Beginning and sustaining a home practice requires dedication and discipline, it is also important for the growth of a yoga practice. Most yogis (including myself) have this vision of an idealized home yoga practice with the perfect morning lighting, candles lit, a mat and props laid out and the perfect flow playlist softly in the background. For some yogis this may be feasible and that is so great. However, it was to my comfort and relief when I found out this is not very practical in the urban yogi’s lifestyle.
I was talking with Megan Weathers, a Bella Prana yoga teacher about my desire for a home practice but having a difficult time starting and maintaining it. She shared with me the same advice her yoga teacher had given her, “start with one sun salutation a day.” She told me “as soon as your feet touch the ground in the morning to go right into a forward fold and into a sun salutation.” This revolutionized my self-practice perspective. This advice took all the pressure off of me, from initially thinking I had to wake up an hour early in order to prepare my idealistic yoga environment. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how true the advice was. The very essence of yoga is accepting where we are mentally and physically in the present moment and then beginning from there. Rolf Gates in Meditations from the Mat says, “yoga is the practice of celebrating what is”. To celebrate in an authentic way we must practice in a way that is authentic to our lifestyles. Whether that may mean rolling out to bed into a sun salutation or having an hour set aside to practice in space designated for yoga.
Since yoga is a journey, a home practice will evolve from a sun salutation to a deeper practice. The body will crave more movement, breathe and opening of new channels. However, to begin just know that one sun salutation a day is a beautiful practice.
By Rose Bastian