Create your own yoga studio at home | Mindful Puzzles

Create your own yoga studio at home

Have you ever had the desire to begin a yoga practice but find yourself stumbling at the first hurdle? Perhaps a lack of time or confidence? Fortunately, you have everything you need to get stretch-happy, and you don’t even need to leave your lounge room.

With its extensive and respected lineage in original Vedic texts dating back 5,000 years ago, yoga is much more than a fitness industry buzzword or fad. Somewhere in the last 2,000 years, the Sanskrit term asana, which originally translated to ‘seat’, transpired to ‘posture’ and we began to understand yoga as a means of physical exercise, particularly in the western world.
Linked to decreased inflammation, greater immune function and alleviation of symptoms relating to chronic health conditions, yoga also increases circulation, flexibility, strength, and coordination, and reduces symptoms of insomnia, menopause, and many other ailments. Yoga is renowned for bringing balance and equanimity to every aspect of its practitioner’s life, meaning it’s not only beneficial for your physical body but also your mind, reducing depression, stress and anxiety.
But chances are you’ve seen the images and the videoclips that fill your Facebook feed; lithe gazelles in pretzel-like shapes bending and twisting ala Cirque du Soleil. So understandably, beginning a yoga practice can be daunting…

Whether you’re aiming to hold an arm balance or would like to calm the fluctuations of your mind, yoga has innumerous benefits. Thanks to the following tips, you too can be privy to the ancient teachings of yoga – without leaving home!

Collect your resources

There is a plethora of online aides to help you become acquainted with your mat, and inevitably yourself. Australia’s most trusted yoga studio Power Living has created Yogaholics, an app for your smartphone with many yoga, meditation and pranayama classes. For a small weekly fee, you can carry around your own bespoke yoga program with informative instructions and video guides. It’s crucial you know what you are looking for amidst the saturated world wide web. Ask yourself what it is you want from your yoga practice: Increased flexibility/ strength? Rehabilitation from your back injury? Alleviated symptoms of stress to get a better night’s sleep? The more specific you are with your intention, the easier you’ll find it to locate resources suitable for you.

Mindful Puzzles pick:

With over 4,000 online yoga classes at your fingertips, Yogaglo is the net’s most extensive online resource for at home yoga. For a small fee, you can enjoy the teachings from a variety of accredited international yoga instructors. www.yogaglo.com

Create your space

It doesn’t have to be large and mirrored, tranquil and incense infused, or even remotely reminiscent of that yoga studio you visited in Ubud with your girlfriends. Survey your home or backyard and choose a space that is large enough to comfortably accommodate your mat, some yoga props like a block, bolster or strap, and anything you may require for savasana (eye mask, blanket and a pillow). Ensure your space is quiet and free from visual distractions.

Relaxation and calm tends to fall to the wayside when you’re upside down, staring at your pile of dishes and mentally collating your to-do list.

Make time

Just as you would take an hour out of your day to attend a yoga class, give yourself permission to commit to your home practice, even if only for fifteen minutes daily. Upon rising, determine the best time to fit in your home practice, and stick to it. Paradoxically, small, consistent efforts of less than twenty minutes are more beneficial than a ninetyminute practice once a week. Commit to five rounds of Sun Salutations in the morning and finish with a light stretch in the evening, it’s all you need.

Some is better than none!

Close your eyes, inhale and exhale deeply through your nostrils, repeat this for several mindful cycles of breath and notice how relaxed you feel; congratulations, you’ve just practised yoga! Even if you only have five minutes to spare – jump on your mat. You’ll feel infinitely better for practising and for giving yourself the time to achieve something for you.

Check out doyogawithme.com for hundreds of streaming yoga videos of all lengths. The best part is, they’re absolutely free!

Keep it simple but challenge yourself

The late BKS Iyengar, founding father of Iyengar yoga proclaimed that by regulating your breathing, you will be able to control your mind. If all your practice consists of is a five-minute child’s pose concentrating on your breath, then your practice is more advanced than you think. But also bear in mind that those challenging poses – the ones you shy away from in favour of a familiar Triangle pose – are teaching you valuable tools on how to acknowledge and adapt to what is unpleasant, on and off the mat; so, get uncomfortable!

TOP TIPS TO CREATING YOUR OWN HOME YOGA STUDIO

  • Invest in a good quality yoga mat. Yoga is difficult without slip-sliding all over a piece of slippery (and often sweaty) rubber. Mindful Puzzles personal favourite is Yin Yoga Mats.
  • Always cultivate an intention based on your secondary emotion. Beginning a home yoga practice because you want to be toned is a fine goal, but ask yourself how ‘being toned’ makes you feel? Happy, accepted, comfortable in your own skin? Striving for a goal that isn’t based on aesthetics alone will mean your motivation to practise will be less likely to dwindle.
  • For the days your energy is lacking, listen to your intuition. Choose a gentle practice with some alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana) or Humming Bee pranayama. Restore and rejuvenate today, your body will thank you for it.
  • Strive for the hard stuff, but practice Santosha (contentment) with where you are. Those images you see of malleable yoga practitioners in majestic poses are a product of years of committed practice (and in some cases, largely attributed to genetics). A great mantra to work with: I am right where I need to be.

Enjoying our inspiring stories? Sign up to our newsletter and receive our latest editorial and offers directly in your inbox.