Yoga at home? If you can!
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In my early years of yoga, I never would have imagined being able to practice yoga in my own home. What did I know about yoga? I fully trusted my instructor and wanted him near me when I was practicing. As long as I was able to attend a few classes a week, I was happy.
Do what you can, where you can
After moving to a small town without yoga, I still didn’t feel comfortable practicing on my own , perhaps due to insecurity, mistrust, lack of discipline.
Accepting that I didn’t feel ready enough to continue a yoga practice on my own at home, I accepted a lifestyle without yoga. I put aside my yoga magazines that arrived every month and tried to guide me in my personal yoga practice at home, I avoided the boring repetition of yoga videos and for months, I substituted yoga for the treadmill in my apartment and for pilates classes.
It wasn’t yoga, but feeling like I was getting physical exercise was important to me. Although I was not able to practice yoga, which was what I wanted, I did try to continue with a practice of physical exercises that were good for my body. Despite my first slightly strange attitude towards practicing yoga at home, now I find myself doing a posture or two, just because I feel like it, because my body tells me to.
I am prone to back pain, and from time to time being able to do some simple back yoga exercises at home is great for stretching my body.
Forget your expectations
Looking back, I think the biggest obstacles I had were preconceived notions of what a home practice is or should be (notions still get in my way on a regular basis). A home practice does not have to be an exact replica of what the teacher does . It can be what your body needs or wants to do at that moment.
give yourself time
If you have attended a couple of yoga classes, surely you are already able to remember some simple asanas that you can work on at home. You can start there. Choose a quiet and pleasant space in your home , take some time each day to start building your own practice at home. Start with the exercises you most want to do, and have an open mind and attitude. Don’t judge yourself, be patient and start practicing!