I’m not a fan of the phrase "practice makes perfect". Who wants to be perfect? This phrase particularly doesn’t work for me in a yoga context. However, yoga is a practice so the more you do it, the more you will reap its benefits.
I first experimented with a home practice at the beginning of my yoga journey. I enjoyed getting on my mat and trying to remember snippets from my weekly classes. I then changed jobs, working away from home and completely lost my practice for a while. It returned through the medium of Yoga with Adriene. Yoga became a regular home (and away) practice thanks to her monthly calendar. I also returned to weekly in person classes.
As part of my Foundation Course with the British Wheel of Yoga, we were expected to have a self practice and note this in a reflective diary. I found this completely daunting. I had no idea where to start and it felt like a real pressure. What would I do without my beloved Adriene (and Benji)?
If I look back at my first entry from Thursday 6 May 2021 it reads “Morning, straight out of bed. 10 minutes meditation – no props. Managed almost 20 minutes (of asana). My attempt at sun salutation got a bit muddled! Simply standing in Tadasana felt amazing. I could see for the first time how Downward Dog can be called a resting pose.”
This entry describes for me some of the benefits of a self practice. Namely it:
Doesn't have to be perfect. My practice can look really messy! It doesn’t flow seamlessly. I might start doing something and then decide to do something else.
Doesn't have to last for an hour nor be “Yoga every damn day” as the popular hashtag decreed.
Is more intuitive. You can really tune into what your body needs at that particular time rather than being led through a class with the content determined by someone else. Saying that Adriene does seem to have a class for every occasion, mood, profession, time of day...
Can complement and inform your class practice. By taking time at home to learn more about what feels good for your body (and what doesn’t) you will have a greater awareness of this in class helping you modify if needed.
Where to start? I saw a "Top Tip" on Instagram to find an area in your house that inspires you and leave your yoga mat there. In our house a yoga mat has permanent residence in the middle of the desperately in need of plastering, painting and new flooring lounge. To be fair the view is inspiring especially when the sun is shining. My husband practices yoga here most days.
Once you’ve got your mat out what next? My advice would be simply to give it a go. "Find what feels good" as the saying goes. This is a great time of year to start a self practice and certainly when mine comes into its own. I head out into the garden with my mat early in the morning. It's not a daily occurrence and that's fine. Attending class once a week is fine too. However, if you are interested in starting a perfectly imperfect self practice at home I hope these tips have helped.
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