Practicing at Home

If you want to start doing yoga from the comfort of your home continue reading! And who knows, maybe you'll get a little inspired on your yoga journey as well. 

Should you practice at home? Here are some tips on making that decision.

Deciding if you want to practice at home, in a studio or a combination of the two is a personal question and one influenced by personal preferences and knowing yourself.

A couple considerations when thinking about this are:

• How much time do you have available each week and how much of it do you want to dedicate to yoga? (commuting to a studio can take up more time compared to setting up in your living room)
• How dedicated are you to your practice and are you a self motivated individual? (it's easy to skip a practice at home because you don't feel like it but much harder once you're in a studio)

Some of us need support when dealing with physical activity. We need a cheerleader, encouraging us to continue and push forward, strengthening and growing in the process. That's normal and practicing in a studio with a teacher and other students might be the preferred environment. Even if that's you, it's good to be able to supplement studio practices with an at home practice for days you can't make it into the studio.

So what do I need to practice at home?

When practicing at home it is helpful to have the following items, as they will help you create an environment conducive to your practice:

• a comfortable mat (have you heard of REECH? I hear their mats are pretty good)
• a towel and/or a blanket;
• comfortable clothes

If you have decided to practice only at home it's important to be consistent in your practice. Here are some useful tips for you:

Start slow; Grow gradually

Often when I'm excited about starting something new, I put 150% into the first 3 session and never touch it again. I get burnt out right on the onset. Don't let that happen with your at home yoga practice.

If you're just starting out there is no need to be perfect or as flexible as the online instructor. Be patient, you'll get there. There is no urgency and it is important for the body to get used to your practice and realize what you're doing. Through gradual growth, your yoga practice will improve and you won't risk harming yourself through over extension.

Adapt the practice to your needs

Following in the footsteps of famous and experienced yogis is admirable but remember that yoga is personal and your practice should be YOUR practice. Design it and adapt to the needs of your body and desired results. This will help keep you motivated to continue practicing and growing when at home.

Study your practice and perfect it practice after practice, day after day. Make it truly your practice for your needs.

Be realistic

Remember that your yoga practice is personal. Not only physically but also mentally due to your unique mind and body. Take up space and set goals that can be accomplished. To be clear, I believe anyone can accomplish any pose in yoga. But I don't believe it can be accomplished tomorrow. If you're just starting out, you shouldn't be doing inversions later this week.

Don't set goals that can't be achieved in a reasonable amount of time. Instead, focus on what makes you feel good as you practice and continue to nurture your practice while working towards your goals.

Find the perfect practice space

I'm using "perfect" loosely. What you really need here is a space large enough for your mat with a little buffer on either side to stretch out. It can help picking a room or section of a room that you practice in consistently. Doing so you will be able to visualize that area of the house as the one dedicated to your practice and well-being and you will want to use it in this way.

But try a few out until you find one that works and feels right. The perfect practice space is really a state of mind. As long as your practicing and comfortable, you're in the perfect space already.

~Bernie