30 Day Yoga Challenge to develop your own home practice -- Day 1

Here it is, the first day of the 30 Day Yoga Challenge!   Have you practiced today?   How did it go?

Harmony Yoga students, if you haven't picked up the info about this Challenge at the studio, and would like to receive it, you can contact me, and I'll email you attachments and other info.

IYNAUS (Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States) has just started a blog that people can contribute to, and the first subject is.....Home Practice.    If you have time, I suggest you read the first two essays at least (which are listed at the bottom of that page), "Starting Now", and "Pathway to Practice".    Both have excellent ideas for developing your own practice.    I'll be choosing parts of these essays to pass along to you in my blog posts.

Richard Jonas, who wrote the first essay, "Starting Now", writes,
"When you begin to practice at home you really learn, really experience the transformative effects of yoga -- on body, mind and spirit.  How can you get a Home Practice? Get up tomorrow -- practice -- then do it every day after that."

His first tip, one that I've also given, is to "Start slow".    Be realistic with your goals so you don't become disappointed if you can't stick to them.   Richard says, "... do a few poses that you know and feel confident with. When you've finished, lie down for a five-minute Savasana. Ten minutes and you've got a Home Practice"

He says start with a few familiar asanas.   Poses we often do in class that make a good practice sequence include sitting or standing and stretching the arms,  Triangle pose, Side angle pose, Downward facing dog pose, Pose of the Child.   If you have time, do each pose twice, then go on to the next pose.  Then maybe legs up the wall, or shoulderstand if you feel confident in that pose, and Savasana (the resting pose you do at the end of each class).

Happy practicing!