At-Home Asana Programme

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hallo,

I used to go to yoga classes in my late teens and really enjoyed it. It’s been about a decade since then and I haven’t been to yoga classes in that long. I’d like to get back into it and will probably have a look for local classes.

So far so good, except for the tiny little fact that just two months ago I gave my mat, belt and four foam blocks away to a charity shop, but that’s another story.

I realise this isn’t particularly what any yoga instructor wants to hear, but between weekly classes I’d want to keep up on the yoga, eventually with a view to just doing it myself (except for learning new poses/getting help with tricky ones, where I’d go to a class again).

In my old yoga class there seemed to be so many poses, dozens upon dozens of them. How on earth would I choose between them and know what to work on at home?

My main goal with yoga would be a sense of solitude - I love my withdrawal time. I’m not particularly spiritual so my focus is on poses, I just want to know how to structure them for myself.

Here’s hoping I haven’t asked a question that tends to remain a trade secret.

Oh - and, hello and I’m very pleased to meet all of you! clears throat and looks around awkwardly, hoping she doesn’t look unsociable

#2

Actually any Yoga teacher worth their salt would be absolutely enthralled to hear you’re practicing at home. I encourage my students to begin and maintain a very dedicated home practice. However the more one practices the more one tends to need refinement and adjustment. Our own patterns become more deeply engrained. And so for me a regular visit to class where I can be seen clearly by a pair of well-trained eyes is critical.

The home practice is developed through class attendance or private sessions. We specifically and routinely go over several series including the Morning Series, Hip Series, Classical Surya Namaskar and others. Once the student has enough regular attendance, home sequencing is far easier to navigate.

Beginners are so named for a reason and there’s no expectation that a beginner in anything would be able to go home after lessons and craft their own profound practice. All things take time. This will come, assuming intention, attention, and a commitment to attend class.

Nothing in Yoga is a “trade secret”. But it is all synergistic and is not a matter of tossing everything “good” into one bowl and expecting the whole to be greater than the parts.