The Importance of Home Practice

One of our students recently emailed me her home practice. First of all, I was impressed that she maintained a regular home practice. Secondly, I thought her home practice routine was excellent, so I taught it in our next class.  Another student asked for a copy of it, so here it is:

Susan's Practice:
Turn on music
Mountain Pose
Cherry picking
Standing side stretch
Shoulder rolls
Forward Bend
Sun Salutation with lunges 1-3 times depending on my strength (In Swenson’s book, Ashtanga Yoga, the sun salutation I do is my level [version] of Surya Namaskara B.)
Standing Postures (5 breaths):
Triangle
 Revolved Triangle
 Balance on one hand with one foot up (I don’t know the name of this; we have done it in class and I like it.) [It's Half-Moon Pose - Ardha Chandrasana - Laura]
 Warrior Posture
 Extended Side Angle Posture
Feet Spread Forward Bend (Prasarita Padatanasana) I really like this one, too!
Balance: Tree Pose (5 breaths)
Bridge with block on increasing levels
Happy Baby
Tea Cup Posture with Each Leg
Cat/Cow
Child’s Pose
Hero’s Pose (This is really hard for my knee even with props, but I am improving. JOY!)
Seated Spinal Twist
Seated Forward Bend
Cobbler’s Pose
Feet exercises (spreading toes and rocking each leg)
Feet up wall and then extending them over my hips (holding my hips up with my hands) and then bending my straight legs over my head so that they are pointing towards the wall behind my head (I don’t know what this asana is called.) [It's called Halasana - Plough Pose. Rest your legs on a chair if needed. - Laura]
Savasana with feet up wall and eye bag on.

It's so important to have a home practice in order to develop a strong, mature, asana practice. If you have a home practice, you can work on things that are challenging - at your own pace.  There are many important asanas we are not able to spend much time on in classes - certainly not as much time as is required to develop a level of ease in the asana. Shoulderstand (Sarvangasana) and Headstand (Shirshasana) come immediately to mind. 

For ways to practice at home we recommend books that we use for teacher training: Yoga the Iyengar Way by Mira Mehta; Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar for more intermediate students; and Relax and Renew by Judith Lasater for developing a restorative yoga practice.  Mysore Ashtanga students learn the Ashtanga sequence and practice at home when they are not able to attend class. 

If you have your own props at home, you are more likely to use them. Having your own set of props is important for a dedicated yoga student. I suggest that you have a sticky mat (of course!), two blankets, two 8 foot belts, an assortment of blocks and a bolster.  This prop set allows you to develop a restorative yoga practice, which is useful for those times when you are more tired or stressed than usual.

Practicing at home allows you more time for relaxation and meditation, too. Our delightful teacher Francois Raoult often reminds us that most of us need more restorative yoga and quiet, calming practices to offset the busy nature of our lives.  

Kudos to Susan Masters for maintaining a balanced home practice, which she says has brought her so many benefits!