at home can save you time, energy, and money, and perhaps even set you up for greater success in honoring your intention of commitment. Whether you are new to yoga or are taking your current practice to a new level, developing a home practice can meet you where you are and give meaningful rewards to both body and mind when you need them most.
Studio Sweet Studio
Creating a sacred space in your home is simple. A quiet space free of clutter and commotion is all that’s needed to get started, with room enough to store a mat and any props you may use, such as blocks, straps, or blankets. While few of us are able to transform an entire room into a yoga studio, dedicating even a corner of a room as your sacred space can help get you get to your mat on those days when dragging the living room furniture out of the way is too great an obstacle. Making sure your space is always clean, open, and inviting welcomes a retreat at any moment.Home Schooling
Many yoga instructors and students alike would agree that learning the basics of yoga—some fundamental poses and breathing techniques—in a class setting is the best way to get a practice started before going it alone at home. If you already have a few classes under your belt, or if your practice is well established, then you’re ready to take it home with a little help from books or video, or simply by following the yogi in your head.If you’re brand new to yoga, you can still build a beneficial and fulfilling practice if you take it one step at a time with the help of DVDs, video downloads, or online classes. Find books or DVDs that fit your intention, your needs, and your level. Start slow—try 15 minutes in the morning to begin your day—and build as you go, taking care to be mindful of your body and avoid injury.
Listen to Your Inner Instructor
Practicing yoga in the quiet of your home allows you the space to honor your body and teach from within, paying close attention and exploring what your body and spirit need each day. In a yoga class, we often pay more attention to the bodies around us, trying to “keep up” with our neighbors or fit our own bodies to the teacher’s instructions. In the meditative calm of your home studio, you can:- Tune inward, work at your own pace, and take the time to listen to your body
- Check in with yourself and turn your attention to how you feel
- Personalize your practice by choosing the poses and rhythms that best fit your mood and needs for the day, incorporating invigorating Vinyasa sequences, balancing Asanas, or restorative breathing and stretching
- Take the time to adjust a pose if it doesn’t feel just right, hold a pose for a longer period of time, or rest when your body tells you to, without feeling like you’re falling behind
