Your Home Practice

If you’re lucky enough to have some time off over the Summer this can be a great time to develop your home practice. Frances Homewood, Director of Sheffield Yoga Centre, has written some helpful notes on how to do this.Why Practice?“Practice is the effort to be fixed in concentrating the mind” Yoga Sutras Ch 1 V 13“Practice becomes firmly established when it has been cultivated uninterruptedly and with devotion over a long period of time” Ch 1 v 14What gets in the Way?In the Yoga Sutras the obstacles are called Antarayas or interruptions and are listed as; “disease, idleness, doubt, carelessness, sloth, lack of detachment, misapprehension, instability and failure to attain a base for concentration. These are distractions for the mind” Ch1 V 30Guidelines on practice• Clear a space in which you feel comfortable e g corner of bedroom, spare room and use this regularly. Wall space is ideal but not essential.• Leave at least half an hour after a snack and 3 hours after a main meal before you practice• Choose the optimum time slot for you. In the early morning you are mentally alert but may feel stiffer. In late afternoon/ evening the body is warmed up but the brain is tired.• You will work best with an empty bladder and bowels• Be consistent but don’t give up if you miss a session. Just start again the next day• If unwell do restorative poses• If menstruating, avoid inversions, strong back bends and long holds in standing poses. Favour resting and forward bending poses.• If you are just beginning to do home practice, do poses you really like and repeat your simple routine until practice is established.• If more experienced, either follow routines from a book and/ or vary the practice according to the suggestions below.• A practice diary is really helpful to motivate you. Jot down what you have done each time/ each week and briefly note how you feel or any questions to ask your teacherBeginners practiceEach session should include:1 warming up pose ( as done in class)1 standing pose1 pose for a stiff part of you that you want to open up e g shoulders1 inverted pose where the legs are up e g shoulder stand/ legsresting up the wallSvasana – corpse poseExperienced practice i.e where a practice is established and you want to improve itEach session should include:1- 3 warming up poses (as done in class)Then a different focus each time to cover all the main groups of asanas i e standings, forward bends, back bends, seated twists, supine poses, recuperative and inversions- varied according to your focus . Try to include all the groups over a week/ fortnight. Once a week it is good to do a recuperative session and some simple pranayama if you have learn it in class.Always finish with Svasana, even for a few minutes.Books Recommended for Practice RoutinesYoga the Iyengar Way - Mira and Shyam MehtaYoga Explained - Mira MehtaYoga A Gem for Women - Geeta IyengarBooks Recommended for explanations of the AsanasYoga a Path to Holistic Health - BKS IyengarPreliminary Course - Geeta Iyengar- Frances HomewoodIf you’re a student of Sheffield Yoga Centre, email us for a free pdf version of this guide