Deepen Your Home Yoga Practice Using These 10 Tips

You have the yoga mat and even a few favorite online yoga videos. You’re ready to take it a little further and want to deepen your home yoga practice but aren’t exactly sure how.

If that’s you, keep reading! These ten tips will help you commit to your practice, deepen your knowledge of yoga, and grow your experience.
 
 

Embrace Your Home Yoga Practice

With so many yoga studios closing their doors or going online during the pandemic, many people have started their own home yoga practice. In fact, one study found yoga equipment has seen 154% growth as people focus more on wellness at home.

So what do you do once you’ve started practicing yoga at home? How do you grow your practice? Keep reading for our top ten tips to keep the momentum going.
 

Use These 10 Tips to Deepen Your Home Yoga Practice:

1. Join an Online Yoga Membership

Having a yoga membership is a great resource that supports you in every step of your yoga journey. Practicing yoga at home can be challenging: what if you don’t feel motivated? For new practitioners, it’s hard to know where to begin. That’s why having an experienced and qualified teacher is key, and this is where an online yoga membership comes in.

Memberships, like the one by YouAligned, offer a wide variety of styles, teachers, difficulty levels and even duration (so there’s no excuse if you only have 15 minutes). You can search for exactly what you want – from flexibility to strength to expecting mamas – there is a home yoga practice program tailored to meet everyone’s needs.

While there are plenty of free options online, not all are safe or taught by seasoned, certified instructors. Online yoga memberships guarantee a higher level of safety and education since these teachers are vetted.

If you’re interested in exploring an online yoga membership, you’re already on the website of a 5-star top-rated yoga platform! Sign up for your 14-day free trial here and start practicing with us today. 🙂
 

2. Connect with Other Yogis

Connecting with others who are also practicing yoga at home gives you the opportunity to share your experience, ask questions, and get inspiration.

You might be practicing by yourself but you are definitely not alone! It’s also a great way to hold yourself accountable to a consistent home yoga practice. Reach out to an online group and remember how far reaching the yoga practice truly is.
 

3. Read Up on Yoga Philosophy

There is more to yoga than the physical Asana practice. Don’t forget to explore the philosophy behind what takes place on (and off!) the mat.

Need a place to start? Books like Light on Yoga and Tree of Yoga, both by B.K.S. Iyengar, are great first reads.

Keep this list of 10 Books Every Yogi Should Read as a reference list for future reading!
 

4. Commit to Practicing Every Day

I know, I know, who has time for that? But even if it’s five minutes, it counts! The idea is to cultivate a habit of getting into your body and circling back to yourself.

Maybe you don’t have time for a full practice every day, but you can practice Tree Pose while prepping dinner in the kitchen or take a Forward Fold Pose on your lunch break.

Of course, carve out time to get on your mat, but don’t forget it’s not always required.
 

5. Start a Yoga Journal

Using a yoga journal can be a simple home yoga practice with major benefits. Journaling can increase our awareness, guide us toward mindfulness, and bring clarity.

Simply noting how you felt in your practice and what poses felt good that day, can help you connect to your home yoga practice in a way you might not have before.

Take Your Yoga Practice to the Next Level with Yoga Journaling + 3 Easy Steps to Get Started!
 

6. Incorporate Meditation into Your Practice

Meditation can be a great way to deepen your home yoga practice. Whether you meditate at the beginning or right after your yoga session, start with five minutes and build from there.

If you’re new to meditation, using a guide is a good way to stay focused. Use a meditation app, YouTube video, or try a YouAligned meditation class.

Take This Guided Meditation for Presence
Join YA Classes instructor Bryan Holub as he guides you through a potent meditation to bring you into a full state of peaceful presence.

7. Schedule Your Practice Times

Good intentions only go so far. When you want to commit to practicing yoga at home, it’s important to carve out time.

Review your week and schedule your yoga practices on the calendar like you would anything else. You can even create your own weekly calendar of yoga videos that you’ll use each day, according to how much time you have or what you want to focus on that week.
 

8. Continue to Learn and Focus on Foundational Poses

It’s not always about flashy, complicated poses. Infact, if you want to build towards more challenging postures and flows, it’s vital you have a solid foundation.

Maintain a student mentality and be open to learning when you practice yoga at home. Set aside time every now and then to brush up on foundational poses, alignment and technique. Remember it’s a process, not a race.

Curious About Your Alignment In Down Dog? Watch This Yoga Pose Tutorial (Video)
 

9. Try a Freestyle Practice

While guided yoga videos are a great way to practice yoga at home, especially when learning new poses or flows, there’s nothing more freeing than trusting yourself to flow on the mat unattended.

If you are used to practicing with videos, this might feel a little weird at first. You might even feel a bit uncertain of what to do. But know that all your practices have brought you here and it’s all inside you.

Let it flow.
 

10. Take It Off the Mat

Don’t forget to live your yoga!

The physical Asana is just the beginning of a yoga practice. As you are learning, growing and experiencing all the benefits of yoga, remember to take those things with you when you step off the mat.

The way we treat and interact with others has a profound impact on the world around us. As we breathe deep in a challenging posture on the mat, we can take that breath into challenging moments of our day at work, with family, or even strangers.

Learn All About the Yamas and Niyamas From the Yoga Sutra
 
 

View Your Yoga at Home Practice as a Time to Deepen

Practicing yoga at home can be an amazing experience. There is nothing like creating a practice truly unique to you.

As you continue to build and grow your home yoga practice, remember it’s not about comparing yourself to anyone, but continuing to go inward and return to yourself.

There’s no rush, either. Choose one or two tips from the list to start with. Then incorporate more when you’re ready. Above all, enjoy the process!