Doing yoga at home

Learning yoga involves two different commitments on your part. Classes are a great way to learn and get feedback on how you are doing. The greatest growth will come from your practice at home. This is because you may take a weekly lesson, but real growth comes from the time you take for yourself throughout the week at home. This is the commitment to you. Growth also comes at home because you are taking time to listen to your own body instead of someone else's instructions. Practicing yoga at home gives you a deeper understanding of the poses and it is less expensive and more convenient.

There are steps to practicing yoga at home and it is not something that you rush into lightly. Preparation and diligence are the keys to a successful domestic yoga practice. First begin by learning the basic poses from a professional. Group lessons build community and you can get hands on correction from your instructor. It does no good to practice poses over and over if your form is incorrect. The next step is to plan your time practicing at home. You will need enough quiet, uninterrupted time to complete your practice. It can be in the morning when your mind is clear, or in the evening when you feel the most limber. The important thing is to do what is right for you. You should also find an uncluttered place in your home where you can relax and shut out the world.

In the beginning, the only equipment you need is a sticky mat, comfortable cloths and your bare feet. Your focus when you first begin your yoga practice should be the basics. Props like blocks and straps can ease you into more difficult poses, but that should come later. Warm up is vital and you should begin with poses that open you up and gets your blood flowing. This will help you with more strenuous poses later. Warm up should be between five to ten minutes, but how your body feels is more important than watching the clock. Start your practice with Full Sun Breaths, a variation of Sun Salute intended for warm up; or you can go in and out of a pose like moving bridge for less strenuous work.

You should start slow to avoid burning out or being intimidated by the amount of time you are spending practicing. In the beginning it is important that you keep yourself motivated to continue. It is also essential that you keep breathing. Pranayama, or breath control, is essential to yoga practice and is used for many different purposes such as energizing the body or relaxing. Before you stop your practice session make sure you cool down. Always end with the corpse pose, even if it is only for a few minutes.