Everything You Need To Know About Starting Your At Home Yoga Routine

Wellness presents itself in a variety of activities and factors. We need to eat well, find our balance through meditation or other mind, body and soul activities, incorporate movement in our daily lives and have the mental peace to say no or be open when appropriate.

When listed like that, wellness sounds more like a dream than an actual goal. Funny enough, wellness can't possibly be a goal; it is really an undying life journey.

And, how exhausting does that sound?! Plenty of narratives around wellness make it seem like it’s all peaches and cream, daisies and dandelions, like a constant ray of sunshine beaming on the warmness of your life.

Well, I’ll be the first to tell you that wellness is work. It takes discipline, dedication and a lifestyle change. But, work isn’t always bad. If you enjoy your work then it’ll never actually be, well, “work.”

Implementing an at home yoga routine is a great way to check off some of those wellness boxes, while fully enjoying the journey. Yoga is not only great for the body, but it also does wonders for the mind, internal organs, immune system and creates a state of mindfulness in our lives. 

Committing to a daily yoga practice at home is one of the best things you can do for your daily wellness routine. But, where do you start?

How to Practice Yoga At Home

Practicing yoga at home is easier than you think. All you need is a yoga mat and to listen to your inner teacher. Just lay out your mat in a comfortable place in your home, throw on your best zen playlist and move through cat/cow, downward dog, forward fold and your warrior series. 

Setting a foundation for your home yoga routine starts with consistency. The benefits won’t come immediately, but you will start to see them over a few weeks. A surefire way to scare yourself away from your at home yoga routine is by setting an intention that you’ll do an hour yoga flow every morning. Instead of making ambitious goals, start small. Do 10 minutes of yoga in the morning to wake your body up, then go from there. Over time, you’ll move to 30 minutes, or even an hour yoga routine!

For those who aren’t familiar with any of the yoga positions I threw out above, then you’re probably a yoga beginner. There’s absolutely no worries with that! But, your yoga journey may be a little different. 

How to Start Doing Yoga At Home For Beginners

First off, you need a yoga mat if you haven’t bought one already. Second off, it’s worth going to a few yoga classes--at least two every week for a month--to get an understanding of the essence of yoga.

Starting your yoga journey with a certified yoga instructor is not only a great way to learn the foundational yoga poses, but is also key in understanding how to do these poses safely. There’s a long list of common yoga injuries that you want to avoid, so starting your yoga practice with some instructed classes is definitely a good call. Be mindful of the level of class you are taking. The last thing you want to do is attend an advanced yoga class and let your ego make you think that yoga isn’t for you.

Newsflash: there’s no such thing as being “bad” at yoga. When you get on your mat and move through flows with the inhalation and exhalation of your breath, you’re doing yoga the way it has always intended to be.

After you have attended a few classes, then you can start your at home yoga routine. Again, start with 10 minutes or so every morning and work up from there. Incorporate what you learned in your classes, or find some online yoga classes or video tutorials where you can learn more yoga sequences. The true beauty of a home yoga practice is when you are able to flow through your own sequence that is designed by what your body needs in that very moment in time. 

So, what are you waiting for? The perfect time to start your home yoga routine is now! Even if you can only fit five minutes of yoga in your life, that’s far better than not doing any at all!