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Beginning a Home Yoga Practice

Beginning a Home Yoga Practice

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Why begin a home practice

Practicing on your own
How to begin a practice
What to practice
What to do if there is a problem
Hints and cautions

Practice guidelines

General guidelines
Groups of poses
A good order within a practice
Create awareness through practice
Recommended reading

Sequences to practice

Home practice – level one (pdf)
Home practice – level two (pdf)

Why begin a home practice

Practicing on your own

  • Is very rewarding
  • Gives you a chance to explore at your own rate
  • Allows you to practice exactly what you need that day
  • Allows you to practice for as long as required
  • Gives you independence and confidence
  • Makes you a much better student
  • Is the natural next step that will deepen your understanding of yoga and yourself

How to begin a practice

  • Start small! Commit to 5-15 minutes maximum even if you know that you will do more
  • Select a clean, quiet place (7’ x 3’ minimum) in a portion of a room and use it only for yoga
  • Select a time of day when you will not be interrupted
  • Practice at the same time each day
  • Early morning is usually best, however some like an evening practice
  • Begin with an empty stomach
  • Food may be eaten 30-60 minutes after asana
  • It is advisable to bathe or shower before you practice

What to practice

  • Practice what you need
  • Practice what you like
  • Practice what you don’t like
  • Practice your routine
  • Practice what you learned in class
  • Practice the sequences from recommended reading list at the bottom of this page
  • Practice many ways of doing the same pose

What to do if there is a problem

  • Try to figure it out
  • Ask your teacher

Hints and cautions

  • Do not practice in the sun or after being in the sun for an extended period of time
  • You will know the correctness of your practice by its effect
  • Always do Savasana at the end of any practice lasting more than 30 minutes

Practice guidelines

General guidelines

  • Keep major groups of poses together (e.g. practice series forward bends together). Do not split them, except in the case of the inversions Sirsasana and Sarvangasana (see below).
  • Within a group of poses work from easier poses to harder ones.
  • With the standing pose group, begin with the open standing poses. Continue with the revolved ones. Then do the twisting ones. Finish with the head down ones.
  • Finish twists with a symmetrical pose.
  • Sirsasana and Sarvangasana should be practiced every day, with at least Adho Mukha Svanasana, Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana in the chair or Adho Mukha Vrksasana in between.
  • Sarvangasana and variations generally should be practiced for the same duration as Sirsasana.
  • If time is short do Sarvangasana and variations.
  • Do restorative poses toward the end of your practice.
  • Do Savasana regularly. Do Savasana in every practice longer than 30 minutes.

Groups of poses

  • Standing
  • Sitting
  • Twists
  • Seated forward bends
  • Backbends
  • Abdominal
  • Arm balances
  • Inversions
  • Restorative

A good order within a practice

  • Standing
  • Sirsasana
  • Backbends
  • Twists
  • Seated forward bends
  • Sarvangasana
  • Halasana
  • Restorative
  • Savasana

Ways to create awareness through practice

  • Work from the ground up
  • Position of parts
  • Action of parts
  • Alignment
  • Stretch
  • Expansion
  • Observation
  • Balance between the two sides

Connect

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