I recently created a new YouTube video where I share how to start a home yoga practice. I think this is still useful for yoga teachers too — especially if you’re working with private clients who are beginners
One of the best things about yoga is that it’s not only for everyone, but there’s also a practice to suit how you’re feeling each day. While this video is going to explore the foundations of starting a home practice, in future videos I will be going into more detail about how you can bring in more variety and intuitive movement to what you’re doing.
When you start a personal yoga practice, with time, you’ll be able to respond more intuitively to how you’re feeling, without having to really think too much about which pose to do next. This is where things can get really creative, but when you’re new, I suggest starting with one main sequence that you can break down into three parts: movement, breath work, and meditation or reflection
Start with one basic movement sequence and breathing exercise
If you’re completely new to practising yoga at home, I suggest starting by learning one short movement sequence and a breathing exercise. For example, you might like to start with a short 15 or 20 minute sequence you can start your mornings with, plus one breathing exercise such as the Ujayi breath or full yogic breath.
If you’re not sure what to practice, I suggest either finding some video tutorials from a yoga teacher you like, or even better, having a one to one session where you ask the teacher to help create a personalised home practice you can do in a set amount of time.
Once you have your sequence, make a commitment to yourself to start practising it every day or for several days a week.
The key here is to get into a routine with it, and keep practising this sequence until you feel you can move quite freely without having to think ‘what comes next’, or refer to notes.
As you practice this sequence, observe yourself. How does each pose or exercise make you feel physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually? What is your experience when you do any twisting poses, backbends or forward folds? If you’ve chosen a specific pranayama, how does it make you feel?
As you practice this same sequence, one subtle way of mixing things up a bit is to play around with the pace. For example, if you’re used to holding the poses quite statically, how does your experience change when you bring in a bit of movement.
For example, let’s take Warrior One. If you’re used to holding the pose, how does your experience change if you start to bring in a bit of movement, such as rotating the wrists or circling the arms back.
Even in child’s pose, subtle movement can be explored again, if you’re used to holding the pose in stillness. Sometimes, it feels good to gently massage my forehead on the mat from side to side.
If you are used to constant movement with your eyes open all the time, how does your experience change when you choose to hold a pose for a bit longer — providing it feels comfortable to do so — and maybe even close the eyes?
If you’re used to moving the legs in cobbler’s pose, how does your experience change, when you place several cushions under the knees and find stillness in the pose? If you’re used to spending only a few minutes in Savasana, how does your experience change when you spend longer in stillness, or in a more restorative pose such as legs up the wall pose?
So, automatically here, you can add variety to your practice by playing with the opposites of movement and stillness and adjusting the pace of what you practice, without having to do a completely new sequence. This might be useful if you sometimes like to practice in the morning and sometimes in the evening, where you might prefer a slower pace to help you wind down.
Just remember to always listen to your body and be safe as you’re practising. If you do have a yoga teacher, you can also check in with them too.
Similarly, as you move, you can also decide if you want to spend longer exploring a particular pose or exercise that feels really good for you in that moment. For example, I know if I’m ever feeling worried, or I’ve got loads of things rushing around my head and I’ve just had a long day, holding a seated forward fold really helps — even better when I add a bolster to rest my head on.
As you start to practice, you might also like to keep a journal of any insights or observations you’ve had. It’s good to read about the benefits of the different poses and practices within yoga, but it’s also interesting when you can discover what works for you and your body. Everyone’s experience of yoga is after all unique to them.
I’d like to finish by saying, please always practise safely, listen to your body, and enjoy getting started. Please leave a comment if you have any questions.
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