The Essential Guide to Practicing Yoga at Home

Now more than ever, cultivating a home practice is especially important.

If you’ve ever considered starting a home based yoga practice, but got stuck on what you would need to do to make that a reality, then I’ve got the perfect guide for you!

Today, I am going to share with you my Essential Guide to Practicing Yoga at Home and I’ll cover everything from how to begin, to how to create a zen like atmosphere in the most chaotic of households.

Let’s get started.

How to start:

Step one. Get on your mat. No seriously, I’m not trying to be smart here. The hardest part of a yoga practice is wading through our excuses and just getting on our darn mat. So step one is to step on your mat. Don’t even bother changing into yoga gear, or lighting cute candles, just step onto your mat and commit to a five minute practice. It doesn’t matter if your house is a mess or world war 3 is happening in your living room. Stepping on your mat is half of the battle. Speaking of your mat, you don’t need to have anything fancy, either.

Now that you’re on your mat, what should you do?

So you’ve committed to a 5 minute practice. Start by sitting quietly and listening to your body. How does it feel today? Perhaps begin with a body scan - with your eyes closed, slowly bring your awareness to each part of your body, starting at the top of your head and working your way down the front of your body and then back up the back of your body. What do you notice? Are there any parts that need a little more TLC? Perhaps an achy back or tight hips? Highlight an area of concern, and begin to move that area. Perhaps you know a yoga pose that will help loosen up that area, or perhaps you have a resource available that will guide you through poses that are therapeutic for that part of your body. If not, trust yourself. Just move. Move intelligently, and truly listen to your body’s feedback. It doesn’t need to look graceful, or even remotely like yoga. Just trust in your body and feel the movements. As you move, maybe you’ll recall a pose or practice from a previous yoga class that you’d like to practice again.

As you continue to work some love into the parts of your body that are in need, you may find that five minutes turns into ten, or twenty. Or perhaps after five minutes you’ve had enough. That’s ok, too. This isn’t a marathon. This is a practice that ebbs and flows and changes every day. Some days, you may only be able to handle two minutes on the mat, others, you may find an hour has flown by. There’s no requirements, no must do poses, no time minimums. Welcome to your yoga practice.

Now how do you continue your practice?

Short of a true emergency, commit to stepping on your mat for five minutes everyday. No. Matter. What. Some days your “practice” will be five minutes of crying out built up tension from the day, and others, you may find yourself flowing from one pose to the next. Give yourself some grace, and applaud yourself for showing up, whatever that may look like on any given day.

Now I want to hear from you. When it comes to practicing at home, what are your biggest challenges?