I like to encourage everyone to pursue a home practice, be it Meditation, Yoga, Tai Chi – really, whatever calls to you. It can be really difficult to make time for a home practice, but, I think an even bigger barrier is the “What-do-I-do-now-that-my-mat-is-rolled-out” barrier. Even after practicing Yoga for as long as I have, for crying out loud, I have days where I just want to follow a practice designed by someone else!
So for those of you looking for a (free) full practice of an hour or so, I suggest subscribing to Yoga Today, a really fabulous group of Yoginis that provide free, daily Yoga practices via the internet. If you don’t have time for a full practice, but still want the benefits of practice, they also have a blog with lots of (free) mini-practice sessions. The range of clips they have is astonishing… they even have a practice you can do with your kids! Brilliant!
Even if you can’t find ten minutes to follow along with Yoga Today, I will encourage you with the wisdom of my very first Yoga teacher. She asked us all to pick a pose we really, really liked from class and commit to practicing that one pose every day. To slowly and gently be in the pose, to experience it fully. I was skeptical about ONE posture being a Yoga practice, but, I did it (mainly because I thought the teacher was simply amazing!). Every day, one pose. And, over time, my home practice organically grew to include more postures and also, meditation. But even had it not, one minute spent fully in the body, aware of the breath, can have more impact than an hour-long class where you are mentally checked out. Really.
What is your favorite asana? Can you find time to practice it every day? If not, what is stopping you? Tell me in the comments.
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I’m currently going through a teacher training program, and I’ve REALLY been realizing the necessity of having a home practice! A home practice is really when one begins to own one’s practice, instead of relying on outside sources. I grew up as a classical musician, and when I think back to that time, home practice of one’s musical instruments was absolutely necessary in order to master them. If I’d only gone to band/orchestra rehearsals and music lessons, but didn’t bother to practice at home, I could not have been able to play at the level that I did. Similarly for yoga, I am seeing that a home practice is very important as well…
Julia, you are so right, a home practice is necessary and it is only when you develop a home practice that you begin to own it. I wish you all the best with your teacher training! What an exciting adventure!
I LOVE doing down dog!
And although I can’t do a headstand yet, the process of attempting one can create a gigglefest coming from me.
Mittsie, Down Dog is such a wonderful pose!! Do you find time to practice at home? It IS so much fun to go upside down – it sounds like you have a really fun and active practice…
i love side twists right now since just having my daughter. feels good to get on the floor and stretch my back out.
thank you for this post… i’ve, too, struggled with what to do when the mat is rolled out… the one pose idea is a great place to start!
Penelope – Doesn’t it just feel delicious to be able to twist deeply again after having a baby?? Especially with a baby in the house, one pose is a really great place to start. You can also bring the baby into your practice, too. There are some great books on Mom and baby Yoga.
oh yes! do you have any recommendations for yoga and baby books or dvds?
Penelope, I think this book is really, really good:
http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Om-Yoga-Mothers-Babies/dp/0717135659/ref=pd_bbs_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239227169&sr=8-5
I don’t know about any videos, but you might be able to find a Mom and Baby Yoga class where you live.
Great! Thank you so much.
namaste!
Thank you so much for this suggestion. Home practice is a HUGE struggle for me. I will definitely give this a try.
I too am a fan of Downward dog, and I also find that even sitting for awhile in cobbler’s pose makes me feel so much better. I love twists but don’t always feel comfortable doing them outside of a class.
After 10 years of attending classes and trying to get a home practise started but never with much consistency .. i have finally got into a regular habit in the last 3 months. And I apply the ‘one pose is better than no pose’ principle…although as you say generally one pose evolves into two, or three or 4 – and I am ALWAYS surprised by what I discover.
My favourite daily pose is Down Dog..followed closely by Standing Forward Bend – those two somehow manage to wake up every cell, muscle, tendon, bone in my body and I am ready to face whatever the day might bring.
thank you for the inspiration!
namaste
namaste
Hi,
I like it your blog and please tell me how many time Meditation daily practice…
I took an Iygenar workshop a while ago and the teacher advised those who don’t have a home practice to just take 1 or 2 poses we had worked on and do it every day. Tell yourself you need to do more and you’ll be less likely to do it all, he said.
I agree. When my friends ask about my daily yoga practice, they always say they could never do it. I say to start small, even if it’s just five minutes.
I just found your blog. Great articles and well written. Thanks so much. Namaste!
London Institute offering yoga courses, books and CD’s. The Yoga course includes Surya namaskar, Sarvaganasana, pranayam, dhanurasana and other yoga asanas.
I’ve just come across this website, searching for fellow sufferes of low motivation to do a daily practice. I have recently done my TTC and have since then practiced an average of 5 days a week, but the tendency is that I am getting lazier and lazier again… I seriously struggle with myself and condemn myself for days I don’t practice, as I feel so much better if I do – yet, my laziness still gets the best of me ever so often.
I like the idea of the minimum of 1 pose / 10 minutes a day but feel I won’t progress that much in my flexibility if I stick to that.
Any people out there with years of practice and tips on how to overcome your “tamas” ??!
Thanks for this post! I am determined to get this daily practice thing to stick!
I are already a enthusiast of your site. Just simply wished to say howdy.
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