I admit, I am a little bit of a home practice pusher. If you have ever been in one of our yoga circles, you will hear me talking about "your home practice" as if it is a given -- obvioulsy we ALL have a home practice! And then, when you're that student that really WANTS to have a home practice, but can't quite get STARTED, it can feel a little overwhelming.
There's nothing like a true story to boost our confidence. So, here is a wonderful story from a student about her experience bringing her yoga practice home:
"I need a teacher or a video, or some visual to guide me through what I am suppose to be doing. Well, yesterday when I got home, the weather was so beautiful and I was feeling so grateful, I ran upstairs and changed into "yoga wear" and went out on my patio in the sun and started doing every yoga pose I could think of - just random, no flow really. I found myself smiling from ear to ear with such a grateful heart I just kept moving into different poses for about 25 minutes. It was so fabulous and uplifting!"
I love this story, becuase it highlights the main issue most of us have about a home practice (where should I START?!) and also lets us see a beautiful solution to that block.
And, if you need just a little bit more guidance:
\ Trust your body. Most of the time, our body knows what it wants. When we’ve been sitting for a long time, we want to get up and walk, when we’ve been hunched over, we want to stretch the shoulders back and open the heart. See if you can tune in and let your body move you into a good stretch, keeping yourself loose and open.
\ Trust your breath. As breath is the foundation of every movement in yoga, so breath is the center of your being in the world. When in doubt, tune in to your breath. One small step towards bringing yoga into your daily life? Use reminders such as red lights, the sound of a bell, the words “thank you,” etc, to stop and take 5 full breaths.
\ Trust yourself. Start with any poses you remember. Keep building from there and you may be amazed at how easily you begin to expand your home practice. Bring any questions to class and allow the support of the yoga circle to nurture your individual process.
A few practical tips:
\Try http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/finder/browse_categories for user-friendly, detailed explanations of your favorite poses.
\As much as possible, try to set aside time where you will be uninterrupted. Light a candle, play meditative music, or in some other way signal that you are taking time for yourself.
\Bring savasana into your daily routine. As you lie down to sleep each night, scan your body to notice any places where you may be holding tension, stress, or emotional weight from the day. As you notice each spot with the inhale, breathe and release it with the exhale. Transition into smooth belly breaths and drift off in this relaxed state.
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