Perhaps in a life that now seems long ago, you had tried some Yoga at home, whilst still having the luxury (yes, we’re all realising how great we’ve had it) of popping to your local studio for a class of your choosing. Great intentions saw you trying the ‘at-home-Yoga’ thing, and occasional success perhaps! But also lots of tried and ‘failed’. That was definitely my story anyway, and I know I’m not alone…
Now, the times have led us to a new norm, and so how are we meant to navigate this? How are we supposed to suddenly have the discipline, focus and set-up to practice effective Yoga-At-Home?!
With decades (yes decades!) of practice behind me, 10 years of teaching Yoga, and several teacher trainings under my belt, I’m sharing from my humble and never ‘perfect’ experience, some tips and tricks that might help you get set up in this new world of practicing Yoga. If you choose to read on, my intention below is to help make your practice feel super special - at home…
1 – Create a Dedicated Space
Perhaps you already have the incredible focus in your practice to simply roll out your mat any old place and get downward-dogging without a care in the world, but my experience has been slightly different. Home is generally dedicated to specific activities – cooking, cleaning, working, socialising, family activities etc. and now we’re being asked to conduct almost our whole lives inside the home. It has suddenly become oh-so-important to make some internal directives, in order to separate the energy of the many tasks of your stay-at-home life.
You might have already created a dedicated work space if you are working from home, and now if you’re serious about making this Yoga thing work (who knows how long we’ll be in this scenario – so let’s make the most of it!), it’s important to set up your practice space with it’s own importance and intention.
To start, I’d recommend bringing in not just your yoga mat and home props you’re using (towels, blankets, get creative!), but anything at all that can remind you of why you love your practice. Some teachers and lineages might call this an ‘alter’ but if that’s too religious-sounding to you, rather think about whatever you bring into your yoga space (it doesn’t need to be grand, just a little quiet corner or side table) as having the energy of reminding you what you are there for. It might be a candle, a stick of incense, some inspiring books or your journal, items you brought back from spiritually uplifting places (crystals, statues, photos etc) or anything else at all that fills you with the essence of what you are trying to reconnect with. Once upon a time, I thought this process to be a little over-the-top and woo-woo, but having tried all the things over the years, I’m here to tell you – setting up your space intentionally makes a huge difference.
2 – Commit Your Time
These days the silver lining we’re finding is that there are many opportunities now to practice with your teachers virtually in real time, rather than only pre-recorded classes. I see this as a HUGE benefit in community + accountability (we’re still all practicing at the same time, the same class), and in commitment + dedication - class happens at a certain time, so we can schedule it, meaning we are MUCH more likely to commit to it. (P.S. If you haven’t already seen, Yoga Corner is streaming at least 1 Livestream class per day for you to schedule in, check out our offerings here: Livestream Schedule ).
If you can’t make it to a live session, schedule your practice time into your diary anyway. Make the time, and stick to it – this gives your practice as much importance as any other task or meeting in your day – and isn’t it just? I would say it’s more important. Your Yoga practice supports much more than just your physical health, but also improves your focus, attention span, productivity, creativity and mental stamina, as a start. (We have some free online home practices for you to practice On Demand, and more coming, so please watch this space…).
3 – Do it Daily
Daily yes, but start with a reasonable commitment. If you’re used to practicing 1 x 60 minute class per week, it might be unreasonable to go straight into a daily 60 minute practice commitment. Doing it daily might mean for you 2 x 60 minute practices per week, and a daily 5-10 minute meditation practice as your reset and something to stay committed to, without taking a huge leap (I have several free, short, guided meditations on my website that you can access whenever you like: www.amyleonardking.com ).
A daily commitment to Yoga is never to be viewed as some kind of gruelling regimen nor an opportunity to beat yourself up if it doesn’t work out. Think of it as self-care. We all need more practice in this area if you ask me, and so if it’s newer to you to be focusing on taking care of your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, now is the time, but never the time to give yourself a hard time any day it doesn’t happen. What would you say to your best friend? The same applies to you. Compassion rules here.
4 – Your ‘Precious Alone Time’ OR Commit Together
You choose on this one too. You might need your practice time to be your dedicated, self-care alone time (hello mamas, team players, anyone with a busy household or work team), or a time to connect together and commit together with a partner, housemate or even a friend virtually. Committing to practicing together can prove as a super powerful motivator and connector.
This one really depends on what you need and what will serve you best. Choose a space and time that is most quiet in your house, or alternatively, commit with your Yoga practice buddy the time, place and practice you’ll be doing together.
5 – Watch the Magic Unfold…
With these few simple steps, you’ll begin to give a real potency to your practice, something potentially even more special (and definitely different) to your usual beloved studio practice. For me it really is the intention behind your practice that gives it it’s richness, depth and effectiveness, and if you’re creating the dedicated space, time and therefore more intention for your practice, the fruits born will be that much more ripe and abundant.
Let us use this time that has been gifted to us to slow down, move less, reduce our frantic pace and become more introspectively connected to our fullest advantage. There are gifts in every circumstance and scenario, and as Yogis we learn to look for these treasures, rather than getting stuck in our patterns of expectation, habit and entitlement. What might be the gift of you creating a dedicated at home Yoga practice? Only time (and effort) will tell…
Many many blessings and virtual hugs,
Amy Leonard-King xoxo
Amy Leonard-King - Founder Yoga Corner Melbourne