7 tips for a successful home Yoga practice

Guest Blog by Carla Christine, Founder of Yoga Green Book 

 

Weather, work and other responsibilities may prevent you from making it to the yoga studio, but having a home practice will keep you on your journey. Determining where to start and what to do can be overwhelming. These seven tips will help you craft your home practice and take yoga to the next level.

1. Schedule a time

Choose a time that will work most days to allow your home practice to become part of your routine. When do you typically have the time, physical space and motivation? Pick those days and times.

 

2. Create your space

Find a quiet space where you will not be interrupted. Clean and organize your space to help focus your mind. Light candles, turn on music or do anything else that helps you feel at ease and inspired.

 

3. Start with stillness

Sit in any comfortable position and take a moment to scan your body from toes to head. Then, observe your breath and how it feels to be in your body. Create your practice based on how you feel and your energy level. Do you need a challenging or gentle flow? Do you just need to sit in meditation? Honor your body and what it needs.

 

4. Set an intention

Having an intention for your practice will allow your mind to have something to focus on anytime distractions pop up. It can be physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. Do you want to increase flexibility? Do you want stress-relief? Think about the reason for your practice and set your intention accordingly.

 

5. Find your flow

Warm up your body using breath-synchronized movement to initiate the mind-body connection through the breath. Perhaps, start with Half Sun Salutation. Then, get creative. Move into your favorite asanas (yoga poses) to make your experience enjoyable and effortless. Add poses that will allow your spine to move in all directions (forward, backward, side-to-side) so you have a well-rounded practice. If it is challenging coming up with a sequence, try free online classes at yogagreenbook.com.

 

6. Seal your practice with stillness

Close your asana practice with at least two minutes in Corpse Pose to seal in your practice. Not being in a studio class, it can easy to skip this final resting posture. Make a point to include Corpse Pose to reap its benefits. Now, your session is complete or you can sit in stillness for at least 30 seconds for meditation.

 

Bonus Tip: It also helpful to use meditation cushions to sit comfortably during meditation and reduce experiences of pain. Visit www.consciouslifeshop.com for chic and modern meditation cushion options.

 

7. Make a commitment

Honor your scheduled time for yoga. Some days your practice may only consist of sitting in stillness. That is perfectly fine. The most important thing is to make the reoccurring time for your practice and self-care.

 

Starting and maintaining a home yoga practice can be challenging, but is a powerful way to deepen your practice. Practicing solo can allow you to experience a connection between your body, mind, and breath beyond your imagination. Let me know in the comments how these tips work for you or if you have any tips to add to the list.

 

– Carla Christine is a certified yoga teacher and founder of Yoga Green Book, which promotes healing and holistic wellness to people of color through online yoga classes. After 10 years working as an electrical engineer, Carla was empowered to leave her job and follow her purpose to share yoga’s transformational power and serve needs in the community. Carla is currently working on expanding Yoga Green Book as she travels around the world with her husband.