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Beginning A Home Practice, Part 1: Preparation.

byWitold Fitz-Simon

Inthis series of articles we are going to address how someone who is taking classeson a regular basis might begin a home yoga practice. In this post we'll consider some basic practicalities. First we’ll look at how to set up yourspace in the manner most conducive to practicing your yoga poses.  Then we’ll talk about your mentalapproach and motivating yourself to unroll your mat regularly andconsistently. After that we’llbegin to address the different ways to look at poses as a means of exploringthe body and deepening the connections between body and awareness.

Let’sbegin.

Setting Up Your Space

Formany of us space is at a premium in our homes, but if you are going to practiceregularly, you are going to need to designate a space for your practice, if forno other reason than having all your yoga equipment readily at hand. If you have to go around hunting downyour various accoutrements every day, I can almost guarantee you that yourpractice will last maybe a week at best. No matter which school of yoga you follow, the technologies oftransformation provided by yoga are useless unless you do them regularly, evenfor just a few minutes each day. Your yoga corner can be just that, nothing more than a corner, with theoption to move the furniture around if necessary. I live in a very small studio apartment in Manhattan, NewYork. I have my personal mountainof props on a wheeled cart under the window in the corner behind the sofa.  There is just enough room for me tospread out and do Shavasana (Corpse Pose) on the mat and a bit of wall space touse as a prop. It’s the one partof the room that I am meticulous about keeping neat and tidy (much to theamusement of my friends). If I’mbeing adventurous and I need to spread out, or if I have a friend over topractice, I can move the sofa out of the way for more room.  A whole room in which to do your yogaisn’t necessary, though if you have the space, go for it.  A friend of mine has converted herspare bedroom into a beautiful yoga studio. Here are some guidelines to think about:

• Findan area in your home that is accessible and easy to keep tidy.

• Youryoga area should be light and airy.

• Ifyou are near a window, make sure there is adequate blind coverage. Aside from scaring the neighbors whenyou’re doing your head stand, it is best not to practice in direct sunlight,especially if the sun is particularly strong. As nice as the idea of practicing outside in the sun may be,the heat and sunlight can be dehydrating. And you don’t want to get sunburned.

• Organizeyour props so that they are readily available and easily accessible. There is nothing worse than gettinginto a pose and realizing you really need that block that is propping up aprecarious stack of books halfway across the room.

• Dressyour yoga area in a way that is pleasing and conducive to an introspectiveframe of mind. This will have alot to do with your personal taste. For some people pale colors are more restorative than bright colors. Some people like to have plants around,or artwork or spiritual accessories. I find strong colors to be most soothing. I have one wall painted a vibrant orange and I tend to do myposes facing that wall, especially since the kitchen is along the oppositewall. I love plants, but I haveblack thumbs, so for me the compassionate thing is to not have them around.  Luckily there is a woman across the waywho keeps the most beautiful garden on her terrace, so I can look at that whenI am practicing and be reminded of life and nature. I have a tiny altar in one corner with one or two objectsthat set the tone. The key is thatyour area should be non-distracting. Anything that you have around you should bring you back to the reasonyou are there. The idea is that,eventually, you become so focused on your inner state of being that you couldbe anywhere. After twelve years ofdoing yoga, I find I can even practice at the gym with weights clanking and badmusic blaring at me without being disturbed.

Attitude And Approach

Havinga welcoming corner calling out to you will make it that much easier to get started. And that’s often all it really takes, Ifind. It’s a lot less intimidatingto focus your motivational energies on getting yourself to your mat and takingit from there. Having the weightof obligation over your head (“oh I have to practice, have to do shoulder standand head stand, have to do standing poses, have to get in at least half anhour”) is a recipe for resistance. When I need to get kick started, all I think about is getting to the matand how much better I always feel once I’ve done my practice for the day.

• Bearin mind that you are doing something good for yourself.

• Practicewith a friend to make it more enjoyable.

• Usea journal to help motivate yourself. Write down what poses you’ve done and any insights you might have aboutyour practice that day. I’ve kepta practice journal in one way or another for a number of years. I rarely refer back to it, exceptsometimes to come up with ideas for teaching, but the act of writing down whatI am going to do, or what I am doing while I’m practicing, or what I’ve doneafter, somehow is very grounding. The fact that I have this book sitting on my props that somehowrepresents what I’ve been working on is very comforting.  In some ways it’s a little shallow andmaterialistic of me. The truerecord of my practice is my own body, my mind and soul.  The external reminder does, however,help.

Time Of Day

Consistencyis always preferable. If you canmake a habit out of practicing at the same time every day, this will make itmuch easier. However, that doesn’talways work, and it is important to respect that. Flexibility is key in mind and body. I have gone through stages where I canget up at seven every morning and practice for a couple of hours.  This will go on for up to nine monthsat a time. Then I’ll get up oneday and be completely unable to practice in the morning.  For the following months I will have tosteal time here and there throughout the day to practice.  Then, suddenly, I will find myselfpracticing regularly in the evenings for several months.  We go through many different kinds ofphysical, mental and emotional cycles in our lives, and, although it isimportant to be disciplined, it is just as important to be compassionate.  (Do bear in mind, however, that this isnot a license to get nothing done. Practice, practice, practice.) Here are some points to consider:

• Lookrealistically at your day. Isthere a consistent daily time you can devote to practicing regularly? Before I started teaching and I wasstill working in an office, the only time I could guarantee I would beavailable was at 7am, before work. Perhaps you have a similar situation at another time of day.  Right after work, perhaps, or at lunch.

