Since yoga is one of the most beneficial practices you can possibly have in your life, it makes sense to make your practice your own, and make conscious choices and how and when to practice on your own.
Here are a few ideas to help you start or develop a sustained practice at home.
Keep a yoga journal - it might be a digital one in a notes app, or a visual diary you can write and draw in. Note down new poses or approaches to a pose, tips (like some of these below!) and insights from classes you attend or personal sessions you do. You can also schedule the time you’ll start or how much time you will set aside each day, what your focus could be for the next week or month, and your short and long term goals (more on goals at the end of this list!)
Have a good sticky mat to practise on, one that you like, that will set you up for your practice each day.
Make space in our home - keep your mat and other props near a space you can practice in. Add any special objects that will help to inspire our practice... special stones, rugs, pillows, pictures... Or decide on a nice place outdoors to practise at.
Decide what might guide your practice - Do you need to take it easy today (do your favorite tried and true sequence) or are you up for a challenge (work on some poses that you find challenging or tend to avoid)? Will you practise for a set time? A minimum amount of time? Will you take each pose as it comes to you or do a set sequence?
Balance the mix of asana (both vinyasa & yin style), relaxation and meditation to suit you. Try to practise at least a little bit of all four, even if your main focus is one of them, depending on your body and mind’s needs that day.
What to include in the asana mix? Your asana practice can include forward bends, back bends, twists, seated and standing poses, balancing, and upside down poses (near the end). Also consider different pranayam techniques.
Follow the body’s lead - take your time, use your breath and let your practice flow. Eventually, you will intuit what poses to do next. Try not to be too mechanical, especially if you use a set routine. Every time you practice even the same routine, it will feel different and you’ll discover more.
Go to bed before 10 (or 11pm at a stretch), otherwise you might not have time the next day for your practice.
See it through - Try not to walk off mid-practice. If you really have to cut your practice short, spend three minutes or three breaths transitioning from the mat to the rest of your day. Use that time to rest and breathe, absorb the effects, find gratitude and honor the practice.
Have fun and don’t be too critical of yourself and how you’re doing.
More about goals: Choosing to focus on short term or long term goals may depend on whether you are already goal oriented or not. If you tend to be very goal focused, having a more relaxed attitude to your yoga practice might help. If you’re feeling a bit aimless these days, floating through life or stuck in a rut, set some goals for your practice and that will trickle over to other areas of life eventually.There will be times when it will be good for you to just go with the flow, to land on your mat and see where your intuition and creative inspiration takes you! And sometimes there’ll be a need to stay focused on a certain outcome.If things have been a bit hectic, stressful or chaotic in life (vata or pita imbalance), you will need to settle into a slow practice. If you’ve been feeling sluggish uninspired, then a kapha balancing practice of standing poses, sun-salutations might be in order as your main focus.
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