8 Ways to Cultivate a Home Yoga Practice
You asked – and we have provided!
Last week we asked what topics you Yogahubbers would like to see more of on the blog, and a surprising amount of you expressed an interest in learning more about how to more effectively cultivate a home yoga practice.
While there’s nothing that can quite replicate attending your favourite class or a certain teacher’s weekly flow, sometimes we simply cannot make it into the studio – and that’s okay too.
The first step to cultivating a home practice of yoga is really to understand that yoga is not just about the asanas. Sure, it looks great to whip out a headstand when the topic comes up at a party and all of a sudden you’re the centre of attention – but a gymnast could do that.
This is not yoga.
There is much more than physical achievement to be experienced by engaging with our breath, bodies, and energy on a daily basis, and so when we talk about ‘yoga’ here we’re really talking about all aspects of the practice – asana, pranyama, meditation, self-awareness and introspection, to list but a few.
1. Pick a Time and Stick to it
While I’m well aware we can’t all be early birds (I’ve received my fair share of bleary-eyed, disgruntled comments from family members/housemates over the past few years), if we really want to experience the most benefit from our yoga practice there is no time quite like the early hours. One reason for this is that it’s usually quieter at this time, the pre-sunrise hush ensuring we get as much peace and quiet as possible.
Another reason is that practicing and meditating before you begin your workday means that you’re beginning it more focused and energised, meaning you’re more likely to perform better and in true snowball effect, experience an overall more productive day.
If you really hate mornings and are more prone to snoring than ‘Om’ming before 7am, at least try to make the time you choose to practice consistent. It helps when trying to make it into a habit.
2. Find A New Spot
Do you usually hang out in the sitting room? Don’t do your yoga practice there. A fresh environment is best – preferably tidy and not too cramped! It makes sense to limit distractions when you’re trying to cultivate your concentration and direct your attention inward, and you’re more likely to experience wandering eyes or thoughts if you’re surrounded by stuff. At the very least make sure your room is tidy before settling down to clear out your mind!
3. Don’t Make into a #Thing
Oversharing is a major plague of our times, and with social media at our fingertips it can be tempting to post our pride at having completed our #practice for the third day in a row. The danger here arises when we slowly fall victim to the buzz of receiving praise for this rather than the buzz of the act itself. It also has been scientifically proven that making intentions public like this makes it more difficult to maintain them. Make it easier for yourself (and your friends on social media) by making your practice a time for you. You’ll soon begin to enjoy and look forward to the time spent with yourself and away from #socialmedia.
4. Don’t Have an End Goal
Similar to the above point, having a specific ‘end goal’ in mind to achieve by practicing yoga is a bad idea. Be it a particularly challenging asana, documented track record, or (god forbid) a so-called ‘target weight’, we must take our attention away from achieving these things, and instead focus on the process and the moment as we’re in it. Yoga is intended as a way to help us appreciate ourselves, our bodies, minds, and ever-changing world as it all happens – for the unpredictable, messy, beautiful and flawed beings we are. Focusing solely on perfecting an asana or taking an instagrammable photo is actually cultivating the exact opposite of yoga – focusing energy and attention outward instead of inward. Leave the end goals behind, and make the goal the moment.
5. Use Resources
We live in an age where Google can provide us with pretty much anything we ask of it, so why not use it to your advantage? There are hundreds, if not thousands, of yoga instructors on Youtube who provide videos of classes varying in length, style, and pretty much anything you could hope to focus on. If you’re struggling to stay on the mat for more than a few minutes at a time or simply want to get a few new ideas to play around with, we’d suggest taking an online class! Yoga with Adriene, YogaTX and Sadie Nardini are just some of the great channels we’ve come across, but the possibilities really are endless!
6. Get Creative!
Don’t own a yoga block? Grab that old enormous hardback book you’ve always said you’d read. Bolsters? Pillows and blankets will cushion any clumsy falls from asanas we’re not sure of. Our home practice provides us with a safe and private environment to try out things we may have been nervous about in a crowded class situation. Bonus here is that nobody will see you topple over!
7. Go Easy on Yourself!!
It’s difficult to make something a habit. Some days we arrive on our mats filled with inspiration and motivation and positive energy. Some days we drag ourselves there in desperate search of these sensations, returning with our heads down to see if we left them there yesterday. Every day is different, and it’s important to recognise this and not place too much pressure on yourself to replicate a previous day’s practice. Self-awareness is key here.
8. Every Practice Counts
There is no winning or failing in yoga. There is only being. Ten minutes will slowly turn into 15, 20….etc, and the more you practice focusing on the mind and breath, the more you will get out of those 10 or 15 minutes each day. It’s really quality over quantity here, and we have to learn not to let the onslaught of external influences make us think otherwise.
For more from Jenny see Upward Facing Blog!
