There’s something to be said for a wonderful yoga class with a teacher you love. There really is. With the right teacher and timing, it can leave you feeling amazing. I find this to especially be true on days when I’m feeling down about my body.
But finding that teacher AND timing?
That can be a bit of a challenge, particularly amidst a busy schedule (which it seems like most of us have much of the time).
And I’m right there with ya: just because I’m a yoga teacher doesn’t mean it’s any easier for me to make time for class.
So what do I do when I want a practice that offers me just what I need but I can’t make it to class?
I practice at home.
3 Ways
Home yoga practice can be such a fabulous tool for feeling good in and about your body for many reasons. Here are my top three:
1. You’re the boss: Not Tony Danza, but you. You get to decide what you need, how you want to feel, if you want to use a video or just freestyle it, etc.
2. Your timeline: Home practice is such a great opportunity to follow your body’s lead. Want to pause your video and stay in one pose for 5 minutes? No problem! Want to start in Savasana? You can! And the more you allow yourself to do so, the stronger of a relationship you build with your body as you both learn that it’s okay to listen to what it asks for.
3. Hone your self-trust: When there’s no one around but you, there’s no one around but…you. That means you have ample opportunity to listen and build trust in yourself: that you know what you need and that you are willing and able to meet those needs.
What Meets You
By allowing your home to be your place of body acceptance and yoga experimentation, you remind yourself of something extremely valuable, if not life-changing: that yoga and acceptance are available to you anytime, anywhere. Nothing fancy, no one else required.
Anna, I feel much the same way, with extra emphasis on number 1. Because I teach, I usually am “the boss.” But at home, I am giving only to myself–the same benefit I feel students get from class. That idea that you devote the time and energy and bring it to your self in a yoga class with the intention of meeting your own needs and wants there. Now doing that at home can be even more powerful–it’s an environment where for some of us it’s even more of a challenge to carve out that time and energy and give only to ourselves. I love the respect I have been able to show myself in being able to do that.
It really does come back to I “could” do this….versus I “should”….taking the pressure off of creating a “perfect yoga home practice” is really helping me. 🙂 I think we have this unrealistic expectation that our home practice will mirror exactly what our practice looks like in community (or our yoga class). I’m finding that there’s grace in all of it and that’s why I’m coming back to the mat over and over and over again. xoxo to you Miss Anna!
Ok, I am going to give this a go.
Now let’s see – I am the boss
– I am in charge and can change it up
– Hone my self-trust
Now all I need to do is unroll the mat and take a deep breath.♥