Home practice is one of the key elements to integrating yoga into your life. It is often something which people find difficult to apply and the reasons vary from “not enough time’, “nowhere quiet and comfortable to practice” to “I can’t remember all the poses” and “I just don’t know how to sequence practices”.
Some of these may sound familiar to you if you have been putting off starting your own yoga practice at home. You may well be attending weekly classes but have just not got around to finding time to explore yoga yourself in your own home. One of the most rewarding things I have done is to establish a routine of home practice for myself. Sure there are times when I am too tired or not well enough but that is ok because Yoga is about listening to your body (but be careful that you are not listening to your mind..which has the habit of finding reasons why this or that is no good or not working!)
So how do you go about it? Well the important thing is to begin….set aside a short period of time each day either early morning, or late afternoon. Do not restrict yourself with unrealistic expectations like “I will do a one and half hour class every day before I have breakfast. (this may be quite easy to do at the ashram where you do not have your other obligations of family and work) Start with a shorter session but try to allow enough time for a few asanas as well as some breathing practices and or relaxation. This may even be making sure that you allow yourself 5-10 mins lying in Shavasana at the end of your other asanas.
Find a space that feels right. It does not have to be huge. You can enhance the energy and atmosphere with a candle and some incense if you have some. I have set up a small yoga room in one of the spare bedrooms but I often just go outside especially if the weather is good. ( I find that nature is the best atmosphere for me)
Let your body tell you what poses are right for you on each occasion. Some will be repeated perhaps each day but sometimes you will just feel like doing one pose more than others. Begin with gentle movements and warm the body up then try to balance the practices out a little with a few forward and backward bends, a couple of standing asanas, a twist and if inversions suit your body an inverted pose to increase the flow of blood to your brain (it is also a great way to gain a new perspective on something!)
Swami Niranjan suggested the practices of Tadasana, Tiryaka Tadasana and Kati Chakrasana as excellent general practices for the spine.
I like to do at least some observation of the natural breath at the beginning and end of my practice and usually incorporate at least one other pranayama or breathing practice. (A good one for beginners is abdominal breathing )
Do not despair if you find that your practice is a little erratic at times…show compassion to yourself …just roll out the mat once again and begin with stillness. There is a great article in the current issue of Australian Yoga Life Magazine….sequencing a home practice if you would like to read more.
Beechworth Yoga 