Keeping Up With Your Personal Yoga Practice

26 Aug Keeping Up With Your Personal Yoga Practice

Tips on How to Start and Keep Up Your Personal Home Yoga Practice

I am often asked if teaching is my yoga practice, or do I have my own practice outside of my classes? And how do I find the time during the day for teaching yoga, running a cafe, attending gym ( legend has it I have woken up at around 5am some days to the bestest gym buddy and friend a girl could ask for) and keeping up with a daily yoga routine.

Yes I definitely take time out to focus on my practice, which not only helps progress in yoga asana, but keeps me grounded, strong and focused. Otherwise I feel my practice would stagnate and I would lose the inspiration and creativity, that I do my best, to bring to my classes. More importantly I definitely feel a difference in myself when I have a daily practice than when that falls to the way side. My practice brings a calmness and stability to my being. When I don’t practice I feel my body become stiff, my anxiety starts to creep back in and energy levels weaken.

Here are some tips that help me keep up with my practice…

1. Time

Let go of the notion that yoga must be practiced at a certain time and for any certain length of time. Release this pressure on yourself, if you are not a 5am wake up as the sun rises when all the yogis are climbing out of their beds to OMMM their way through their daily 2 hour asana, pranayama, meditation practice, and you have tried it and its not working… take a breath; because it is okay… Choose a more suitable time that fits in with your needs, do your best to practice at this time daily. If for a day or two it doesn’t work out, keep calm,  when the time comes resume your routine.

Do your best to practice something every day, even if you find your routine being turned upside down, take 5 minutes to do some breath work or meditation. It will help restore you and keep you in routine. This is as much of a yoga practice as any!

2. Energy

Energy levels change day to day, even moment to moment for some of us. A reminder for ladies, moving with our cycle and listening to what your body is requiring of you during the month is a beneficial requirement. A slow yin practice or gentle breathing can be as rejuvenating as a hardcore power vinyasa session when our body and mind is in need of a little relaxation.

3. Attend a Yoga Session

Going to a yoga class is a great way to have a teacher guide your through a practice, especially if you are not sure of how to sequence your own practice or know poses. I would definitely recommend anyone who has never practiced before to take a few classes to get a basic knowledge of what yoga is all about. It can also be a great way to socialize with like minded people.

4. YOU TUBE it!

You tube has been a life saver for my personal practice! Even though I have attended teachers trainings, make up sequences for all my special yogis and yoginis, I find that it is easier to focus when I have a guide to talk me through a sequence. I am so truly grateful to the teachers who put themselves out there so that people like myself can keep up a personal practice.

To make the search for some teaching channels easy (and in no particular preferential order) here are some of the teachers I follow

• Yoga with Adrienne

Adrienne is such a gentle soul. Her channels is full of 20-30 minute sequences which are calming and gently. I would definitely recommend her for beginners or when you are in the need of something more slow paced.

• Allie the Journey Junkie

This awesome chick who yogas and sails around the world has some great classes online. She brings in breath work as well as the philosophy of yoga into many classes. You can find great beginner and intermediate videos on her channel. I follow Allie on Instagram, and I loved that when I messaged her she has messaged back, in a heartfelt, genuine way.

• Five Parks Yoga with Erin Sampson

This channel has a wide range of videos to choose from. Anything from 20 minutes to over 1 hour long. I really enjoy following Erin as I feel that, at the moment, her more intermediate classes I can keep up with, as well as having a little extra push.

• Cat Meffan

Cat has a wonderful channel, with loads to offer. I love her more intermediate to advanced videos as they push me and bring me to trying new postures on my own. Here you will find graceful yet powerful vinyasa flows to slow invigorating yin sequences.

5. Rid Yourself of Excuses

I am master of excuses, so I can fully vouch how strong an excuse can be to avoid what needs doing. However when you feel that excuses are becoming a part of daily life as to how to skip your Yoga practice, visualize how good life is when you get into practice, as to how you may feel not regularly moving, stretching and of course our favourite savasana time! Its great motivation to step back into a yoga class or private home practice.

6. BODY, MIND, SOUL

Make a conscious daily decision to do something that benefits your body, mind and soul. Drawing this to attention, bringing ourselves in union of this trio of what makes our human experience at it optimum, is as good as any yoga practice you will find!

Remember – Do Yoga Be Happy!