Home Stretch

Roll out your yoga mat at home and you'll find the freedom to experiment, to evolve, and to become your own best teacher.

By Jason Crandell

Regular mat time also builds a habit that soon becomes ingrained. "When you do yoga at home every day, it becomes no different from taking a shower," says Whitwell. "You wouldn't dream of not taking a shower, and you don't congratulate yourself for doing it every day. So doing a daily practice doesn't have to be a heroic activity you impose on yourself. It's just a simple, natural pleasure."

To ensure that you make it to your mat, Powers offers these tips: First, make an appointment.Write your practice into your calendar, in pen. Second, set a timer for the amount of time that you can commit and practice at least that long. "Although you may begin your practice reluctantly," she says, "you'll find that 15 minutes goes by quickly, and you might actually want to spend more time on your mat."

Rodney Yee, who teaches his own form of yoga around the world, suggests practicing regularly with a friend. "Find someone who keeps you on the mat and keeps you responsible for your practice," he says. "And let it be a source of fun. When you feel how much your yoga practice does for you, you'll realize that it's a good thing to do every day because you'll have a happier life."

Finally, when life gets hectic, integrate your practice when you can. If you have 40 minutes while your clothes wash, fine. But if you only have the energy and time for a 10-minute restorative pose while dinner cooks, that's OK too. Instead of falling off the wagon, use your practice to sustain you when times are tough. You'll feel good and be more likely to come back to longer practice times when you're able.

Have a Plan

Now it's time to create a plan. It can be helpful to decide which poses or pose categories you'd like to work on before heading to your mat. There are a multitude of sequences you can access by visiting yogajournal.com. If you need more ideas, consult the many books and DVDs that can help you out. I'm willing to bet that even the best chefs still look at recipes once in a while when they're fresh out of ideas and creative juice.

Seek Out Your Teachers

Pay attention to your favorite pose sequences during yoga classes and repeat them on your mat at home. Powers remembers going to her car after classes years ago and writing down interesting sequences she could explore in her own practice. Once you've got all or part of a sequence you like, try it at home the very next day.

Experiment with how long you hold a pose or how intensely you hold it: If you sense that you need a quiet, contemplative practice, do the sequence slowly and deeply. If you need to really move, hold poses for a shorter amount of time and repeat them. Add Sun Salutations at the beginning to get your blood pumping, or play with an inversion like Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand) or Mayurasana (Forearm Balance) in the middle of your practice. Remember, this is your time, so tinker in your own body as though you were a scientist in a lab.

If you want individual attention, Powers suggests scheduling a private session with your teacher. Think about what you want from your home practice: to balance your emotions and mental state? To work on a health condition? To improve certain poses? Ask for help developing sequences that cater to your needs. A private class can also just get you motivated.

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