Yoga At Home: Expectations Versus Reality

I hope the blog photo made you laugh or at least brought a smile to your face! When you think about practicing yoga at home, do you have an idyllic unrealistic fantasy about what that looks like? If it includes being able to achieve (and hold) challenging poses while keeping our zen on in the quiet of your candle lit home, let’s agree to just drop that fantasy and get real about practicing at home. A personal home practice is unlike anything else you can do for your mind, body and spirit. It brings you closer to your true self and allows you to confront your physical and mental strengths, as well as your challenges, all at your pace. There are no other students to judge yourself against; none of those distractions.  

Manage Expectations and Keep It Real

Meet yourself where you are in the moment. Be present. This is true for yoga, as well as life in general. Don’t try to grasp and push yourself beyond your ability in the moment. Use your props and modify as you need to without self-judgement. If your posture comes undone, take a breath, stay present and come back into the posture. As a teacher, I find this is one of the most important moments in anyone’s practice. I notice students who aren’t able to maintain a posture quickly get frustrated and then distract themselves with self-judgement. Those that catch themselves in that moment and quickly come back to their sense of center may achieve as much if not more in that moment in terms of self-care than doing a series of complex postures. 

Realize that you won’t have the benefit of a teacher walking through the room helping correct your pose.  In order to be sure that you are practicing a posture correctly, have an easy to use reference. For Kundalini Yoga, Gurudass Kaur and Radha Kirin’s Kundalini Yoga Posture Manual is essential. This comprehensive, user friendly resource not only clearly explains how to hold a pose, correct posture when sitting, its benefits  and equally important shows you common mistakes. For HathaYoga, I highly recommend yoga journal.com for the same reasons. 

Don’t forget to breath! This is a regular cue a teacher will give you. In general, breathe into a pose and exhale as you transition out of it.  You’re going to have to remind yourself to focus on your breath and not allow your mind to wander. Don’t be surprised if you remind yourself when you’ve already been distracted for some time. It’s all a question of practice and making breath awareness a regular mindfulness exercise. Becoming your own breath coach is as important on your mat as it is off your mat.

Set yourself up for success with a short sequence. You may also find it helpful to read my blog 4 Secrets for Starting Yoga at Home. In the end, remember that your practice is about self-care and deeper self awareness. Enjoy the journey!