4 Tips for Creating a Home Yoga Practice
Practicing yoga at home can be difficult for some who are used to practicing in a yoga studio with an instructor. Many yogis believe they just wouldn’t have the discipline to successfully practice at home. However, not all of us are fortunate enough to have a yoga studio close to home and/or the resources to attend classes. This is why many yogis start a home practice.
If you’re wondering how you can kickstart your home yoga practice, below are four important tips to keep in mind.
1. Begin Where You Are
The first task is picking a place where you will not be disturbed. Pick a spot where the temperature and lighting are just right for you; a window by the warm sun or a dimly lit, quiet room may be just what you need that day. Make a promise to stick with it. Make a date with your mat and practice for yourself on a regular basis.My Lesson: Rolling out the yoga mat in my large bathroom, it slammed down with a thud. Such a sad sight it made all alone on the floor. I closed the door, cranked up the space heater, started some music, lied down, and began to engage my breath.
My heartbeat thudded in my ears, and I felt like a complete and utter failure. But, I stayed with it. I would whisper, “Practice, and all is coming.”
2. Just Breathe
Feel what yoga BECOMES as you move, and do not get weighted down by what you think yoga IS or should be. Leave just enough room for the Wild Yogi to bloom. Abolish self-doubting questions, and love your home practice unconditionally. Period.Wild Yogis need to be inspired. Pick whatever poses you want or need that day and began practicing these poses however and whenever you like. Harness your imagination, watch videos, read magazines, list poses you love, and become active in sequencing your yoga practice at home. You get to be your own teacher!
Wild Yogi practice will become more fluid with time. If we just believe in ourselves, we can cultivate a home practice into a wild, untamed, and organic personal journey.
My Lesson: I kept my daily date with my yoga mat even if it was just for a few sun salutations, seated folds, and savasana. I was inspired by linking sequences instantaneously in my head and just letting my body flow where it wished.
My practice was less “labeled” and more fluid, liquid, and dynamically groovy. I would constantly remind myself, “Just breathe, and let go of things.”
3. Surrender
Surrender means “giving in” to the Wild Yogi, and not giving up. Give yourself permission to stumble. So what if you face plant or only meditate for 30 seconds? Trying new things without expectations frees us from worrying if we fail. Just try again.Join a new tribe: Yogis in the Wild. What does that mean? Whatever you want it to mean. Our Wild Yogi home practice journey is full of limitless possibilities. This is where we can really tap into something primal.
We may be tempted to run from this surrender, but please reconsider. Now the real work begins. It becomes less about back bending and more about heart opening. Your home practice is all about surrendering to what is and enjoying the process.
My Lesson: Seeing my life “from the mat” helped me find the courage to practice alone. I loved how I felt and looked. I broke out into spontaneous trance dance and did not care. I calmed and stilled body and mind more easily.
I discovered the wild and untamed heart caged inside me was ready to burst forth from my yoga mat with both discipline and abandon because I had surrendered to my true self.
4. Let the Light In
Be open to all journeys of self-discovery. Solitary yoga practice at home cultivates a deep and personal energy. Share your light with others, and let their light shine upon you. Share your Wild Yogi experience as a way of letting others know they too can experience and enjoy a solitary practice.Invite others to join you. The energy of the group yoga practice can be delicious and textured. We Wild Yogis will find a way to strike a balance between solitary and group practice.
My Lesson: I truly believe that a yogi needs the energy cultivated in both a personal practice and a group practice. When I decided to join a group of yogis again and “emerge from the wild,” I found that I was lifted and carried through each sun salutation, I became the fierce warrior within, and I flew like the eagle.
It was exhilarating and humbling. Suddenly, it all became clear. What’s the ultimate secret to a home practice?
The Benefits of a Home Practice – The Takeaway
All yogis are Wild Yogis. And all Yogis need each other. Practice creates a union among us and within the greater yoga community. If there are no studios available in your area or classes that fit your schedule, there are many groups and programs available online that create the sense of a yoga community at large.
