9 tips to starting a home yoga practice

1.  Create a Specific Time and Place in Your Home.

Time: See if you like practicing in the day vs. practicing in the evening, listening to your body and seeing when you would have the most focus on your practice. I would recommend not eating too heavily at least 2-3 hours beforehand. Space: Find one particular space in your home specifically for a meditation and yoga practice. You can fill this space with candles, plants, or whatever calms you down during this time of practice, but I definitely recommend making it as minimal as possible, so it doesn’t feel too cluttered. I like a place with a lot of windows.

2.  Start for just 5-10 minutes per day and give it at least 2 weeks to become a habit.

Do what feels good to you that day. Don’t compare yourself to the time you had yesterday or what you did, just do what feels good to your body that day and see what you need. Don’t be mad at yourself if you don’t get 20 minutes in!  Just 3 minutes of mindfulness and breathing will do you more than you realize! It’s really just the practice of taking the time to meditate or move your body every single day that matters. Remember that each day is going to be different, so just be there for each day, as you are.

3. Online classes!

Practicing online is a great way to develop a home yoga practice.  Of course, you can flow with me for stretching, strength, and pilates on my site, in which I upload a new class based on requests (and what I intuitively do on my own mat) Websites start as low as $14 a month for unlimited yoga of different types, techniques, teachers, and times.  I recommend: oneoeight.tv, yogaglo.com, and alomoves.com. If you feel confused on a certain pose, make sure to look for a registered yoga teacher, physical therapist, or personal trainer to guide you through the correct way to do the pose, since there is a lot of information out there that is false. When you start your home yoga practice, and focus on the areas of your body that need physical release! Most websites will let you focus in on certain areas of the body. This is a great way to have someone guide you, but also get what you need.

4. Connect your senses.

Try burning incense or using essential oils during your practice.  This sensory input has a strong effect on calming our mind and grounding us to our practice. Lavender is good for calming, peppermint oil is helpful for focus, eucalyptus is excellent for sinuses, and lemongrass is great for cleansing.  I love Now and Young Living essential oils. Of course, sense-less is always good. I would light a scentless (paraben-free) candle to have a visual, calming input.

5. Find music that isn’t too distracting but is also calming and comforting.

There is nothing that can beat a good playlist to move us through our practice.  If you don’t have Spotify or Apple Music, there are plenty of yoga playlists on youtube! Personally, I love certain singers that bring out emotion in me, but some days I want just something to calm me down, such as a zen/spa playlist. Look at your energy that day: do you need more energy or less? Then pick your music accordingly.

6. A Good Yoga Mat is Essential.

If you really want to have a superior home yoga practice, you need to invest in a mat that you love. For a non-heated class, most any mat will do because you don't have to worry about slipping from sweating. A Gaiam mat is super affordable and available at stores such as Target or Walmart! If you have heaters at home, sweat a lot during your practice (those handstand hops!), or do lots of inversions or arm balances, I would invest in a non-stick mat that grips the surfaces of your hand nicely.  My favorite mat is a Clever Yoga mat and that is what I practice on, but Lululmeon has great ones, as well as Liforme.  If you travel a lot and want to carry your mat with you, consider getting something a little lighter and thinner.  If you need a little more padding more your knees, shoulders, or whatever is touching the mat, consider getting a 5mm-7mm mat or bigger for the extra cushion. Also consider length of the mat; if you are taller, you might want to get one that is a little bit longer so that you have plenty of room to lie down on it. To find out more on choosing yoga mats, check out https://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/best-yoga-mat.html.

7. Think about your intention/motive. Why are you starting a yoga practice?

What are you looking to manifest? What are you looking to let go of? Why are you even wanting to practice yoga? Having an intention or goal at the beginning of your practice is essential.  An intention is something that you repeat to yourself throughout the practice to keep your mind and goals focused. When your mind wanders off or your body gets tired (and trust me, it always does), this is what you will come back to. Maybe you write down your intention at the beginning of your practice and set it at the front of our mat. Repeat it over, and over, and over (and over) again. Without judgement. Let it guide you, as you take these baby steps towards your goals.

8. Breath, breath, breath!

Along with your intention, come back to your breathing throughout your practice. Try to link one movement with an inhale and one movement with an exhale, and count 5 breaths (or whatever number works for you) in each pose that you take.  This strengthens the connection between your physical pose and your mind.  If you find your busy mind wandering from the breath, remember to just return to the breath as many times as you have to. Just like anything takes practice, it also takes practice to not think. Never be upset with yourself for letting the mind wander (we think- that’s what we do).  Just come back to your body and your breath.

9. Don’t compare yourself to ANYONE else! This is your practice and it will always look different from someone else’s practice.

Don’t go to Instagram, Facebook, or another yoga studio and compare yourself to how someone looks and says that they feel after yoga.  These are great places to build relationships, but this is YOUR practice and your time to connect with your body and mind, and that connection with yourself will look different for everyone.  The goal of yoga is become more conscious of your emotions and physical tension, eventually harnessing your emotions and learning to control them, to feel good in your body, and to be more present. No matter how long it takes for you (or someone else).