Many yoga students are wary of going it alone, but you can learn yoga and practice at home — even without a teacher. The essence of a home-based yoga practice is trusting your body to be the teacher. To bring your yoga practice home you need to trust that your body has ingrained within it enough muscle memory to know how to move in and out of poses without the verbal queues of a yoga teacher.
Author Archives: Mara
Saucha: The Yoga of Purity
The essential idea of saucha, or the yoga of purity, is to commit to practices that have a purifying effect on our bodies and minds. In addition to emphasizing the importance of a regular asana and pranayama practice, saucha is about paying attention to what we eat, how we eat, the state of our homes, and of our minds.
Start Your Own Yoga Journal
Here are a few starting points for your yoga journal. Don’t force your writing. Much like forcing your yoga poses does not help you deepen them, forcing your yoga journaling will just lead to frustration. You should be calm and relaxed after shivasana so try to maintain this state of mind while you journal at the end of each practice. Relax and let your thoughts and words flow.
Swadhyaya: The Yoga of Study
Swadhyaya, being the second yogic practice of the Niyamas, means commitment to knowing the truth. If we study the teachings of wise beings (through reading yogic texts) and also study ourselves (through meditation and reflection), we can reach a greater understanding of what it means to be human. This is also called, in yogic terms, the science of liberation. Once we understand the truth of our existence, we can transcend so much unhappiness to live in joyful acceptance.
Let Your Yoga Dance!
Yoga should be fun. We run around and work hard all day, worried and stressed-out. The last thing we need is to bring this stress onto our yoga mats. Yoga can be an art form in many ways – a space for creative expression and a source for constructive personal release and awakening. In short, yoga can be fun, if you approach it with the right outlook.
Santosha: The Yoga of Contentment
Santosha is the yoga of contentment — the first yogic practice of the second limb of yoga known as the niyamas, or external disciplines. Santosha is an invitation to practice contentment with yourself, and your life as it is.
The Art of Yoga Multitasking
What if I told you that combining yoga techniques, in the same amount of practice time and with minimal extra effort, could yield incredible results? The art of yoga multitasking is about adding value and depth to your yoga practice without adding any more time. When you combine yoga techniques, which are usually taught and practised separately, you are also combining the benefits of these ancient actions, and their effects are exponentially increased.
Satya: The Yoga of Honesty
Satya, the yoga of honesty, is a tender topic, which cuts to the very core of our existence as social creatures. This yogic principle invites us to refrain from all acts of deception and dishonesty. Ultimately, in order to do this, we must own our decisions by taking responsibility for all of our actions and the possible impact they have on those around us.
Break Your Yoga Habits
We are creatures of habit. In many ways we can thrive from routine and the feeling of control that it brings. This shows up in our day to day life and in how we practice yoga. Yet, as we know, control is an illusion, and if we can practice being OK outside of its comfortable confines, we can more easily deal with traumatic life events.
Brahmacharya: A Life of Moderation
The life of an ancient yogi was defined by renunciation. Having few possessions and fewer worldly addictions, daily life was filled with self-study and self-less devotion. This yogic commitment meant giving up many foods, all forms of intoxicants and taking a vow of chastity.