Complete Guide to Yoga at Home
Yoga is the ultimate mind-body connection. It’s a workout for your body while at the same time giving you space to be fully present with your mind. Ha! That sounds a little woo-woo, but it’s true.
As a naturally competitive person, I love that yoga isn’t a competition. If anything, it’s about your own personal journey. When I’m able to hold, or even master, a new yoga pose I feel accomplished. It’s not that when I get into a new pose it means I’m “good” at yoga, it’s that I can physically feel and see that I’m growing in my practice. As one of my favorite instructors Bradshaw says, you can do a handstand and still be an asshole.
I have been practicing yoga on and off for over 15 years. Yoga has always been my go-to… it grounds me, motivates me, inspires me. It’s good for my mind and for my body. My “off” times that I haven’t practiced have been because I didn’t have a studio that I loved. For the past year, I have had a local studio and teachers that I love, but have turned my practice to 100% home-based due to COVID. I had dabbled with at-home yoga in the past, for convenience, but I’ve been surprised at how much my practice has truly grown at home.
I’m not a yoga teacher unless you count that 10 minutes I taught as a final exam in college (trust me, do not count that as teaching!) Even though I’ve been practicing for a decent amount of time I still have a ton to learn. That’s part of the beauty of yoga.
Yoga Styles
You may have taken a yoga class and thought it wasn’t for you. Or maybe you haven’t because you’ve heard about it or seen it and have some preconceived notion and don’t think it’s for you. The thing is there isn’t just one kind of yoga. There are many different types, one may work for you and one may not.
I’m not going to get into all of the different styles, because as I mentioned, I’m not a professional. I recommend doing some research into the styles and matching the description to what you are looking for. Looking for some stretching to calm you at night, there’s a yoga style for you. Looking for something invigorating to wake you up in the morning, there’s a yoga for you. Looking to sweat your ass off and get in a workout, there’s yoga for you too!
The yoga style I do the most often is Vinyasa, which is a breath per movement flow. But I like to try all different types. I’m down with Restorative to really settle into the pose, Power to get the sweat going, and Yin to zen out.
Yoga Props
For a long time, I never used optional props in yoga. I thought if I had to use a prop it would mean that I couldn’t do a pose, hence I was a failure at yoga. Now I realize that couldn’t be further from the truth. Props are great at helping to progress a yoga practice and deepen yoga poses, you can’t expect to go from 0-60 without a little help along the way.
Proper alignment is crucial in yoga and the last thing you want to do is get injured, especially at home with no one to help with hand-on adjustments. I have no shame using a prop in a class, but at home there are definitely no excuses!
Must have props for me are blocks and a strap. I also like to use a foam roller but it’s totally optional. You’ll see blankets and bolsters in studios, but I don’t find that necessary to buy for my practice. I just don’t have space to have props I don’t need. Oh, and I don’t consider these props but a yoga mat and something to stream with is also pretty important.
Blocks | They are great because they help bring the floor closer to you. You may find that you don’t need blocks for certain poses but would be better aligned using them in others. If you don’t have blocks you can use books as a replacement but it’s tricky to find enough that are the same height. I think they are worth buying.
Strap | This will enable you to grab where you normally can’t, and you can inch your hands closer to the ultimate goal. If you don’t have a yoga strap you can use a belt as a replacement, but again, I use it enough that it’s worth a purchase.
Foam Roller | I had a foam roller before I started my yoga practice because it’s so awesome to roll out your muscles. In yoga, I like to sometimes roll my hamstrings or IT band if I’m feeling kind of tight. The other thing I do is use it as a replacement for a bolster, which is a more typical prop. My thought is why get a bolster for just one use when I can use a foam roller for many.
Bolster | Another prop to provide support or comfort, I find between the blocks and the foam roller I don’t need it. And it takes up a lot of space.
Blanket | Um…I already have blankets.
Yoga Streaming
We all know there is an overwhelming amount of content available on the internet. My advice to you is to use that to your advantage to try different styles, teachers, length of classes. If you aren’t loving one that’s OK because there are so many out there to try.
If you are new to a yoga practice, I think trying some free classes first is the way to go. That way there is no commitment or guilt while you figure out what is best for you. Below I have my favorite free and paid teachers. Free is great, but the paid classes are totally worth it.
Free
Adriene has free classes on YouTube and offers different types depending on what you need that day, targeted for certain moods or ailments. She usually does a January challenge to help make yoga a habit (or get back into it after the holidays). It’s a fun challenge and yoga every day really does make a difference, highly recommend it.
Allie was the first YouTube yoga channel I found that I really connected with. Her practice has evolved in time, as most do, but I really like her power classes. She has a playlist for a 30-day challenge, which you don’t need to do in 30 days but it breaks down 30 poses and is great for a beginner or someone getting back into yoga. Allie is big into the Chakra system too so if you are interested in that, Allie’s your girl.
Paid
Katy has great energy! Her classes are all about flow and feeling the feelings. I met Katy in Chicago where I took her classes live in a yoga studio and she was an instant favorite. Right before COVID hit she started offering live online classes and they could not have come at a better time. Take. Advantage. Katy has a unique way of creating community even through her online classes, the fact that they are live and you are taking the class with a group of people, there’s a vibe to it. She incorporates music into each class too which makes all the difference.
Along with a ton of personality, Bradshaw delivers structure and proper alignment to help you get into peak poses safely. Structure doesn’t mean rigid in Bradshaw’s classes, he takes any opportunity to inject humor (although I have to say his delivery in person lands a little better than video, ha!) His classes are designed so that every pose you do is beneficial to getting into the final peak posture, and it gives your body the best chance of learning something new. Bradshaw offers live and recorded classes via Patreon, and they are usually 35-45 minutes. He taught me that yoga doesn’t have to be chaturanga after chaturanga, you can still be challenged and learn something new in 30 minutes. I take Bradshaw’s recorded classes any time I feel like yoga and don’t want to have to be on someone else’s schedule, the epitome of convenience.
There is a lot of yoga available digitally, this is what I have found works for me. If it doesn’t work for you, that’s OK. The beauty is you can try all different types of yoga and teachers and lengths until you do find one that does. Namaste.
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