1) Just sit with yourself. Feel stuff. Experience being human.
In the video I refer to the American comedian Louis C.K. as he talks to late night show host Conan O’Brien. His point is that “you need to build the ability to be yourself and not be doing something. The ability to just sit there—that’s being a person, right?”
He goes on to explain an afternoon when he was driving and a Bruce Springsteen song came on. The song brought him back to his youth and he had an overwhelming urge to cry. His first instinct was to grab his phone and “write HI to, like, 50 people.” But he told himself not to reach for his phone, and, instead, let the sadness hit him. He did so and he had to pull over. He cried like a baby. And then it was over. The sadness washed away and it was met by happiness antibodies.
A person needs to go through this stuff. Otherwise feelings are suppressed and will manifest as physical problems.
So, this is the first step in a home yoga practice. Allow yourself to forget the postures. Forget about how straight your legs are. How strong your back is. How intimate your nose can get with your knee.
Get the body out of your way, and just be with yourself. Rub your hands on your belly. Give yourself a hug. Feel the breath. Love the body that is your home.
2) When I first started yoga, my biggest issue in a home practice was remembering postures and sequences. I always needed a YouTube video to walk me through it. However, it was distracting having to look up at the computer screen, or that crazy moment when you’ve twisted yourself into some sort of asana and you don’t know the next move because the screen is tilted too far up to see it. Yikes, what a pain!
A good way to break this barrier is to allow yourself to concentrate on just a few postures. Pick a simple sequence. Surya Namaskara A or B are two great ones to flow through. And it can be super strong if you do it over and over again. Repetition is a great way to learn, so don’t feel like you have to include some mad Baddhapretzelsasana for it to be a challenging practice.
3) Time can be a big distraction. Pick a few songs you love and flow through them. And they don’t have to be ocean sounds or Tibetan chimes. You can yoga to Leonard Cohen, or Mozart’s Andante, or even The White Stripes. Remember our YogaHub teachers’ favourite tunes from 2 weeks ago? You can use our PlayList! Think of your yoga like having a super deep conversation with a friend. Time melts in this place. Allow yourself to really enjoy the experience with your practice until the playlist ends.
