There are many reasons why you might want to incorporate yoga into your home routine. In my personal experience, I’ve found that bringing yoga home and making it your own grants students the opportunity to create a more intimate relationship with themselves, their bodies, and their needs. However, creating an at-home practice does require some discipline. Together, we’ll explore what roadblocks might stand in your way of getting on the mat and create a game plan for overcoming them.
Whether you’re craving more mental balance, want to work on strength training, or are looking for a spiritual outlet, taking full control of your practice is much easier than you think.
At-Home Yoga Accountability
When you sign up for a studio session online and pay ahead of time, that’s usually enough motivation to follow through and show up on your mat. When you’re practicing yoga at home, staying motivated can be a little more challenging.
If you’re having trouble prioritizing practice in your day, consider how the following factors might influence your likelihood to take action:
Money - If you have a frugal mindset and often are guided by the notion of “getting your money’s worth,” paying for a membership or paying for a vetted yoga app might be the right move for you.
Social Connection - If you’re often plagued by FOMO or are more likely to do something because your friends are doing it, try and work out a plan with a friend about sticking to a schedule. Maybe this means meeting up in the park or someone’s living room to do a class together. You could get on a video call with one another while you work through the same video flow. Perhaps this means signing up for the same virtual yoga class and holding one another accountable.
Self-Love - If these last two factors don’t register with you, do yoga for yourself! Practice yoga as a way to thank your body for all it does, bring peace to your racing mind and give gratitude to your breath.
If you struggle with holding yourself accountable for your yoga practice, let’s chat! Contact me at contact@sustainabrain.com
Use Virtual Yoga
Online yoga has skyrocketed in recent years with an extra spike due to the 2019 Coronavirus pandemic. This means that there’s no shortage of options, but all those choices can also feel pretty overwhelming!
Let’s break down some of the most popular options you can try on for size.
Free yoga on YouTube - Yoga With Adriene is a YouTube channel with over 8 million subscribers and a yoga flow for pretty much anything you could imagine, from stress to joy and gut health to vertigo. Check her stuff out at https://bit.ly/32OIVzy
Yoga On-Demand - Alo Moves is an on-demand service with a video library of over 1,600 classes to choose from. After your free trial, you can sign up for a monthly membership or commit to a year-long: https://bit.ly/32Nq4EQ
Support Independent Teachers & Studios - If you’re lucky enough to live in an area that has yoga studios, chances are that at least one of them offers virtual classes. If you don’t know of any studios in your area, do a quick Google search or browse through Instagram. Most likely, instructors will be promoting themselves on social media and offering information on the classes and services they offer. All you have to do is find them!
A word of caution. Be sure to look into the background of each instructor you find on the internet. While most people are certified professionals, there are others who practice (and attempt to teach) yoga without proper knowledge when it comes to safety and protection from injury. This is especially important for beginners and people who are still working on proper alignment to consider!
Get Ready For "Off" Days
There will be days that you don’t feel well.
There will be days when you’re so busy that you can’t make time for lunch, let alone a full yoga flow.
I’m here to tell you that that’s okay! Just have a backup plan.
For days when practicing an hour-long flow just isn’t going to happen, find a quick 5-10 minute flow that you can do so that you at least move a little bit. If you can’t even wrap your brain around finding 10 minutes, set aside TWO MINUTES to sit and focus on your breathing.
If you’re not sure what a short flow might look like for you, here are a few suggestions:
Sun Salutations - This is a great way to warm up the body. You can either choose to repeat your sun salutations for as long as you want or just throw a couple in throughout your day when you have the time. Here’s a demonstration of the basic variation, Surya Namaskar A: https://bit.ly/3lKAE8p
10-Minute Flexibility Flow - Work on loosening your muscles with this quick flow: https://bit.ly/32Ww6Dg
12-Minute Focus Flow - If you’re feeling mentally stuck, use this flow to increase your blood flow and bring more oxygen to your brain: https://bit.ly/3bnXRIN
10-Minute Flow for Self-Care - When you’re just not feeling like you have enough energy to push through your day, take ten minutes to work through this calming and low-key flow: https://bit.ly/2GsX8L1
Keep these videos handy for days when you’re not sure what to do, don’t have a lot of time to practice, or need a midday pick-me-up!