Practicing yoga at home can be as satisfying as practicing yoga in a studio, though one may want to consider a few tips to ensure the best experience. These tips include creating a quiet, tranquil space and using the correct yoga props or equipment. Other tips include finding the best form of instruction, whether it is a digital video disc (DVD), books or simply personal knowledge gained from classroom instruction. There are tips to prevent an injury, such as listening to the body and easing into the practice of yoga at home. Some tips include varying the type of yoga at home, from meditation to sequences to poses that focus on certain areas of the body.
Finding a quiet space in which to practice yoga at home may be the most difficult tip to follow. The space does not need to be large, but it should be as tranquil as possible. In a particularly noisy household, one may consider using soothing music to help drown out sounds drifting into the space from elsewhere in the house.
Furniture is another aspect of at-home yoga practice that differs from in-studio work. For example, a room in a house will likely have furniture that may need to be moved so the practitioner is not crowded. A thick area rug may need to be rolled up out of the way so balance poses may be done effectively. Plush carpeting may need to be covered with a sticky yoga mat or yoga boards to provide a firmer surface on which to practice yoga at home.
Many yoga studios provide a selection of props for students to use. Such props can be purchased for use in practicing yoga at home, recreating the studio experience. For example, a yoga mat is important for most people’s yoga practice and should be part of the home experience. It can be a traditional sticky mat or a tightly woven yoga rug. Other props that may be considered include a blanket, a bolster or thick pillow, blocks and straps for increasing deep stretches.
When practicing yoga at home, another good tip is to consider what form of instruction is personally best. For example, some people may have attended yoga classes in a studio in the past. These people may be able to create their own class, doing poses they enjoy without the help of DVDs or books. Other people may prefer the impersonal instruction of a DVD. Other options are to follow books, Internet websites or flash cards for instruction.
Perhaps some of the best tips can help to prevent injury during an at-home yoga session. For example, it is important to listen to the body and not push it into poses that cause pain. Some people may need to monitor how long they practice yoga, starting slowly and increasing the length of the session as they become more comfortable with their practice. It also is best to start with deep breathing and some stretches to relax and limber up the body before beginning more advanced poses.
A helpful tip also may include varying the type of yoga. For example, meditating and performing deep stretches may be a good place to start for some people. Others may follow sequences of poses, similar to a choreographed dance. Some practitioners may simply vary the body part on which they focus each session, perhaps targeting the abdominals and back one day and the chest and arms the next.