• Ifyou do not have a consistent time, consider making dates with yourself topractice. Because of my teachingschedule, no two days in the week are the same. So I make appointments to practice – Mondays at 5pm, Tuesdaysat 10am, Wednesdays at 3pm. I’veeven gone so far as to write them down in my date book.

• Takeinto consideration the time of day. We tend to be stiffer in the mornings than the evenings. This means that a consistent gentlerpractice first thing in the morning can be as effective as a stronger practicelater in the day. I spent a monthat the Yogaville Ashram in Virginia a few years ago. We would be woken up at 5:30 every morning for two hours ofmeditation and practice. At thathour of the morning I am barely able to touch my toes.  I generally find I am stiff andextremely lethargic until about 10am. Not the traditional image of the early rising yogi on the mountain top,I know. Even so, a simple practiceat that hour of the morning was incredibly beneficial, giving me very realresults by the end of the month.

• Besure to practice on an empty stomach. Some people insist on not having eaten for up to four hours beforepractice, which is why practicing first thing in the morning is often a goodidea. If you need to eat,eat. Be respectful of your body’sneeds. Just bear in mind that allthat food inside you requires energy to digest, and that it takes up spaceinside your body. A heavy asanapractice will take energy away from the digestive process, which will befurther compromised by the manipulations to which you will be submitting yourinternal organs.

Breathing

Thereare some styles where you are asked to perform very specific types of breathingsynchronized to the poses and transitions between them. As you practice the poses here, the breathingis important in that it should be as natural as possible.  Obviously, in some of the poses thetrunk is restricted and it will not be possible to take a full breath in quitethe same way as if you were simply standing or lying on the back.  Regardless of the pose it is importantnot to restrict the breath consciously. Keep the throat unrestricted and allow the inhalations and exhalationsto come as they will. It is veryeasy to forget to breathe when you are exerting yourself.  If you allow this to happen you willbring hardness into the body and the natural flow of energy will be restricted.

Equipment

Yogaprops have become increasingly easy to obtain, even showing up in bookstoresand supermarkets. The internet isa further resource for any number of yoga accessories of varying degrees ofusefulness. Here are the basicprops, all developed by BKS Iyengar. Though essential for a balanced and supportive asana practice, householdobjects can often be found as adequate substitutes. When Mr. Iyengar started in the 1930’s he was using bricksand planks of wood to support him. When you get skilled enough in the use of props, no solid object will besafe from your practical gaze. Anytable or piece of furniture can suddenly become a yoga prop.

Mat– Useful for two reasons: to provide cushioning underneath you when you arelying on the floor and to provide traction for your feet in standingposes. Some mats now come withlines printed on them to help with the alignment of the body. You could also draw the lines yourselfwith a permanent marker and a long piece of wood as a ruler.

Block- The block is perhaps the mostversatile of yoga props, for under hands and feet, to act as spacers orsupports for the trunk or head. Books can often be used as substitutes. Old phone books are particularly useful. Tape them up with packing tape orgaffer’s tape to make them sturdier.

Belt– Another useful prop, especially if the backs of the legs are tight and youneed to reach your feet in poses such as those where the legs are raised and inforward extensions. A sturdybuckle will mean you can make a loop out of the belt to keep the various limbstogether.

Blanket– Firm blankets are best. It isimportant to fold blankets well, making clean edges and even surfaces. Unevenness in the blanket underneathyou will lead to unevenness in your body.

Chair– A sturdy metal folding chair with the back knocked out is the mostideal. Such chairs come cheap ifyou want to do the work yourself. As long as you are able to fit your legs comfortably through the back ofthe chair, however, you are in business.

Bolster– It is possible to fake a bolster by rolling up several blankets and tyingthem off with a belt. A good,sturdy bolster filled with cotton batting, however, can provide a lot ofsupport for restorative poses.

Sandbag– any form of weight can be useful, even free weights and ankle weights.

Why Props?

Propsare an essential part of a yoga practice. Rather than an impediment, or even an admission of failure, props arethere to help you achieve opening and balance in your poses. What good is getting your hand to thefloor in Utthita Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) if you strain the back of yourleg, crunch into your neck and push into your lower back?  Doing a pose in this manner is worsethan not doing it at all. You willmerely damage yourself, either in the moment or over a period of time, and youwill certainly not be able to achieve any form of meditative insight in yourposes.

Hereare some situations in which to use props to modify poses:

• Instanding poses, when you are unable to place your hand on the floor, put it ona block, or even a chair.

• Inany pose where you are unable to grab your foot where required, such as aforward extension, loop a belt around the foot and hold onto the ends of thebelt.

• Inany pose where you need to stabilize the legs and prevent them from comingapart, such is in a backward extension to protect the lower back, bind the legswith a belt.

• Inany seated pose when you are unable to elongate up out of the pelvis and thereis pressure on the lower back, sit up on folded blankets, a block, or even abolster.

Thinkof the props as extensions of your body. Even better, think of them as your teachers. You don’t have to use every prop and do everyvariation. I would encourage youto experiment and discover, to practice and play. Eventually the props will become invisible to you. They will be no more inconvenient thanthe air around you and the floor beneath you. All you will be aware of is your inner state of being:physical, mental and spiritual all in one.

©2006 Witold Fitz-Simon.

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