Enhance Your Home Practice with These 3 Tips
- Eryn's Yoga
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
"Yoga is a powerful tool for liberating ourselves from unwanted, ingrained patterns.” ~ B.K.S. Iyengar
Yoga opens our eyes to a fresh perspective. Sometimes what we think are limitations are really just obstacles manufactured by the finite potential of the mind. When we shift our patterns of thought, we can change the way we experience our lives. If you’re not sure what those patterns are, pay attention to the flavour (themes) and content (details) of your thoughts over the course of a single day.
Journalling is an excellent way to uncover negative thought patterns and move towards intentional living. Writing a gratitude list is one simple example of how the smallest things can profoundly impact our overall perspective. You might be surprised by how much your thoughts influence the way you move through your day.
1. Create Space
It's important to create a space in your home that is exclusively yours. Yoga is a meditative, contemplative, and introspective practice; it can also be a lifelong journey, if you want it to be. The Yoga Sutras tell us that consistent practice over time will bring results. And the more enthusiastic you are about your practice, the better!
The more often you get on the mat, the more you want to get on your mat. But until then (and afterwards, too, sometimes), it helps to define a measurable goal. If you desire a practice with longevity—a constant companion and resource throughout your entire life—simple and easily achievable goals are a must. Depending on your starting point, I don’t recommend challenging yourself to 75 minutes of Power Yoga five days a week. This is a set-up for disappointment and sets an uninspiring tone. Establish a friendly relationship with your practice that puts competition aside and prioritizes enjoyment. No expectations. You will come to love and honour this sacred space.
Let’s say you decide to spend five minutes a day journalling, reading an uplifting book, doing some yoga postures and deep breathing, meditating, or simply being still. Having a space dedicated to this purpose will reinforce the habit. You don't need a lot of room—a corner in a spare room or in your bedroom will do—but ideally it's somewhere that you can enjoy time uninterrupted.
I use a small table for incense, a candle, some pictures, and plants for decor. These things create a vibe that entices me to enter. It’s my favourite spot in my home. You might keep a journal or notebook here, a devotional image, motivational sayings, sacred texts, or inspirational writings—it’s yours to decorate however you like!
2. Set Measurable, Achievable Goals
Start small. Really small. If you decide that you’re going to spend five minutes a day journalling, reading an uplifting book, doing some yoga postures and deep breathing, meditating, or simply being still, you’ve already created a goal that is much easier to keep than a grand plan that requires an hour of your day.
The goal isn't to prove how disciplined you are. It's to create a practice that you can actually live with. If you desire a practice with longevity, a constant companion and resource throughout your entire life, simple and easily achievable goals are a must. You can always do more when you have the time, energy, and inclination. But having a minimum that feels almost too easy to fail at is what gets you started.
3. Consistency is Key
The best time to practice your new habit is the time you are most likely to commit. When I can, I love to practice in the morning. It leaves me feeling wide open for the day and frees me from the excuses to not practice that would clutter up my mind. Other days, when I'm really tired, I sleep instead. If I wake up late, I spend 10 minutes instead of an hour, and that's good enough.
Yoga is a compassionate discipline rooted in self-care; it welcomes space, flexibility, and awareness. If once a week is what you've got, it's better than nothing at all. And if you miss a few days, you haven't failed. You simply begin again.
Do what it takes to get excited about this process, until the process excites you to do whatever it takes to engage. This discipline is the keystone to inner peace and unwavering joy.
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