8 Tips for Building a Home Yoga Practice
Practicing yoga at home is great because you can do it any time that suits your schedule, it doesn’t cost anything, and you don’t need much – just a yoga mat and any other props you choose to use.
It’s also a fantastic way to support your practice at classes, so you can get even more benefit from yoga. Below you’ll find seven tips to help you build a regular yoga practice at home. I hope you find them helpful!
Find a comfortable spot
Set up a little space in your home that you can where you’re not likely to bump into furniture or be disturbed too much (though I know this can be easier said than done sometimes!). It can also be a good idea to keep your mat and any props there, ready for you to practice - if you want to do something, make it easy.
If you don’t have your own props but might find them helpful, get creative and use what you have! Thick books can double up as yoga blocks, a pillow or cushion is perfect for sitting on or resting your head on in savasana, and a you can use a belt, tie or something similar as a strap.
Put a routine in place
The best time to practice yoga is the time that works best for you. Whether it’s practicing once a week or everyday, setting up a regular routine for yourself can work wonders. The more easily it fits in with your lifestyle, the easier it will be easier to maintain.
You don’t have to be over-ambitious when it comes to time either. If you have an hour, then by all means use that time! But even a 10 minute yoga practice is still a practice and gives you a valuable bit of time for yourself. Commit to a time and make it achievable.
Listen to your body
You know your body best, and I always advise moving in a way that feels good for you. You should never feel pain in yoga! If there’s ever something that doesn’t feel right for you, you don’t have to push through - it’s perfectly okay (encouraged, in fact!) to ease off, modify, or do something different.
I think often we feel the need to get into yoga poses properly, so that it ‘looks right’, but every single person is different, and we shouldn’t be comparing ourselves to the person next to us! Always do what’s appropriate for you and let that be okay. Stay mindful and use your practice as a way to look after yourself, not push yourself too much.
Make mental notes in classes
What poses or sequences do you love doing in classes? If you have a few favourites, you could try practicing them at home in your own time. A little goes a long way, and just bringing a few things from classes into your daily life can be a great way to support ourselves.
If you’d like a quick and easy sequence to get yourself moving, how about something like this… Hang out in a forward fold for a few moments, walk forward into downward facing dog, and pedal out the feet. Then maybe take a low lunge on each side, step up into a forward fold, and roll up to standing. Perhaps a few standing stretches, and you’re good to go!
YouTube is a great resource
Yoga with Adriene was how I first got into yoga, and I still love her videos today. A YouTube channel like this one can be a great place to start if you’d like to try some online yoga. There are thousands of free yoga practices available - have a look and see what you discover!
If you fancy taking it a step further with a 30-day yoga journey, there are lots of those available on YouTube too. Yoga with Adriene does one every January, so has a lot of them to choose from!
Consider what you need
On any given day, ask yourself ‘what do I need right now?’ A high energy practice to wake yourself up? Something slow and restorative to help you wind down? I like to think of my yoga practice as a way to give my body and mind what it needs to stay healthy and well, and this may look different for each of us.
The more you practice yoga, the more you start to recognise what you body and mind need at different times. Following on from my last tip, YouTube can be a great place to look for something that matches how you’re feeling. Say you’re exhausted after a long day - search for ‘restorative yoga’, and you’ll have a whole list of relaxing yoga practices to choose from!
Don’t skip savasana
Savasana (or ‘corpse pose’) is where we become completely still at the end of a yoga practice. This can be challenging, and it might seem unproductive to lie still and do absolutely nothing! But I really believe that it’s worth giving ourselves time to propery rest, even if just for a short time.
Whether it’s a couple of minutes or much longer, some time in savasana can offer so many benefits. It helps to downregulate the nervous system, calm the mind and body, and help you to feel completely relaxed and rested. What can seem the least productive part of our yoga practice may actually be the most beneficial!
Enjoy it
It’s so much easier to keep up a practice when we enjoy it, so don’t overdo it or put pressure on yourself. Keep it fun! Yoga is something enjoyable that we get to do for ourselves, and something we can look forward to.
Are there any challenges you're facing when it comes to practicing yoga at home? Let me know and I’ll do my best to help! Lastly, if you’d like some yoga practices led by me to practice at home, my Home Practice Bundle is available on my booking page here.
