A regular yoga practice may be difficult to establish in the daily challenges of life and 'fitting' everything in. But it is okay. The truth of the matter is - wherever you lay down, your mat becomes your space to practice what it is you need to practice. And creating time for you is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. How beautiful the feeling to find time to stop with you and enjoy your silent company. How wonderful it is to find the quiet within you and listen to your breath. How serene it is to find the peace within you and listen to the song of your heart beat. How incredible it feels to just let go.
A home yoga, meditation and breathing space if we break it down has 3 basic uncomplicated fundamentals: Finding Time, Finding Space, Finding Method that resonates with you.
1. Finding Time
Ask yourself what works for you? Is it the morning where the world still slumbers or when the sound of the birds start? Is it the evening where you are watched lovingly by the stars and the moon? Whatever it is that works for you be all there. Be honest with you and set realistic goals whether it is once a week, 3 times a week or daily for ten minutes or an hour. Do what you can and when you can and know that that is perfect.
'Do your practice and all is coming.' ~ Pattabhi Jois
2. Finding Space
Find a space in your home that will allow you to be reborn and renewed and a place where you know you will go to to find rest and calm every day. It may be inside, outside, in a free corner of a room, a spare room - wherever it is it is about drawing yourself inward and getting closer to the beat and rhythm of your heart.
You may wish to make your sacred space personal by choosing things that smell, sound, taste, feel and look good to you to inspire you to be you in your space. You may choose objects that are from nature, give you energy, inspire you, calm you, release you. You may choose just to have you and your mat. It is all beautiful as it is an extension of you and what makes you happy, what brings you peace, what allows you to unwind.
'Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again.' - Joseph Campbell
3. Finding Method
Finding method in the madness is a wonderful exercise to tap into YOU and listen to your intuition, to your heart, to your body.
Start with quiet. Honour your surroundings. Give thanks and gratitude.
Set an intention. Breathe. Deeply. Get oxygen flowing through your body and to all areas. Send the breath and your energy to areas of hurt physical or emotional. Sit here and just breathe. Deeply.
Learn to listen to what your body is saying or needing as every day it will be different. Move at your own pace, flow with your body, and try to develop an intuition about what poses you want and need to do. You can pick a few postures and work on those it does not need to be a sequence. Take a look at you. Have you sat at a desk all day? Then choose some heart opener poses that will help you open up your chest, release and counteract the slouching, curved back and rounded shoulders that comes from being at your desk. Have you been on your feet and stood all day? You will need poses that help release the lower back, stretch out the spine, grounding poses to feel the earth beneath you as you melt away any soreness. Tap into you and what you need.
Be mindful of your body and vulnerable areas of injury and do not force or push anything. And most of all be present. Choose poses you love. Be aware of physical sensations, thoughts, feelings and emotions that arise and be with them. Allow them to manifest, don't fight them. Allow yourself to be spontaneous and creative with no judgements, barriers or competition. Move in all directions. Flow with your body, mind and soul.
And when in doubt, ask for help. You could ask a yoga teacher for advice or suggestions. Research yoga books - one of my personal favourites is 'Yoga For Women' by Shakta Kaur Khalsa or you could try one of the many online resources.
'Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.' -The Bhagavad Gita
Whether your life is urban, suburban, rural, whether your home is a large space or a studio studio apartment, you can create a beautiful special unique place that is yours for simple reflection, meditation, yoga, breathing and just being.
About the Author: Vinita is the Founder of Bhumi Organic Cotton and passionate about an Earth Life Balance.
