5 Home Yoga Practice Tips
Here are few tips that will help you start and maintain your home practice.
1. Let Go of Expectations
Like I mentioned above, your home yoga practice will not look like your regular group yoga class. You don’t have to practice for 60-90 minutes. Start slow with 5-10 minutes. At the end of that time, see how you feel. Do you want to continue. If yes, continue for another five minutes and then check in with yourself again. If not, end your practice.
2. Move in a Way That Feels Good to You
Just like you don’t have to practice for an hour, you don’t have to do a set series of yoga postures. You know your body and you know what your body needs. You can pick a few postures (like 3) and work on those. One of those poses can be a posture that’s “challenging” to you – which often means that you should practice it more often
If you’re a runner, you’ll likely have tight hips and hamstrings so focus on hip and hamstring openers. If you work at a desk all day, heart openers will help open up your chest and counteract rounded shoulders and slouching.
Here are some general poses that you can incorporate into your home yoga practice:
- Standing forward fold
- Downward facing dog
- Standing postures (i.e. tree pose, high lunge, Warrior poses, triangle pose)
- Backbends (i.e. Bridge pose or salabhasana)
- Seated spinal twist
- Seated forward folds (i.e. janu sirsasana, paschimottanasana or baddha konasana)
Remember that yoga is more than just the physical postures. You could also spend the time on your mat meditating or working on your pranayama or breathing practice.
3. Make it a Habit
Note the times of day that are ideal for your home yoga practice. Maybe it’s first thing in the morning or maybe it’s after work. Whenever it is, try to commit to practicing at that time and make it a priority. It doesn’t have to be every day but try to make it a habit i.e. every Tuesday morning I will wake up and practice 15 minutes of yoga. Just like your daily run or workout, soon your home yoga practice will become a habit.
4. Clear Space
Find a space in your home that where you’ll be able to practice yoga. You just need enough space for your mat and for you to move around. Having a wall nearby is nice as it can help you balance and serve as a support for inversions or legs up the wall. Once you’ve decided on your space, gather up your supplies (yoga mat, props) and set them nearby. When you have a dedicated space, you don’t have to waver trying to decide where to practice.
5. Ask for Help
Practicing yoga at home can be overwhelming but you can always ask for help. You could ask your yoga teacher (if you have one) for advice or suggestions.
