Moving towards opening a yoga practice is the next step to incorporating yoga as a lifestyle. As instructors encourage learners to embrace personal yoga lifestyle at home, classes become a place to connect with others, regroup and get help from seasoned instructors.
Blending yoga into your personal life is paramount to understanding yoga as a whole. As you become more advanced in your practice, adopting a yoga lifestyle into your life should be happening on a more global scale. Personal practice displays commitment, motivation and maturity. Once included into personal practice, a practitioner will notice a shift in consciousness to a deeper awareness to self and the environment.
As a meditative practice, yoga promotes you to be mindful of your actions and aware of those around you. Once you realize that yoga classes do not grant the student enlightenment until the student takes yoga home, the further along the spiritual development path you'll be.
Developing a personal practice at home does not come easy. It takes intuition as to what your needs are for that day or even week, for that matter. Setting aside times to do yoga at the times that your body or mind really need them is a challenge. You want to address the now, so you must be flexible enough to switch routines for the day.
Write out the sequence of poses that will work for the type of yoga you feel you need to perform for that day. You will end up with several versions for your different needs. Some sequences will be active and invigorating while others will be calming and insightful. When incorporating bends and twist, remember to include counter-moves to balance the body. Forward bends will counter-balance back bends and twists to the left should be paired with twists to the right.
This may sound daunting, but it is not. Start out small and work from there. A thing to note, though, is to create a special space for your practice. Multi-use areas tend to thwart even the most dedicated yogi. If you have to move 5 things from the space in order to practice yoga, chances are you will find reasons not to do yoga that day. Obviously, your props should be stored nearby for convenience. In the beginning, check out music from the local library to try first. Be creative. Move beyond some of the contemporary New Age tracks to find your yoga groove.
Ultimately, you should feel refreshed and energized when you are done with your yoga practice. Remember to approach each pose from a calm and centered place. You will gain so much more. You shouldn't feel exhausted when you're done, not even with Bikram yoga (hatha yoga performed in 105 degree room). So give yourself credit that you can bring yoga home and incorporate it into your real life.
Blending yoga into your personal life is paramount to understanding yoga as a whole. As you become more advanced in your practice, adopting a yoga lifestyle into your life should be happening on a more global scale. Personal practice displays commitment, motivation and maturity. Once included into personal practice, a practitioner will notice a shift in consciousness to a deeper awareness to self and the environment.
As a meditative practice, yoga promotes you to be mindful of your actions and aware of those around you. Once you realize that yoga classes do not grant the student enlightenment until the student takes yoga home, the further along the spiritual development path you'll be.
Developing a personal practice at home does not come easy. It takes intuition as to what your needs are for that day or even week, for that matter. Setting aside times to do yoga at the times that your body or mind really need them is a challenge. You want to address the now, so you must be flexible enough to switch routines for the day.
Write out the sequence of poses that will work for the type of yoga you feel you need to perform for that day. You will end up with several versions for your different needs. Some sequences will be active and invigorating while others will be calming and insightful. When incorporating bends and twist, remember to include counter-moves to balance the body. Forward bends will counter-balance back bends and twists to the left should be paired with twists to the right.
This may sound daunting, but it is not. Start out small and work from there. A thing to note, though, is to create a special space for your practice. Multi-use areas tend to thwart even the most dedicated yogi. If you have to move 5 things from the space in order to practice yoga, chances are you will find reasons not to do yoga that day. Obviously, your props should be stored nearby for convenience. In the beginning, check out music from the local library to try first. Be creative. Move beyond some of the contemporary New Age tracks to find your yoga groove.
Ultimately, you should feel refreshed and energized when you are done with your yoga practice. Remember to approach each pose from a calm and centered place. You will gain so much more. You shouldn't feel exhausted when you're done, not even with Bikram yoga (hatha yoga performed in 105 degree room). So give yourself credit that you can bring yoga home and incorporate it into your real life.
