My yoga practice started at home — with Rodney Yee & MTV Yoga.
Yes, MTV Yoga. (I thought it was pretty awesome to practice with one of the gals from The Real World — which one, I have no idea at this point).
Although my practice eventually included classes, workshops and teacher training, home practice continues to be where I learn the most — especially about myself.
For me, home practice is where everything comes together. If I’ve been to class or a workshop, I can come home and work with what I’ve learned. If I preparing to teach a class, my home practice is my testing grounds. I feel what I’m teaching in my own body, to consider the effects.
Just as importantly, though, my home practice is also my internal testing ground. Through plenty(!) of stops and starts, my mat is now where I turn when I need or want to inquire about something that’s going on in my emotional landscape.
For example, when I was launching my course for teachers last week, I was feeling a bit ungrounded. I had a lot to do, and I wanted it all to be done well. My first impulse was to feel that I didn’t have time for my practice, that I couldn’t spare that hour.
Since I have this experience pretty much every time I plan to practice at home, though, I was able to see it for what it was — not the truth. Because the truth was that if I got on my mat, even for 5 minutes, I would feel better. I’d take some deep breaths and come into my center — physically and emotionally.
So I got on my mat already.
And when I did, I was reminded again how beautifully yoga teaches me about myself. These lessons usually come down to 3 things:
1. What My Body Wants
My home practice is fairly informal. I like to start by getting down onto the mat and just moving around. I find that as I move, whether in traditional poses or not, I get a sense of where my body is that particular day. Sometimes I can tell because a certain part of my body is wanting to stretch. Other times I can tell by the pace I’m moving at — ready to roll or ready to go slow. This process has really taught me to tune into my body on a deeper level than ever before. Because the more I get to know my body on the mat, the more I come to know it off the mat, too.
2. What I’m Feeling
This is similar to learning what my body wants, but it’s an even deeper level for me. As I settle into movement and my physical body begins to get its needs met, I can inquire more into how I’m feeling — either by sensing or asking myself actual questions. Some days the answers are more obvious than others, but the fact that I can do this at all is no minor miracle after years of disconnection from my feelings.
3. What I Need Next
This is a relatively new one for me, but I’m really diggin’ it. At the end of my practice these days, I’ve been asking myself what I need after my practice. Previously, I would hop off the mat, trying to make up for “lost time.” Now, though, I check in to see how it would be best for me to transition into whatever I’m doing next. I’m loving this because it makes my practice feel even more integrated into my life, which is definitely what I want!
Now I want to hear from you — what has your home yoga practice taught you?
Credits:
This is a post by Anna Guest-Jelly. Visit her at her website Curvy Yoga and on Facebook and Twitter. This has been reposted with permission. You will find the original post here.