Follow These 4 Tips to Create a Home Yoga Practice For Yourself

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I am embarrassed to admit that I was one of those yogis who swore I would never have the discipline for a home practice. Some of us are lucky enough to have a yoga studio just a few miles from home, a flexible work schedule, and the resources to attend classes.

However, many reasons prompt yogis to cultivate a home practice. Perhaps teachers and students do not share the same vision for their practice, a studio cancels your ideal time slot, a teacher leaves, or your availability to practice changes.

And just like that, we may be left out in the cold: no “yoga buddies,” no coffee after class, no one to guide our practice, and no place to put down our mat and work on our problems. It is quite a shock, and the sense of loss may overtake us. We may even feel like abandoning yoga altogether.

Sometimes we crave a familiar predictability instead of embracing the unpredictable joy

But please, don’t give up on yoga. Yoga teaches us to go within ourselves, evaluate what serves us, and release the things that hold us back from self-discovery. A yoga practice at home gives us the opportunity to truly go inward and cultivate an intimate and consistent practice.

This loss of predictability will fuel our passion for yoga, free us to discover our truth, and prove to be our biggest ally.When a group practice is unavailable, we must retreat to our inner space and become solitary, Wild Yogis.

Use These 4 Tips to Start a Home Practice for Yourself:

Here are the 4 lessons I learned along my journey to shedding predictability and embracing the Wild Yogi within through a creating a yoga practice at home:

1. Begin Where You Are

The first task is picking a place where you will not be disturbed. Pick a spot where the temperature and lighting are just right for you; a window by the warm sun or a dimly lit, quiet room may be just what you need that day. Make a promise to stick with it. Make a date with your mat and practice for yourself on a regular basis.

My Lesson: Rolling out the yoga mat in my large bathroom, it slammed down with a thud. Such a sad sight it made all alone on the floor. I closed the door, cranked up the space heater, started some music, lied down, and began to engage my breath.

My heartbeat thudded in my ears, and I felt like a complete and utter failure. But, I stayed with it. I would whisper, “Practice, and all is coming.”

2. Just Breathe

Feel what yoga BECOMES as you move, and do not get weighted down by what you think yoga IS or should be. Leave just enough room for the Wild Yogi to bloom. Abolish self-doubting questions, and love your home practice unconditionally. Period.

Wild Yogis need to be inspired. Pick whatever poses you want or need that day and began practicing these poses however and whenever you like. Harness your imagination, watch videos, read magazines, list poses you love, and become active in sequencing your yoga practice at home. You get to be your own teacher!

Wild Yogi practice will become more fluid with time. If we just believe in ourselves, we can cultivate a home practice into a wild, untamed, and organic personal journey.

My Lesson: I kept my daily date with my yoga mat even if it was just for a few sun salutations, seated folds, and savasana. I was inspired by linking sequences instantaneously in my head and just letting my body flow where it wished.

My practice was less “labeled” and more fluid, liquid, and dynamically groovy. I would constantly remind myself, “Just breathe, and let go of things.”

3. Surrender

Surrender means “giving in” to the Wild Yogi, and not giving up. Give yourself permission to stumble. So what if you face plant or only meditate for 30 seconds? Trying new things without expectations frees us from worrying if we fail. Just try again.

Join a new tribe: Yogis in the Wild. What does that mean? Whatever you want it to mean. Our Wild Yogi home practice journey is full of limitless possibilities. This is where we can really tap into something primal.

We may be tempted to run from this surrender, but please reconsider. Now the real work begins. It becomes less about back bending and more about heart opening. Your home practice is all about surrendering to what is and enjoying the process.

My Lesson: Seeing my life “from the mat” helped me find the courage to practice alone. I loved how I felt and looked. I broke out into spontaneous trance dance and did not care. I calmed and stilled body and mind more easily.

I discovered the wild and untamed heart caged inside me was ready to burst forth from my yoga mat with both discipline and abandon because I had surrendered to my true self.

4. Let the Light In

Be open to all journeys of self-discovery. Solitary yoga practice at home cultivates a deep and personal energy. Share your light with others, and let their light shine upon you. Share your Wild Yogi experience as a way of letting others know they too can experience and enjoy a solitary practice.

Invite others to join you. The energy of the group yoga practice can be delicious and textured. We Wild Yogis will find a way to strike a balance between solitary and group practice.

My Lesson: I truly believe that a yogi needs the energy cultivated in both a personal practice and a group practice. When I decided to join a group of yogis again and “emerge from the wild,” I found that I was lifted and carried through each sun salutation, I became the fierce warrior within, and I flew like the eagle.

It was exhilarating and humbling. Suddenly, it all became clear. What’s the ultimate secret to a home practice?

The Benefits of a Home Practice – The Takeaway

All yogis are Wild Yogis. And all Yogis need each other. Practice creates a union among us and within the greater yoga community. If there are no studios available in your area or classes that fit your schedule, there are many groups and programs available online that create the sense of a yoga community at large.

Did you know that YouAligned offers premium online yoga classes and full yoga + fitness programs for just $10 a month? We also plant a tree for every class our members complete! Talk about a great way to motivate yourself to maintain a consistent home practice!

Reach out, make friends, find people that support you, and conquer your fears. It is the balance of all these things that helped me find the untamed Wild Yogi within, and for this I am eternally grateful.

Trust in your home practice journey, take a leap of faith, and let the Wild Yogi manifest within you. Our untamed movements can and will change our practice and our attitude towards the body, mind and spirit connection. Jump in, and take charge!