I've got all sorts of great excuses: too busy, too many people around, no space, no time, wanting to focus elsewhere, too lazy, too tired, just ate....
Truth is - I'm just a bit stuck. This happens when I start to make some progress with my practice. When I start to uncover some "stuff", it is always followed by a natural retreat or shying away from practice for a while. You may notice this in your studio practice or your own home practice. You go religiously to class three times a week, you schedule your life around making sure your practice takes priority. Then, something happens and you stop. You don't feel like going one day, and that turns into a couple weeks, then a month.
Sometimes, those breaks are legit. Maybe life did get busy. I see this decline in regular attendance happen often with students who are starting to make some big breakthroughs in their practice. Students who are starting to dig a little deeper. They begin to uncover places where they are resisting growth, and that can be a little overwhelming. As a result, sitting at home on the couch seems a lot more inviting than a challenging yoga class.
This is when we should most dedicate ourselves to getting on the mat.
A home practice can be a valuable tool in those times where you are resisting attending class. I don't believe that a home practice is a total replacement for learning with a teacher, but it can be the continuity of practice that you need to carry you through the times when you are feeling resistant to a studio practice. It can also be a great tool when studio practice is unavailable to you, for whatever reason.
I often have students ask how they can embark on creating their home practice. What follows is the advice I give to students, and try to follow myself.
First, recognize you don't need any props or supplies to practice yoga at home. We are pretty conditioned to believe that we need "stuff" to practice yoga. A blanket can soften the floor, you can use books for blocks, and housecoat ties for straps. Pillows rolled in a blanket make great bolsters. Chairs have endless uses in home practice. It's all about creativity & willingness to forgo having the "right stuff". In the end, a space on the floor is really all you need.
Home practice doesn't have to look like a studio practice. It can, but it can be very simple as well. Maybe just some pranayama, very simple breath work. Often my home practice is some breath work followed by a few restorative or yin poses.
This leads to the question, "How do I know which poses to practice?"
I don't know how many times I've pulled my mat out, moved into down dog, maybe a couple warriors, and a triangle for good measure then felt stuck, rolled up the mat and called it a day. My best practices at home have never been guided by what I think I should do, but rather they've been guided by what I feel like doing.
This is why I suggest starting with the breath. Spend some time working with ujjayi breath or the ParaYoga practice of pure breathing I've been teaching lately in class. Then move into child's pose or downward dog and see what happens next. Allow the poses to feel intuitive, and natural. Do what you feel like doing, and nothing else. Allow the practice to flow through you.
If there are a few postures you are working on, like balance postures, inverting or arm balancing. Spend some time with those after you have done the more intuitive side of your practice. It's my experience that the more challenging work is met with less resistance and difficulty if the body is warmed up and you are feeling a sense of connection to yourself, the breath and you are able to tap into some moment to moment awareness.
Of course, practicing at home in this way this assumes some base level knowledge of the breath work, of the postures and how to align safely. This is why attending a class with a teacher is an important part of your yoga practice.
If you are still feeling stuck in your home practice there are some other options I give to students. The first is a streaming yoga video website like My Yoga Online. I prefer these websites to videos because there is no assumption of a teacher/student (viewer) relationship. You won't hear things like, "You look great, keep it up" from a teacher who is unable to see how you actually look. These websites are great to kick start your home practice, and often they are videos of actual yoga classes so you can get a little bit of that "studio" feel in your home practice. Again, not a replacement for an actual in class experience but a great way to motivate you to get on the mat at home.
Books are also a good tool for home practice. My suggestion is is to head to the library or the book store and pick out books that interest you - practice books, philosophy books, anatomy books. My yoga book library is ever growing, and I usually have about 3 books on the go at once.
There is one other, less conventional tool to assist a home practice. If you are an Instagram user, you can find month long yoga challenges posted on Instagram. These challenges request you practice one posture a day, then post the photo to your feed.
There is some debate about the yoga "selfie". Some people suggest it is "egotistical" and not a genuine yoga practice. While, I can see how the selfie can bee seen that way, I think it's an unconventional but good way to encourage yourself to practice daily. I participated in a challenge this past July. There were postures I was really good at, postures that found me crashing to the floor, and postures I never ever practice. The challenge got me on the mat every single day in July, a huge accomplishment for me.
Of course, my camera was part of every practice. Sometimes the practice was just to get the photograph for the challenge. Other times, I would take the photo then continue practicing. The presence of the camera did take me out of my own internal practice and made the practice about sharing instead. I was fully aware of the "observer" as I performed the postures for the camera. I think the result of this was more of an emphasis on the physical aspect of my practice, which I don't think is bad. It's just important to recognize it for what it is.
Overall, I enjoyed the challenge and am doing another challenge in September, hash tagged #moveyoasana. If you are interested in following along with an Instagram challenge, I would suggest following @laurasykora to find out more information. You may follow me at @suryayogaregina.
We all get stuck. We all have barriers or excuses. We all ebb and flow with our practice. The key to managing the fluctuations is deciding to let yoga become a part of your life in some capacity, every day. A part of the blissful chilled out times where the mat is easy to approach, as well as a part of the more challenging times when coming to the mat is met with great resistance. And allowing your definition of practice to encompass simply sitting and breathing, to meditation, to reading, to challenging you physically.
If you are looking for another way to build a home practice, you should check out my open studio time on Monday afternoons at Bodhi Tree Hot Yoga in downtown Regina (starting September 9, 2013). Between 1-3, drop in and practice on your own or with some gentle guidance from me. I will offer suggested practices for those looking for ideas, I can help with alignment and answer questions as needed. I'm looking forward to the time to work more closely with students as they work toward building a yoga practice that is sustainable, challenging, and fulfilling.
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