Creating a Practice
Om Work
One of the most asked questions I receive is “how often
should I practice yoga?”. My answer: as
often as you can. Most students come to
yoga for its physical aspect, but don’t realize the alignment, breath work, calmness
and focus they practice on the mat actually moves with them off them mat, and
intertwines into their everyday life. It
becomes a way of life.
Yoga is a great tool because it’s accessible to
everyone. You can take any pose and
modify it to meet your needs on a particular day and time. You can slow it down and speed it up
depending on the time of year and your energy level. You can practice it at a studio, home,
basement, hotel room or even next to a pool.
The only thing you need is to listen to your body.
From racing pulse rates to achy muscles, our body tells us
everyday what’s going on inside.
Utilizing yoga to slow the mind, breath and body allows us the
opportunity to actually hear the voice within.
We can then begin to nurture and soothe our sore areas and slowly begin
to develop healthy habits to prevent the aches from returning.
I encourage everyone to create a home yoga practice. It gives you the flexibility to practice when
the time is right. But wait?!? “I don’t know what to do at home,” says one
student. Here’s my step-by-step list to
creating a home practice.
Take a
yoga class. Yep, spend the money and
go to a class to learn the basics. Books
and videos are helpful, but a live teacher can answer your questions as well as
offer modifications that are perfect for your body.
- Learn one sequence. Teachers learn core sequences that have been practiced for thousands of years such as Sun Salutation and Moon Salutation. Start with moving through this sequence 3-6x every day varying the speed (slower when your energy is lower and faster when you want to create some heat). **Side note: You can learn Sun Salutation A on March 21 as part of the Rise to Shine yoga fund raiser for Girls Inc. Several area yoga teachers will help modify and assist you making the 108 salutations accessible to everyone.
- Sprinkle in a couple of poses. After a yoga class, jot down how different poses made you feel. For example, in today’s class, Warrior 1 felt strong and powerful while Downward Facing Dog was a nice release from my commute home. Pick 3-5 poses to practice after your warm-up sequence depending on what your body is feeling.
- Focus on your breath. Take an inventory of your breath at the beginning and end of your practice. Notice the way it changes as you move through each pose. Try to maintain a calm, even breath even if that means it takes you 10 breaths to transition from Downward Facing Dog to a lunge.
- Don’t judge. Practice compassion and acceptance of where you are today. Our needs and attitudes change like the wind. Our bodies also change daily – some days we’ll feel more open in Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) while others even the simplest balance pose will challenge every cell in our body.
- Don’t skip Savasana. Our bodies need a moment to rest and restore after any workout. Savasana is simply meditation lying on our backs. It allows us to simply be, and gives us the opportunity to hear and notice what we typically ignore all day.
- Commit to yourself. A home practice may be 10 minutes in the morning one day and 60 minutes after work another. Make a promise to at least step on the mat once a day. No one has ever said she regrets taking a class so you won’t be disappointed with the time you put on the mat.
As you begin your practice, feel free to visit Limber
Llama Yoga for ideas and sequences.
You can also email
me with any questions. I would be more
than happy to guide you on your own yoga journey.
