How To Practice Yoga At Home
Practicing yoga at home is very peaceful, it helps me to look inward and to challenge my body at my pace without distractions. Don't get me wrong, I love my yoga classes! Classes are inspiring, and I always walk away learning something new. Also, practicing with a group of people is a very positive and uplifting experience.
For many reasons, it may not be possible to attend yoga classes. Developing a yoga routine, which takes a lot of self commitment, is a profound tool for deepening your relationship with yoga. Some general tools I use to strengthen my home practice are:
1) DVD's! I personally recommend Wai Lana (click here for a link to her workout DVD selection). She has developed four sets of DVD's which go from beginners all the way to very challenging. The great thing about her DVD's is that if you master the beginners, you are ready for the intermediate (which if you master, you're ready to move into the more advanced poses). She also has a 1/2 hour show on PBS if you're lucky to receive that particular television channel. I have all four sets of her DVD's, and I always rotate those DVD's so that each week I'm using different muscles and utilizing extremely different poses. If buying new DVD's is something you cannot afford, thrift stores and garage sales are places where you may be lucky enough to find Yoga DVD's. Always watch the DVD's several times before practicing however, so that you get to know the routine and you have an idea of how the poses look. If you are very new to yoga, please only get beginner DVD's or invest in beginner classes so that you don't injure yourself!
2) Require a minimum time of practice everyday! Even 15 minutes of time set aside to practice yoga is beneficial and good for your home practice. Before I go to bed every-night, I usually write down on my calender the amount of time I want to set aside for yoga practice, and if necessary what time of day to practice. So for example I may write down "wake up--30 minutes of yoga, at 1pm--1 hour of yoga, before bedtime--20 minutes of yoga." This is a contract to myself that I will follow and agree to, and it's a way that I know I will stick to my practice.
3) Make sure to have an area in your living space dedicated to practicing yoga. Follow a routine prior to your allotted yoga time. For example, I always light some incense, roll my mat out, get some water, sit for a few minutes in quite contemplation, and then begin my yoga session. This is a way for me to remind my body and prepare my mind that I'm about to practice yoga, it calms me down and opens my spirit up. I also turn off the computer, TV, and phone so that I am not disturbed.
4) Go in for that tune up class every so often, it's a good way to make sure that your technique and your positioning is correct.
5) If you do not want to use yoga DVD's, you should form a sequence. I have a few general tips for sequences when I practice yoga without a DVD.
a) get in touch with your breath, sit in a seated pose, or in child's pose for several minutes.
b) warm up the spine and legs by doing seated spinal twists, the cat/cow, or rocking back and forth on your back.
c) perform several sun salutations, try some variances in your sun salutations, this will get your heart pumping.
d) try some standing/balancing poses such as the tree or the triangle pose.
e) focus on core strength such as the plank/side plank/boat pose.
f) try some back bends such as camel/bridge/or easy bow.
g) end with an inversion of some type such as legs up the wall/shoulder stand
h) Savasana--lie on your back in a comfortable position, this is the "dead man's pose" where you completely relax all the muscles in your body, this is also the pose where you allow your body to integrate all the work you have just completed.
i) sit and meditate, and give thanks.
Namaste........
