Home-Yoga-Practice

5 Reasons to (Re)Start a Home Yoga Practice

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Even though the COVID pandemic is more or less in the rear-view mirror and many yoga students have happily returned to group classes at their favorite yoga studios, there are some surprisingly good reasons to (re)start a home yoga practice right now–especially if you are an experienced yoga student. Read on to find out what they are.

 

1. You love doing things on your own terms

I was jokingly going to call this topic, ‘You’ve got control issues.’ ;) I know I can’t be the only one (shout out to all my fellow sensitives out there!) who doesn’t want to listen to loud pop music, or be packed into a studio with a bunch of other people like a can of sardines (especially post-pandemic), or have the person next to me sweat on me, right? I also love being able to do yoga on my time. While I try to have regular days and times that I do my home practice each week, on occasion I may need to start a little earlier or later than normal, or do a shorter practice. Having my own home yoga practice gives me that flexibility. Speaking of time, how long does it take you to get yourself ready for a studio yoga class, and then drive over to it (often in rush hour traffic)? When all is said and done, I bet it adds a good hour to your yoga experience–not too mention some stress. I don’t know about you, but my time is really valuable, so saving an hour during my day AND still getting in a good yoga practice? Yes please!

 

2. You care about the planet

OK, at the risk of losing some readers before they make it to the end of this blog post, I’m going to put on my ‘Debbie Downer’ hat here and point out that going car-free is one of the most important choices we can make to quickly reduce climate pollution. According to environmental scientist Kimberly Nicholas, PhD., gassing up our cars is the biggest way the average American contributes to climate pollution. And unfortunately, the rising emissions of SUVs in particular have more than cancelled out the savings from electric cars so far. So besides saving time by doing yoga at home instead of driving to the yoga studio, you’re also saving the planet!

 

3. You want to be able do yoga (almost) anywhere

While I stand by my opinion that the reality of doing yoga on the beach is not as romantic as people think it is, it is so nice to not have to miss out on my weekly yoga practices when I go on vacation. And even though I might find yoga on the beach a little impractical, I love doing yoga on a deck overlooking the beach! As someone who teaches a live weekly online class, I can tell you that I also really enjoy when students join in from their vacation spots and I get to see things like palm trees and Lake Superior–definitely two separate vacations, not the same one!–in the background while I teach.

 

4. Childcare is tricky

Desperate for some exercise and stress relief but you don’t have reliable childcare at the moment? I admit that I don’t have firsthand knowledge of this, but I believe that doing yoga at home–even with the kids screaming in the room next door–is better than no yoga at all. The benefits of moving your body, releasing tension, strengthening muscles, and increasing flexibility far outweigh doing nothing. And if you’re feeling generous, you could even invite your kids to do yoga with you (even if just once in a while). Teaching your kids about the benefits of yoga when they’re young is probably one of the best things you can do for their long-term health and well-being. (To this day, I still remember my very first introduction to yoga being my mom doing Yoga with Lilias on PBS when I was little! I think it may have made a good impression, no?)

 

5. You want to practice yoga with your favorite teacher again

One of the silver linings of the pandemic for me was re-connecting with former students who realized they could take yoga classes with their favorite teacher again! I remember my first real yoga teacher, when I was in my 20s, and how much I missed her classes when she moved away. None of the other classes I took afterwards lived up to hers, and I would’ve done anything to be able to re-connect with her again. So it means a lot to me–and makes me feel so humbled and honored–that some of my former students who moved away now happily take my ‘Live+Virtual’ courses! They love the structure of the weekly live Zoom class, being able to follow along easily to my creative, wellness-themed audio sequences, and the weekly expiration dates to keep them motivated. And if you’re reading this and I’m not your favorite yoga teacher, that’s OK too! Chances are whoever that might be is offering classes that you can do at home. If not, I invite you to try out one of my ‘Live+Virtual’ courses as a great way to get some weekly support in (re)starting your home yoga practice!

 

Here are all the ways you can do yoga with me from the comfort of your own home: