Yoga at Home for Beginners: Use Your Intuition and Practice for the Love of It

I know I know.  I have ranted  ad nauseum about the importance of maintaining a consistent, ideally daily practice to reap the maximum rewards from yoga. Consistency is key.  Especially in the beginning. As I advise in my newly released book, Yoga At Home:  Gain Energy, Flexibility, and Serenity in 20-30 Minutes a Day, start with just 5 minutes of yoga a day - but make that every day. Increase your time in baby steps.Try not to miss days when you start out because you need to build your consistency muscle so that yoga becomes ingrained in your essence.  Once you do, you can take a day off each week or as needed if your schedule gets very hectic or disrupted as mine did this weekend when my daughter graduated from college.

Although consistency is key, I must point out that you don't want your practice to become an obligation! I operated from that perspective for many years and I know I didn't enjoy the serenity and joy that comes from practicing yoga with love and not out of mere obligation.  I love yoga instructor Rodney Yee's advice about how to approach your daily practice.  He says, "Start to trust your intuition.  Ask yourself, what do I feel like doing today...Simply practice in the way that fits your body, your personality, and your current emotional state."

Pur your heart into your practice and ask your inner wisdom what you should do and report back!  I will do this tomorrow morning and share my experience.

Yours for practicing with love and the guidance of your intuition,

 

Laura Venecia Rodriguez

 

Comments

[Laura Rodriguez]

I appreciate your feedback. Thanks!

Laura

[akro mills totes]

Great article which you share above. I impressed by that every thing are very informative for me. Thanks for sharing great information.

[spill clean up kit]

Yoga contains amazing health benefits if we doing yoga regularly than it will really beneficial for us. It helps in preventing lots of disease related to our body and mind.

[Laura Venecia Rodriguez]

I greatly appreciate your feedback, Dianabol! Thanks!

[Dianabol]

Ya i was not familiar about the beginning steps for yoga you gives really nice method and information to easily learn yoga at home. Thanks for the sharing this different methods of yoga.

[Tina]

I am now 4 years to the day, of regular yoga practice.

I'd had no exposure to DVDs, CDs; and the few books I'd had at the time—the 101 Yoga Tips, and Richard Hittleman, remained on my shelf ... and I just did my own practice ... partially from memory of a class I'd taken 15 years earlier. Then 3 years ago, I'd taken a yoga class at my gym (and I have not been a member of a gym for 3 years).

Something about being in the same room with other students and absorbing their energy (and, yes, their striving attitudes) changed it forever for me. Then came studio classes, here and there. Later on, I noticed a much deeper centering after-effect, from having pushed myself. This happened rarely in class itself (until I finally switched to a more mellow style), but more as a result of the takeaway of how hard I "should" be working at it, FROM class.

I find, at this late juncture, that I want the happy medium between: I have to kick my butt hard in my practice and, just NO ! ... I am NO Type A—I shouldn't feel I'm trying to get anywhere. I simply am not looking to get "anywhere" in my practice (BOY, do I have "process-orientation" nailed ... lol).

I want something to look forward to in my practice ...

Meanwhile there is no money to rejoin the gym, a lengthy commute every day with my job, the yoga studios are greedy for much more business from me (private sessions, unlimited passes ... and "we're here every day"). Enough already.

Nobody is breathing down my neck at home ... :-)

[Laura Rodriguez]

Exactly! I totally agree. Thanks for your comment.

[Relationship Coaching]

Practicing yoga at home adds another dimension to your yoga journey. Doing yoga at home can give you the same great benefits as a class and you will be in total control of how much you learn, and when you learn it.

[Laura Rodriguez]

Thanks, Tina for sharing. I appreciate your comments. I am writing a post soon on why age is of no consequence in doing gentle yoga.

Best,

Laura

[Tina]

Yoga classes, as they are taught today, can make you not like to practice yoga at home (or practically anywhere; except, perhaps grudgingly, at the studio itself). Gym yoga is more forgiving, but a similar principle applies.

For the past 4 years, I have practiced yoga regularly; with off and on for 10-to 30 minute segments each for about 10 years before that.

I won't readily go to a class anymore, and I've averaged 7 in 8 practices at home in the past 4 years... and they are at intermediate level now, and sometimes lasting well over an hour each.

I am glad you write a book for home that is aimed at all ages.

Being a yogi who is over 55 years old has its challenges, and the average student my age never forgets they started as a beginner no matter how long ago!