While our favorite way to yoga with you is in-person, in the atmosphere of our lovely studio, we also recognize the power of a regular home practice. Now your home practice is right at your fingertips with our launch of Ohana Online.
For starters, rolling out your mat in the comfort of your own home is often easier than heading to the studio. You don’t have to work around a class schedule, so you practice whenever you please. One of the main reasons why you might consider a home practice is convenience.
But practicing yoga at home is not only convenient. It can also be a more intimate way to experience the benefits of the practice. Without the distractions of the studio and other students, you can get deeper into the experience.
Starting a home practice, however, is not easy. It takes a lot of determination and discipline. So we’ve compiled a mini-guide to help you do your yoga at home.
How To Do Yoga At Home Starts with Ohana Online
Our Ohana Online platform gives you the option to stream live classes based on our schedule. Each live class is recorded and stored in our On-Demand Library. This means that at any given moment, you have access to dozens of classes.
The first step in getting your practice going is, of course, picking the class that you want to take. Browse through our teachers and follow your curiosity.
We offer many different styles of yoga. Choose Yoga Flow for a more traditional all-levels Vinyasa class with semi-fast paced movement. Choose Yoga FiiT for a cardio and strength-building version of a yoga class. Or, choose Restorative Yoga if you need to slow down, rest, and overcome stress.
Learning yoga at home is absolutely possible — but it’s a good idea to have a strong source for your learning, like Ohana Online. It is imperative to have the instruction of an experienced teacher to guide you through the alignment and transitions of each posture.
Make Space for Your Practice
Another important aspect of doing yoga at home… Set up space for it. Create a room or a spot where you go to roll out your mat every time.
It helps to make the space where you practice feel special somehow. It doesn’t need to be a full-on home yoga studio, but it should be more than cramming your mat somewhere without thinking twice.
Here are some suggestions for setting up space for your yoga practice at home:
- Move furniture around to make sure you have at least a foot of space around your mat in all directions. Just do your best!
- Turn off all screens, other than where you’re taking your Ohana Online class.
- Decorate your space with intention. If you have objects that you like or mean a lot to you, place them nearby. This could be crystals, mala beads, pictures of loved ones, flowers, etc.
- Set the mood: light incense, candles, and lower the lighting to promote a relaxing practice.
- If you like to practice with music, put on your favorite playlist in the background. Make sure your music choice is aligned with the kind of practice you want to have – energizing, relaxing, etc.
- Ask for privacy. If you share your home space with others, ask to be left alone for the duration of your class so that you can pay full attention to yourself.
Prop Up Your Practice
Props are an amazing accessory for practices of all levels. It can be frustrating to practice at home without props, you will likely find yourself wishing you had them.
It is worthwhile to invest in your own props so that you can look forward to your home practice. In terms of props, we recommend a basic assortment: two yoga blocks, a yoga strap, and a yoga bolster. If you have tender knees, we also recommend a yoga blanket for cushioning.
You can shop for props on our sister studio’s online store! When you have props to reach for during your home practice, it feels like you’re in a yoga studio. We have to take the motivation where we can, right!?
Yoga at Home for Beginners
Many yogis start their practice at home in their own living room, using videos and online resources. In fact, many new yoga practitioners prefer learning this way.
If you are new to yoga, you can absolutely practice yoga at home through Ohana Online. You will find that our instructors are very careful in cueing postures with clarity. We make postures feel accessible, by taking the time to talk about successful alignment.
When you are new to the practice, the most important thing is that you are careful with your body to avoid injury.
There are alignment notes that you can be extra mindful of for injury prevention:
- Be careful with the more tender parts of your body: your spine, neck, hips, knees, and shoulders. Never force these parts of the body into deeper postures. Depth should always be a process of easing in. Pain is never worth getting into a certain pose.
- Move slowly during transitions from one pose to another. Do not rush the spaces in between.
- Take your time to build up to advanced postures. The #1 source of injury comes from pushing ourselves too far just to get into a certain pose. Take your time and know that you’ll get there eventually! Patience is a huge part of the practice.
- If something doesn’t feel good in your body, change it. If an instructor cues something that makes your body feel weird or in pain, simply move! Make the posture your own.
Make Your At Home Yoga Practice a Habit
If you truly want to feel the benefits from doing yoga at home, you’ll need to keep showing up to it regularly. The best way to do this is to set some goals that keep you inspired.
Ask yourself some important questions:
- How many times can I practice per week, without overdoing it in my body?
- What are some practice goals that I can set for myself that help me step outside of my comfort zone?
- What kind of classes should I take each week to best take care of my body and mind?
Only you know the answers to these questions. We like to say that any amount of yoga will affect your quality of life. You’ll notice a difference if you practice two times a week.
You’ll start to feel transformation if you practice three times per week. And four classes or more per week? You’ll have yourself a strong yoga practice in no time.
The best at-home yoga comes down to the most inspirational goals. What keeps you coming back to the mat? Perhaps consider building up to an aspirational posture, like headstand or crow pose. Whatever it takes.
Don’t Skip Savasana
Just because you’re at home and there’s no teacher watching, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to skip Savasana!
We know it’s tempting to get on with your day, but it’s really important that you experience your savasana at the end of every practice. After all, it is the most important posture.
At the end of the day, the reason why we’re doing yoga is to increase our quality of life — physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. Savasana is the posture where all the benefits of your practice integrate in the magic of stillness.
Your stillness is where all of the healing happens. It’s where awareness expands and we create a centered, grounded foundation for ourselves that moves with us even when the practice is over.
No matter what your mind is telling you, stay in savasana. Allow yourself to receive the benefits of all your hard work on the mat.
How to Do Yoga at Home? Start Now!
The journey of your yoga practice is waiting to begin, whenever you’re ready. So why not now?
Head to our online platform, pick your class. Create your intentional space, collect your props, and dive in.
You now have the ability to take a yoga class whenever you need it. At the start of your day, at the end of a very long day… In the midst of challenging times… in the midst of celebration…
The convenience and power of your yoga practice are at your fingertips. Enjoy it! If you have any comments or questions about your yoga practice at home, feel free to leave them below.