Hello yogis!!!
We all know that starting, and maintaining, an at-home yoga practice can seem to be impossible. Well, I’m here to tell you it isn’t!
Before you read any further, go read my 5 Tips to Teach Yourself Yoga to make sure you have a good understanding of how to start doing yoga at home. Anyone can build an at-home yoga practice, but you want to make sure you build it the right way from the beginning.
If you have already developed an at-home practice, this is the perfect opportunity to identify areas of improvement so you truly get the most out of every time you step on the mat!
These five tips will help you focus, provide direction, and create stillness each time you do yoga.
1. Set an intention
An intentional practice is a mindful practice. When you step onto the mat, make sure to take a few moments in before you begin to identify an intention, a reason, for your practice.
This intention gives your practice purpose.
It provides one thing for you to focus on and when your mind wanders you can easily guide it back to that one purpose. Let your goals guide your intention for each practice and keep in mind that it can change from day to day. Some days I am focused on inversions and incorporate poses that target the core, stabilizers, and provide prep for actual inversions. Other days I just need to breathe. I will get on the mat and only focus on breathing, whatever poses come after is my body simply just taking over.
Whatever your intention, let it be purposeful, let it provide meaning, and let it guide your practice.
2. Incorporate Music and Scent
The perfect combination of music and scent can send you straight into a magical place. Not only do these two calm the senses, but they can also help create a yoga space that you can relax in. We know it is not always quiet when we want to practice, so instead of trying to quiet the noisy things, simply cover them with something else. Use some headphones or a speaker to select your music of choice, then put your phone on do not disturb and let the distractions fade away!
Music with few or no lyrics is ideal for better focus. Certain songs and words can trigger thoughts, reactions, or memories that serve as a distraction from our practice. Follow me on Spotify to see some of my favorite playlists for yoga!
Scent is that final element that can truly take you to your still place. Smells can bring up some of the most powerful memories and can transport you into another time and place.
When I smell sunscreen, I feel the sand between my toes and the warmth of the sun on my skin. I remember lake days and creek days with family and friends.
When I smell cinnamon and apple, I feel the crisp fall air and see the leaves changing. I remember fall walks and raking leaves.
When I smell pine, I hear the crackle of a fire and taste peppermint hot chocolate. I remember cuddling by the fire and watching Christmas movies.
Find a scent that sets the mood for you to be still, relaxed. Experiment with a variety of means to get your best scent like incense, candles, or an essential oil diffuser. Just as with music, your preferred scents may change seasonally, weekly, or even daily. Stock up on your favorite scents so they’re readily available for your practice!
***IF YOU PRACTICE OUTDOORS, ONLY HAVE OPEN FLAME WHEN FIRE LEVELS ALLOW AND FOLLOW FIRE SAFETY RULES***
3. Use Props
There is an unfortunate stigma around using props and because people who don’t want to appear as inexperienced, too many of us avoid using props when we could really benefit from them.
I will be the first to admit… I NEED PROPS!!! Propping your practice will reduce your risk of injury and help you nail your poses faster. Here is some evidence:
You can see that on the left I am collapsing, off balance, and fighting the pose.
But that girl on the right… hayyy! She uses her props as extensions of her limbs, not to handicap the pose, but to bring it to life. She can open fully, balance, and get comfortable with the pose rather than fighting it.
When we allow ourselves to fully explore a pose with how we are capable of doing it at the moment, we are developing muscle memory and as we become more flexible and stronger, the body is able to more naturally guide us into the goal pose.
A great starter pack for props are two blocks, a yoga strap, and a wool or Mexcian blanket.
4. Try a New Pose
Take a quick scroll through Instagram or Pinterest for some quick inspiration of a new pose or two, then look up tutorials of the pose or poses. Brainstorm a few poses that could help you prepare for that pose, then step onto the mat and let them flow together. This is a fun way to provide some variety in your practice, as well as expand your skill set!
Safety first as always, if you are planning on exploring inversions do some extra research on how to safely practice and work up to your goal inversion.
5. Try a New Kind of Yoga
A lot of us only stick with one style of yoga. In the beginning few years of my personal practice, I was obsessed with vinyasa. If I wasn’t dripping in sweat after, it was too easy! There was so much focus on the physical side of the practice: I had to work out, I had to nail that pose, I had to make the most every time I stepped on my mat.
What I didn’t realize: less is more.
The only way I was able to initially achieve stillness was to focus on my physical goals. But when I was introduced to Yin yoga my perspective shifted drastically and instead of focusing on the exterior, I began to explore the interior.
And for the first time in a long time, I experienced true stillness.
True clarity.
Focusing on the breath, the mind, and the intention behind everything allowed me to expand my practice beyond what I could have ever thought. Most of the time, the things that make us the most uncomfortable make us grow the most.
Incorporate these five tips into your practice. The beautiful part about it, you can always set new goals and intentions to guide your practice.
We call it a yoga journey for a reason, there isn’t a set destination.
It continuously changes and grows alongside us and what we encounter as we go through life. Yoga is an aid for us to handle and cope with the things that we experience. Taking the time, whatever amount of time we have, to step on the mat and find stillness has such an impactful on our quality of life. But nothing is worse than being stuck in the same mundane routine, spice things up and integrate these tips to your daily practice and just watch the shift!
Enjoy!