Developing your own practice

How long have you been going to your yoga class? Do you ever do any practice at home? For many students of yoga, making the leap from yoga class to home practice is not an easy one. To start with, many of us do not understand how to create a sequence that makes sense, and has a beneficial effect. There is the well-founded concern that, without our teacher to guide us, we may create a sequence, or perform individual
postures in such a way as to produce a unhealthy result. Then there is the fact that we need a little self-discipline. When we go to class, all we have to do is make sure we get there, and the rest is taken care of. We are there for the duration of the class, and we do all of the practices asked of us.

Making time, and sticking to, a home practice can be a challenge. When we create a time to do our own practice, we enter another dimension on our journey with yoga, and the ultimate journey of self discovery. A home practice can be a special time which we give to ourselves, creating a buffer between the demands and responsibilities of our lives and what we know, on a deeper level, our true goals and values are. Beyond all of these benefits are those which cannot be expressed in words, but which need to be experienced.

What is the aim of the practice?

You need to consider your goals for your practice. These may be general goals such as moving towards greater health and vitality, or perhaps
greater strength or flexibility. Or you may have specific goals such as working towards a particular asana, or creating a particular mental or physical effect. With regard to the latter, the time of day that you choose to do your practice, and what is to take place directly afterwards, is vital. If you are doing a morning practice, you may feel the need to build energy and stamina for the day ahead. If you are doing your practice after a stressful day at work, and are going to be eating and sleeping afterwards, you will want to create a more calming practice.