Establishing a Home Practice

The absolute best thing you can to for yourself is establish a home practice. Your home practice is where you find your own yoga. Yoga classes are great for learning about yoga poses and for inspiration and energy, and for experiencing the community of yoga, but the real benefits of yoga are found through the internal exploration that a home practice brings.

Where to start? Just do what you remember from class. Those of you who have been taking from me for a while. You have all the knowledge you need to practice at home. Don't worry if you are doing everything right. Just start doing something every day. You have to have faith in what I've taught you, faith in your abilities as practioners, faith in the practice of yoga itself. I know it is hard to find the time. Everyone is busy and life is full. But all the more reason to get yoga into your life every day. It gives you the energy to experience life to the fullest.

Find out what your hindrance is. When I first started a home practice, I wouldn't go get my mat out of the car... So I bought another mat for the house. At the time, I didn't have a separate yoga room and sometimes I'd practice in the bedroom and the living room and if the house mat was in the living room and I was in the bedroom I wouldn't practice. Finally, I bought three mats and that seemed to solve that obstacle. I practiced with yoga videos and tapes for a really, really long time.

here's an easy way to start practicing at home. Do some seated poses while watching tv. or everyone loves supta badha konasana and legs up the wall pose. Just buy a bolster (Or make one out of some blankets you have) and do those poses every day. Its a start! and that's what's important.

Here is a list of yoga books and videos. Many of the books have sequences in the back that you can follow week by week. I've starred the ones that are most helpful for home practice. Ho

Books by BKS Iyengar.

Light on Yoga (the Bible of any yoga practice, B.K.S Iyengar’s first book, published in 1966, lots of detail, lots of pictures. EVERY IYENGAR YOGA PRACTIONER MUST OWN THIS BOOK)
Tree of Yoga (A collection of essays about the philosophy of yoga and yoga practice)
******Yoga: A Path to Holistic Health (nice coffee table book, accessible pictures, lots of sequences for specific ailments in the back)
Light on Life B.KS. Iyengars’ newest book. Lots of information about the psychological effects of yoga. It has a great sequence in the back of the book for emotional stablility

By Geeta Iyengar

Yoga: A Gem for Women. Good information on yoga generally and specifically geared toward issues that are important for women.


Books about Iyengar Yoga

*****How to Use Yoga by Mira Mehta Very accessible introduction to yoga, very helpful for establishing a home practice.
****Yoga: The Iyengar Way Silva Mehta, Mira Mehta The next step up, more difficult poses, more detail.
*****The Woman's Book of Yoga and Health : A Lifelong Guide to Wellness by Linda Sparrowe, Patricia Walden

Other Yoga Books

****Yoga Explained. By Mira Mehta et al, very good intro to yoga, yoga philosophy, and also very helpful for establishing a home practice.
***Relax and Renew by Judith Laster
Yoga from the Inside Out by Christina Sell (who happens to be my sister and there are pictures of me in the book as an added bonus)


Yoga Journal's Yoga for Beginners DVD ~ Patricia Walden (2002)

Yoga For Beginners II (Yoga Journal's Yoga Basics) DVD

A.M. and P.M. Yoga for Beginners DVD

Yoga Journal's Yoga Practice for Relaxation VHS ~ Rodney Yee (1992)

Yoga Journal - Yoga Practice for Flexibility DVD (1992)