Daily yoga practice helps you stay healthy, more productive, calm and happy all day. Doing these practices at home not only keep you happy but your family members too can feel the positive energy and happiness around. What’s more, you get a chance to practice them right in the comfort of your home, any time you wish.
Once you have learned yoga from a qualified teacher, and are comfortable, you can start practicing yoga on your own. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you prepare yourself for yoga at home:
9 Tips to Practice Yoga at Home
1. Choose a convenient time
Practicing yoga in the morning is generally considered to be the best time as it keeps energy levels high during the day. However, you can choose any time of your convenience to practice yoga. Practicing yoga in the evening can refresh the mind and release stress collected during the day.
2. Choose a comfortable place
It would be best to have a small, private room in your house for daily yoga practice. Over time, your practices will create positive vibrations in the room, thereby providing healing, strength, and comfort to you and others at home. Alternatively, you may choose a quiet space anywhere at home, which is large enough to roll out your yoga mat and where you know you are not likely to be disturbed for a while.
All you need to ensure is that your yoga space is clean, well-ventilated, and away from furniture or sharp objects.
3. Practice on a relatively empty stomach
Yoga postures are always best practiced on a light or empty stomach. Ensure to keep a 2-3 hours gap in between your meals and your practice.
4. Keep your yoga wear simple
Go for loose, comfortable clothing – you wouldn’t want tight, body-hugging outfits coming in the way of wide stretches. Also, keep aside any excessive jewelry that you are wearing and avoid heavy makeup.
5. Warm-up before doing intense yoga postures
This is an absolute must, else you may be at risk of straining your muscles. Start by warming up your body and do a few stretches to bring flexibility before moving on to more intense yoga postures.
6. It is your own body; be gentle on it
Start with simple and easy yoga poses. Respect your body by going slowly, or you may end up hurting yourself.
7. Be consistent
It is essential to be regular with your yoga practice. Making it a part of your daily schedule will help turn it into a habit. Krishan Verma, a senior Sri Sri Yoga teacher says, “Twenty minutes of daily yoga practice is more likely to show positive results sooner than two hours of occasional practice.”
8. Make yoga time as ‘family fun time’
When you practice alone, it might get boring after a while, or you may simply become lazy. Try doing yoga with your family or friends and let it be a perfect excuse for a family get-together.
9. Include a variety of yoga techniques
Practice a variety of yoga poses and breathing techniques. If you are crunched for time, fix a set of asanas to be done every day, and then treat your body with the complete package on a Sunday! Also, be sure to end your yoga practice with Yoga Nidra.
Remember that yoga practice does not include only yoga asanas. Pranayama (breathing exercises), meditation, and Sudarshan Kriya (if you have done the Happiness Program) are also a part of the home sessions.
