The Importance of a Yoga Home Practice

You don't need much in the way of equipment to get started with your yoga home practice, although it's useful to have a non-skid mat, and maybe a blanket or towel for extra padding.

You also need a cleared space for practicing yoga. You might have a special room or corner in your house or apartment that you can set aside for your use, but really any place where you have room to stretch will work. When I practice at home I do it in my living room because that's where I have open space (see photos of me on this lens).

To make your space more conducive for practicing, you may want to add your own special touches with some yoga artwork.
Here are some ideas on Yoga Art - Sculptures and Posters

It's a little tricky if you have kids or pets around, because they often love to participate too! You may need to wait until the kids are asleep or at school to get in a good yoga practice, or you might decide to let this be a kid-friendly activity :-)

To plan for your yoga practice I suggest that you:

• Set aside 5 - 15 minutes each day at the same time.
  
• Clear your chosen practice area of unnecessary items.
  
• Keep your mat and any other "props" stored within easy reach nearby.
  
• Turn off the phone, don't answer the door (and don't decide you have to check your email or the laundry during your practice!).
  
• If necessary, tell your spouse and kids that this is your time and to not disturb you for these few minutes (good luck!).
  

Then practice!

For a simple, short yoga practice you might start by:

• Sitting quietly for a minute or so as a way to center your mind and to set your intentions.
  
• Then do 2 - 4 more poses that you remember from class
  
• And lie down for a short rest (savasana).
  

Sounds simple, doesn't it? Keep it simple for awhile, until you feel comfortable with doing more.

Creative Commons photo on Flickr by Chika

When you have your own yoga home practice, you learn the asanas (postures) and pranayama (breathwork) more fully than if you do them only in class, and you'll more fully experience the effects the practice has on your body, mind, and soul. Even if you take more than one yoga class a week, you benefit in a different way when practicing yoga outside of class.

Balanced, by Bella Dos Santos
Available at Allposters.com

Your practice of yoga in between classes will help you progress in your understanding of the yoga postures you already do in class, and will prepare you for more difficult yoga poses later on. This is essential if you want to take advanced classes; otherwise your class experience can turn into a frustrating struggle, and you put yourself at more risk for injury when you attempt difficult, complicated yoga postures.

When practicing yoga at home, you start to internalize the poses -- you're not outwardly listening to your teacher, but instead you begin to listen to your own inner voice and you begin to explore more deeply how your own body and mind work.

Your practice of yoga becomes a satisfying, inward quest.

The most common reasons that I hear for not practicing:

• I don't have enough time
• I don't know what to practice
• I'm lazy, I procrastinate
• I'm too tired
• I'm sick or injured

Photo of Sarvangasana (shoulder stand), K. Coupland

Let's briefly address all of these reasons for not practicing:

1. I don't have enough time
This is the most common reason of course. Many of us are already very busy in our lives, and the thought of adding one more activity doesn't seem feasible. BUT....if you can find 10 - 15 minutes in your day to devote to your own practice, you'll see a big improvement in your poses. Maybe you're the type who can easily get up a little earlier in the morning and do a short practice to start your day. You'll feel more energetic during the rest of the day!

Or maybe you have a few minutes during your lunch, or in the evening for a practice. If you're a stay-at-home parent, consider taking time for your practice after the kids are off to school.

It doesn't have to be a long practice -- the trick is being consistant. If you use a planner to schedule your day, schedule yourself in for your practice, and don't cancel! Turn off your cell phone and tell your family that you need these few minutes to yourself with no interruptions, and get to work!

2. I don't know what to practice
This is a valid reason! How do you get started, especially if you're a beginner? I tell my students to practice what they remember from class each week. It's easiest to remember right after class -- you might take a few minutes to jot down some notes or diagrams and refer to them during the week. Beginners might just remember a couple poses, and not quite get them right, but it's a good start. If you do them differently in your practice, you'll figure it out next time you do them in class, and you'll learn more quickly that way.

After you've learned and can remember a few more poses, you may want to start out with a couple of your favorite poses, as a way to get yourself motivated and moving, then work on a couple more difficult poses.

Also, the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the U.S. has a page with practice sequences to give you some ideas of what to practice.

3. I'm lazy, I procrastinate
I understand that one completely too :-). Scheduling your practice, as I mentioned above, may help. Promise yourself a treat afterward if you practice (just nothing too decadent, at least not too often!) Set up practice sessions with a buddy. It's harder to put off your practice if you've promised a friend that you'll get together to practice. Don't disappoint your friend!

Practice with a buddy

Women Doing Yoga
Available at Allposters.com



4. I'm too tired
If you're exhausted after a long day, consider doing a little when you get up in the morning or at lunch (as mentioned above). But you also might give yourself 15 minutes at the end of the day to do a restorative yoga practice -- quiet, calming poses that will soothe the body and the mind. A couple pleasant options are to lie on your back with legs up the wall, or lie with support under your trunk and head, bending the knees to the side with the soles of the feet touching (Supta baddha konasana -- see the photo at top of lens, which is again of Yours Truly...)

5. I'm sick or injured
It's often a good idea to just rest if you're sick or injured. But if you already have some background in yoga, you might be able to find poses that you can do to help recover more quickly. Again, a restorative yoga practice, or the two poses mentioned in the paragraph above ("I'm too tired") are very good to do if you're sick with a cold or flu or some other relatively mild illness. If you're injured, your yoga teacher may be able to show you a few ways to safely modify poses that will also allow the injured area to heal more quickly. Don't push though! If you feel that your practice is hurting, rather than helping, do stop until you heal or can get help!

Click on the picture to go to this Google video

If you're feeling tired or stressed, you can do a restorative yoga practice. This video is of a nice, soothing restorative sequence. Even if you don't do the full sequence, even just a couple poses, to your own ability, will be very useful as a way to gently stretch the body. Try the pose in the photo -- it's one of my students' favorite poses!

Having a set of printed sequences of poses can help you decide what to practice.

The Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States (IYNAUS) has available four Level 1 yoga sequences (beginning yoga poses), and four Level 2 yoga sequences (intermediate yoga poses) that you can print out for your own use. They have clear diagrams that you can follow to do the poses. If you have questions, ask your teacher (or you can ask me too -- I'm always happy to "talk yoga"!.

IYNAUS practice sequences

If you don't have time to do a whole sequence all the way through, pick a few of the poses and do them in the order that they're listed. Try to include an "inverted" pose (legs higher than heart) even if it's something very simple like lying on your back with the legs up the wall. Also give yourself a little time at the end to rest.

Photo Utthita trikonasana -- triangle pose by K. Coupland

As I mentioned earlier, it took me awhile to establish a strong personal practice. You might go through times of strong, easy practices, followed by times that you just can't make yourself do it. Don't be hard on yourself, but don't give up either! Maybe you were attempting too much to begin with. Change your goals to something more reasonable -- make it easier for yourself for awhile. Maybe practice your two favorite poses and let that be your practice for the day. If the spirit moves you, you can always do more.

(Photo purchased through iStockPhoto.com)