Creating a supportive home yoga practice is essential, especially now. Stressors from our environment have become so profound that they are permeating every aspect of our lives. Many of our favorite places are off limits or uncomfortable at best, making it much harder to find a place of calm and peace to retreat to when we need to escape the chaos.
A home yoga practice becomes our haven when we cannot make it to ICY. But our homes are no longer our sanctuaries, as they now contain the parts of us that we used to leave at the door. Our homes have become our places of business, our children’s schools, our gym, and our yoga sanctuary.
When we practice yoga at ICY, external distractions are removed for us. Cell phones are turned off. There is no dog barking, no baby crying, no children asking questions, no television, no dirty dishes, no projects, no to-do list – no interruptions to our tranquility. We are transported from our worries to our practice, creating an environment of focus and awareness - right here, right now.
We have a wonderful opportunity to expand and grow by taking our practice outside the studio and into a sacred space at home. We remember what we have been taught at ICY – that what we seek without is within. Practicing in challenging times or spaces invites us to anchor into the depth of our practice and ourselves.
John and I learned this as we traveled with ICY to many countries. Practicing yoga in the middle of a busy park in Mumbai brought many distractions. We practiced finding peace in the excitement and chaos – to remain inwardly focused, regardless of outside circumstances, and to invite into our practice the cacophony of sights, sounds, smells, and color as part the flow of our experience. Here are some simple things you can do during your home asana practice to support shifting your attention from the outward toward the inward, particularly during times of high stress.
How to Start
Meet your Self – same time, same place.
Set a standing daily meeting with yourself by blocking off your calendar. This will help create a boundary with work and home and prevent others from interrupting you. You are the most important person with whom you can meet. This meeting is mandatory.Find a space where you can create your sanctuary.
The beauty of yoga is that it can be practiced anywhere. Maybe you set up your sanctuary in the garden or backyard, a closet, or even the garage - an empty corner that you place your yoga mat, a candle, a favorite photo, flowers or plants, some objects that ground you and bring you joy. Bathe the room in a chakra color that you are working on balancing. Use scarves, clothing, anything that creates a special space for your practice. Choose an area in your home that is as free of distractions as possible - anywhere that lights your inner fire and inspires you to meet your Self on the mat regularly.
Have a sense of humor.
You are going to get kicked offline mid-class. Your cat will sit on your mat just as you are stepping back to chaturanga. Your child will find you and ask for help. You will forget the sequence halfway through. Laugh! Enjoy simply being on your mat and see where your body takes you. Honor that you showed up today for practice and you are doing your best. Laugh your way through it and remember that much of our practice is experienced off the mat (practice breathwork in the car; do tree pose while washing dishes; meditate in the bathtub – INTEGRATE your practice with your life!)
Practice the art of “letting things flow, letting things go.”
Any sense may pull us out of our practice or meditation: glass breaking in the house, scent of coffee or food cooking, etc. Allow the distraction to flow through you and let it go. Sometimes I say to myself, “my dog is barking.” Then, I let the thought and sound go and flow through me like a pot of tea pouring from the pot to my cup – let it flow!
Quality over quantity.
In their 2017 book, The Two Most Important Days: How to Find Your Purpose – and Live a Happier, Healthier Life, Harvard medical professors Sanjiv Chopra and Gina Vild can't say enough good about yoga, even calling it a "direct route to finding contentment, joy, and peace." They point to scientific evidence that shows that practicing yoga for as little as seven minutes per day has significant benefits. "Seven minutes! We can all fit seven minutes into our day to bring greater calm and joy in the rest of our days." There are apps and online videos that can guide you through a seven-minute daily practice. If you do this, you could experience improvements in any of the following ways, all of which have been linked to yoga practice: increased muscle strength; improved posture and spinal protection; increased blood and lymph flow; decreased cortisol levels (a hormone released in response to stress); lower blood sugar; better quality sleep; a balanced digestive system; reduced pain in the body; and more stable emotions. Instead of predetermining your practice, show up fully on your mat, be present, and let the practice flow naturally.
We can find peace anywhere, anytime, because peace really comes from within. It is just a pause and a breath away.
