Posting of the Month - Home Practice

Home Practice

Home Practice for Yoga students is the core/essence of being a Yoga practitioner, but how do we make it a part of our life?  
 
It can be challenging to establish, and there are many reasons why this is: No Time and No Space being two of the most common. These are very real difficulties.

If we look at the first - No Time

I have noticed over the years that at times of particular stress, busy-ness, when I crave/need time on my mat, the less time there is! This problem has sometimes been resolved by getting up earlier - before the house that is full of visitors/the pressing daily schedule/the endless zoom meetings has begun!

No Space

All we need is a bit of floor or ground on which to place the yoga mat.  It is possible to find this space even when travelling; investing in a very thin, light mat is invaluable. (I took mine on a walking meditation week in the Sahara Desert - plenty of space here, but too much sand!). And a yoga belt takes up no space.

Often students are fortunate to be able to have a room especially for their Yoga practice - which is a luxury. My mat is on the floor of our living room, and I am lucky that it can stay there most of the time. I notice when teaching on Zoom that my students use many locations for practice – from kitchens, hallways, tiny bedrooms, even a bathroom.

The recent Pandemic provided very few silver linings – but one was that students became encouraged to self-practice. They bought for themselves some basic items of equipment instead of relying on what was available at the class venue. This has helped many develop their own practice and appreciate the tremendous boon that doing Yoga regularly can give us all.

Being on the mat is the start. Then what?  

“Start the practice with the freedom of the mind,” said Geeta Iyengar.

There are many options, here are some :

• You can ask your teacher to suggest a simple list of asanas
• You can jot down notes from the last class you attended and practise from these.
• You can look at suggested sequences at the back of many Yoga books and follow these (Light on Yoga, Path to Holistic Health, Yoga in Action; Introduction by Geeta Iyengar).
• Or you can choose one familiar and one newer, perhaps more challenging, asana.

Often starting in Ardha Muka Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose) can be a great way to arrive, limbs and spine extending but the mind quietening as the head releases down.

Developing your own practice to include all the asana groups is a good way to proceed, whether you take a different day for each group (Standings, Forward Bends, Back Bends, Twists, Inversions) or whether you combine all or some. 

Become alert to your state of mind, body, and breath – and tune in with how you feel after your practice. The chances are high that you feel refreshed, content, clearer in the mind, more relaxed and joyful – knowing these wonderful rewards result from our time on the mat can soon become the motivation! 

As we age, our practice changes as the body changes, and as both life and yoga experience affect us.  Self-practice helps us develop awareness, and soon we learn what our body and mind need – perhaps more energy, perhaps rest, perhaps both.

Developing your own practice to include all the asana groups is a good way to proceed, whether you take a different day for each group (Standings, Forward Bends, Back Bends, Twists, Inversions) or whether you combine all or some. 

Become alert to your state of mind, body, and breath – and tune in with how you feel after your practice. The chances are high that you feel refreshed, content, clearer in the mind, more relaxed and joyful – knowing these wonderful rewards result from our time on the mat can soon become the motivation! 

As we age, our practice changes as the body changes, and as both life and yoga experience affect us.  Self-practice helps us develop awareness, and soon we learn what our body and mind need – perhaps more energy, perhaps rest, perhaps both.

How long should you devote to your daily Yoga Practice?  

If you are new to this, and at the stage of establishing a regular time for practice, don’t be too ambitious at the start with your goal.  It may not be possible for all to take one or two hours, but it may well be possible to allow fifteen/twenty minutes.  Soon this time might automatically increase as your interest, curiosity and enjoyment develop.  

My own experience of starting on my Yoga journey was at a time in my life when I couldn’t get to a class, but I had a book and I worked from it for ten minutes – very soon I was astonished to see that half an hour had passed.  As the years passed and priorities changed, so the practice time increased.

Yoga practice at home can be so enriching, fulfilling and rewarding – let me wish you joy on this path!