Taking yoga in a class setting is great way to learn but the real breakthroughs comes from practicing on your own. Putting time aside listening to yourself instead of someone else telling you what to do is the most important thing. When you practice at home you really learn and experience the transformational effects of yoga on body, mind and spirit. Doing yoga on your own not only develops a greater grasp of the poses but it's also cheaper and more convenient. You can get started with these practical tips.
1. Start by studying
You have to learn the basic poses from an expert instructor before beginning your own practice. Classes develop a sense of community and they're motivating. Plus, your instructor can make hands-on corrections if you're doing something wrong.
2. Plan ahead
Choose a time and place where you won't be disturbed. This might be in the morning, when your mind is quiet and receptive or in the evening, when your body isn't so stiff. It doesn't matter when as long as you do it consistently. Find an uncluttered place at home where you can feel a sense of relaxation and quiet.
3. Be equipped
The only equipment you really need is a sticky mat, comfortable clothing and your bare feet. Props like blankets, blocks and straps can ease you into more difficult poses, but your focus in the beginning should simply be on mastering the basics.
4. Do the warm up
It's important to start out with a warm up such as Sun salute, to get movement and flow going. This will prepare your body for tougher postures that will require more strength and stability to perform. Your warm up should be between 5 to 10 minutes, but more important to observe how your body feels. For less intense practice, you might warm up by going in and out of a pose like moving bridge.
5. Begin with slow
When you're beginning a practice on your own, one hour of yoga can feel overwhelming. Keep your practice simple so that it makes you want to continue. Suggesting you do a few poses that you know and feel confident doing. When you've finished, lie in corpse pose (on your back letting feet fall open, arms relaxed at sides, palms up) for five minutes. Repeat this routine for two weeks, paying attention to how your body feels. Gradually add new poses and hold them a little longer. Pretty soon, your practice will be half an hour.
6. Always Breathe
In yoga, pranayama or breath control is essential. The breath is used in a variety of ways to energize, to relax or to connect one pose to another. First, inhale, filling belly, rib cage and finally lungs, then exhale in the reverse order. Don't rush; keep both inhale and exhale even and equal in time.
7. Work from the legs
Because leg strength is the key to many yoga poses, work from the legs. Do standing postures first, then twists, then forward bends and finally backbends, following the sequence will allow you to prepare your arms, shoulder and spine more intense poses.
8. Stop, Look and Listen
Your home practice is an opportunity to take note how your body and mind feel and to make yoga truly your own. Tune in how you're feeling as you practice, and pay attention to the instructions you're giving to yourself- the attention you're paying to your breathing, posture and strength. Essentially, listen to the voice of the teacher inside yourself. It is by yourself that you really absorb and learn.
9. Never push it
Avoid doing poses you don't feel confident doing, save them for class when you can be supervised. For instance a headstand, done incorrectly can lead to serious neck and shoulder injuries and shouldn't be practiced by anyone without requisite experience.
10. Cool down
You may be tempted to skip a cool-down when you pressed for time. Don't always end with corpse pose even if it's only for four minutes.
