starting a home practice
When you begin a new yoga class you soon start to feel the benefits. Conscious movement, stretching and breathing; although it sounds simple, the results can be profound.
The best way to harness the transformative power of yoga is by incorporating it into your regular life, outside of the Centre. Regular practice in between classes is what our teachers recommend, so we have put together some guidance to help you start your own home practice.
Preparing for a home yoga practice; Getting started
decide on a yoga practice place in your home. Ideally it is somewhere that you can leave your mat and blocks or any equipment and slide it out easily ready to start. If that is not possible, just designate a spot that will be the place you always use, away from noise and others as much as is possible.
decide on a time that you will practice. The ancient texts recommend early morning or early evening but the most important thing is that you have an empty stomach, so it could be mid morning after you drop children to school, for example. A cup of tea/ coffee or water is fine before you begin.
think about how often in the week you can manage to practice, and for how long. It is better to be less ambitious and stick to it e g 10 minutes every day or 20 minutes 3 times a week. The more you keep up your routine, the easier it will be and you may want to do more. If you are new to home practice, keep it short.
deciding what to practice can be hard at first. Use the practice sheets given at the Centre (ask your teacher) or in our video. Or simply do any poses that you remember you enjoyed from your weekly class.
always finish with a short Svasana (corpse or relaxation pose), lying on your mat and letting go. Acknowledge what you have achieved in simply making the space to practice yoga and how much better you feel.
Home practice video sequence
We wish you all the benefits that come from taking up your own Yoga Practice!