Greetings all. I’m new to home yoga as I’ve always done classes in a club. I’m interested to hear what others have done to create a home space that enables an active and peaceful experience. For me, the practice environment influences how the session goes and I’d love to hear advice from experienced home-practitioners.
Thanks, Barry
I live in an apartment, and practice yoga almost every day in the living room since it is where I feel most comfortable. I use an iPad Pro for streaming YouTube DYWM videos because the DYWM site videos don‘t stream well on the iPad Pro (DYWM tech staff have been very helpful with the issue which I feel may be due partly to my iPad‘s age).
My yoga mat, bolster, straps, and a yoga cushion are stored under a futon. I have blocks and blankets on a nearby closet shelf. I try to do yoga in the morning when it‘s quiet. If it‘s dark out during our long, cold winters, I turn on the electric fireplace for the only light in the room. The soft glow provides a peaceful start to my day and for my practice. In warmer weather, I open the patio door. The neighborhood is quiet, and I like the outdoor feeling.
I usually choose a class or combination of classes for a 20-45 minute morning practice. It might be one or two shorter yoga classes or a yoga/pilates class. In winter, I like the outdoor DYWM videos. I try to go to a YMCA Barre Pilates class about once or twice a week for the classroom experience, and because the teacher is excellent. Currently, I‘m combining DYWM with online YMCA360 short Barre and Boot Camp videos because the Y is closed due to COVID-19. I do the exercise videos before the yoga class. In the evening, before bedtime, I usually do a shorter Restorative or Yin class and listen to a Relaxation audio.
I started a home practice because private yoga studios are either too expensive, too far away, or not offered at a convenient time. My home practice lets me fit my practice into my schedule. During the summer, I go to free evening Yoga in the Park classes a few times a month. I‘ve tried Y yoga classes, but didn‘t feel as relaxed as I do after my home practice. I‘ve found the stress of having to drive to and from a yoga class negates the relaxation benefits of a studio class.
I hope some of this will be helpful, and you will share how your at-home practice progresses.
Thanks so much for sharing your insights. I like the idea of the fireplace and agree that fast access to the practice equipment will be important. I haven’t done a class outside before, I’ll give it a try this summer. I’m in VT, so that will be several months out 
I’ve tried a few places around the house so far and found that I don’t like putting the mat over carpet. Everything feels less stable than on a wood floor, especially anything requiring balance.
Thanks again and happy practicing!
Barry
Even though my mat is on low-pile carpeting, I have problems with this, too. To help, I’ve used the DYWM Basics dropdown menu, chose Body Position, then Foot Balances for some individual pose practice on a tile floor. There are other balance choices there, too. I’ve also used the DYWM Search box with terms like “balance” or “foot balance” for a list of balance classes. Some teachers I’ve practiced balance with are David, Fiji, Tracy, and Satiya. I admire the teachers who teach balance on what looks like a rocky, sandy beach. I figure if they are willing to do it outdoors on what looks like a rocky, sandy beach or other uneven ground, I will try to do it on carpet. I think my balance poses improved after doing the short balance classes on a tile floor. This helped with balance on mat on a carpeted floor.
I hope you are able to try an outdoor yoga class. I don’t want to put my good mat on grass that might have some sticks and stones so I use an older mat. I’ve also learned to be prepared for bugs and check for ant hills before choosing a spot!
I would suggest that you try one of the practice challenges. The 21 day or 14 day. This gives you something new to look forward to. You might find mornings a good time for yoga just after, or before breakfast. Restorative yoga is a good way to unwind later on in the day.
I just finished day 14 of Fiji’s 14-day challenge. It was a wounder series and I’m looking forward to starting the Elevate challenge tomorrow. @maryrosemetcalfe I agree with you about the motivation of a series, I like it better than selecting individual classes each day.
Enjoy your next challenge Barry. I’m about to start Melissa Krieger‘s new 7 day practice for beginners. I like her teaching style, I live in Yukon, Canada in a small community too,
Good to know that you like Melissa’s teaching style, I will look for her classes when I finish this challenge.
It was definitely a good challenge for a beginner. I found it fairly easy and gentle and as the practices are only 25 to 35 minutes in length, I did these two at a time with a longer shavasna at the end of my time on the mat. Melissa is a great teacher for beginners and for those who are bordering on intermediate. I find that I learn more when I get instruction from different teachers as some will have a tip or two that others won’t. Some are fast and some move slowly. I also like Rachel’s teaching style.
One could come back to the 7 day challenge each week if they were beginners.
I started home practice with Covid, and I also took time to find a favourite spot. I found the first thing was to decide the time of day - I like practising in the afternoon so a room facing West/South West gave me the best light. If you prefer morning practice an East facing room would be better ? I also dislike mat on carpet so my one room with a fitted carpet was out …
Once I found the best room, which turned out to be the bedroom, I totally decluttered it to give it a good clean sense of space ( talk about two birds with a stone ! I now have a tidy bedroom ! ).
Good luck