After a decade of practicing yoga and 2 teacher trainings I recently began to cultivate a home yoga practice.
I am living proof that someone can have all the passion and tools to practice on their own yet still struggle to find the motivation to cultivate a committed self-practice.
Establishing a home practice is a major milestone in any practitioner’s journey along the path of yoga. It is a time where we start to develop more consistency and frequency in our practice. Daily practice opens us up to the benefits of listening to our bodies’ changing needs and results in the cultivation of deep awareness. This self-knowledge allows us to move with greater understanding, deciding when to push our body further and when to soften in our practice. We become our own teacher. The effects on the body and mind become limitless.
For me, having a home practice has been liberating. Showing up on my yoga mat each morning has helped me develop a deep understanding of my habitual patterns and my emotional, mental and physical state affects my practice. The effects have been immediate and empowering.
Cultivating a home practice can mark the turning point for many yoga practitioners however not all yogis posses the knowledge or motivation in order to turn their desire for a self practice into a reality. Luckily I can share a little secret, which helped me to bring my yoga practice into my own home, a tool, which takes the challenge out of structuring a home sequence.
Enter, online yoga classes. For those of us who are regularly glued to our computers, smart phone and tablets…and let’s face it, that is pretty much everyone, practicing a virtual style of yoga adds an opportunity to bring great teachers into your living room at a time that suits you.
There are many options when streaming online classes. I have experienced three. Youtube, Yoga Glo and Be More Yogic.
You tube allows you to search through hundreds of posts. You can find classes and tutorials by varying teachers and the best part about this option is…its Free! The down side is you will have to search through many options until you find one that suits due to the lack of structure compared to dedicated online yoga sites.
My first experience with online classes was through Yoga Glo. This site has a studio based in Santa Monica, LA and records classes that are run in the studio for free. The site allows you to stream dozens of classes and workshops categorised by length of class, teacher and yoga style at the click of your mouse. What drew me to Yoga Glo was that it hosts some of the top yoga teachers in America. If you have seen them on the cover of Yoga Journal, you are likely to find them at Yoga Glo, allowing you to invite these yoga superstars into your home and practice with them every day.
This year I was introduced to Be more yogic. This site has an ever-growing catalogue of classes to enjoy. What I like about this site is the quality and beautiful locations that video are set in. Shot in what closely resembles my idea of paradise, the setting creates a mood of relaxation, transforming your home practice into a tropical yoga retreat. In the west, we have the ability to bring an extremely yang, exercise-orientated energy to yoga. This site helps us find some much needed peace in our daily practice as the setting and its teachers embody relaxation.
The benefits of a home practice extend beyond the physical changes that occur with practicing yoga regularly. Practicing at home is cheaper that attending a studio. A dedicated yogi who is able to structure their own home sessions can save hundreds of dollars a month. Online sites cost as little as $20 a month. That equates to the price of one regular yoga class. Streaming online yoga classes also allows you the convenience of streaming classes based on our ever-changing amount of free time and needs. Whilst yoga studios have a structured timetable, online class sites allow you to choose any class that suits you.
For me, the most valuable benefit to streaming online classes is the ability to take class with teachers who inspire you whenever you like. As a teacher, I strive to inspire and support my students in their practice each time we meet. Practicing with a teacher who inspires you can be the catalyst to both enhance your practice and cement it in your daily life. Online yoga gives you access to quality teachers when you need them. For me, this is the most powerful way to ensure you stay motivated and roll out your mat every day.
Let me stress, online streaming can never entirely replicate a live class where students can receive individual adjustments, flow to the combined energy of a room full of yogis and feel the connection with their local kula (community) however as our lives become busier, for many yogis arriving at the studio in time to take class becomes increasingly difficult. Having access to teachers from the comfort of your home at any time of the day is thus the ideal friend to those who are trying to cultivate a practice at home or need their daily practice to be malleable enough to suit their busy schedule.
One word of warning; whilst yoga is often described as a complete practice which brings benefits to all who step on the mat, like any physical practice there can be risks for some individuals. If you have any history of musculoskeletal pain, injury or are on any medication, I would recommend ceasing any postures or practice that causes you pain or brings on symptoms such as shortness of breath, dizziness or nausea. Developing self awareness is a great benefit to having a home practice, however accurate self awareness is a skill that will come with time.
Set yourself a goal to start TODAY. Better still, challenge yourself to a week or more of yoga every day no matter what time or for how long. It is said that is takes 21 days to form a new habit. Show up in your ‘home studio’ every day for 3 weeks and you are sure to feel the benefits.
If you invite yoga into your daily life it will bring gifts and you have all the tools you need at the click of a mouse.
Namaste Yogis 🙂
Izzy
Discovering Awareness 