Monday 5 November 2018

Start your own home yoga practice (+ a few of my fave videos)

Once in a while I get asked how the heck to get started with yoga. I hear ya: it's a vast and confusing world out there in yogaland, and all the beautiful bendy photos on Instagram can be seriously intimidating.
I have a few really easy tricks how you can get started "on your yoga journey" as we yogis like to call it, or how to bend and stretch a bit every day in normal-people-speak.

The good news is: the way I practice is verrry cheap. I'm even going as far as saying that you need nothing to get started except for the internet and an enthusiastic attitude. How's that for starters?
I don't believe that you even need yoga pants and fancy sports bras, especially if your girls are on the small side. Quite often I will do a few sun salutations in my PJs or undies, and it works just fine. So do scrubs! Any comfortable clothing will do, really.
If you practice on carpet you could also forgo the yoga mat (I often do), but I have to admit that it's nice to have one. It gives you a better grip, and yoga teachers often use the mat as reference when giving instructions, for example how far to space your feet or separate your legs (i.e. to the edges of your mat). They are not expensive, you can get a decent mat for around $20 (check Amazon for options).

Since I pretty much never go to a studio (my average is about twice a year) I truly do all my yoga at home. Because that's the beauty of such a booming industry: there are countless videos to choose from!
But I understand that's also what makes it so confusing.

To get you started I thought I'd share some of my current favourite videos that I use for my own practice.

Vinyasa Yoga for beginners-intermediate, 42 minutes
Vinyasa basically means that you flow from one pose to the next without holding the poses for very long. While it may be confusing at first to keep up if you've never done it, many sequences are repetitive and you will get the hang of it. For many people new to yoga vinyasa is appealing because it focuses less on the spiritual part and meditation and feels more like an exercise class. Don't forget to breathe, though!


Vinyasa Yoga Balancing poses, beginners-intermediate, 38 minutes



Quick Fire Core Yoga, intermediate-advanced, 18 minutes
This is an intense abs workout! I find it quite challenging and can't do the full video yet, which is why I put it into the intermediate-advanced category. Don't be fooled by the first 5 minutes, it gets (a lot!) harder! But it's an awesome workout, and I promise that you will feel it the next day.


Yoga for Strength, Beginner Arm Balances, 16 minutes
I love arm balances, and this is a great video to work on the strength required to do those fancy poses.


Once you have a few videos under your belt you may discover that you like creating your own little flows. That's what makes it so fun! 

Another great resource I always recommend is the yoga website DoYouYoga. It's free (with the option to become a member for a fee and get more access), but I'm still only using the free portion and it has a ton of great stuff: videos, challenges, articles on yoga and healthy living, and the chance to discover new teachers. 

I hope this helps and gets you started on the yoga path!

Happy Monday and Namaste,
Miriam


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9 comments

  1. Thanks miriam! I will definitely try out some of these videos! Ive been doing a lot of "yoga with Adrienne" videos on YouTube which I quite like as well :) just trying to get back into it but I don't want to spend the money to go to a class :p
    -Rachel

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    1. Same here! I also quite like doing yoga in my PJs, and I think they would look at me funny at the studio if I showed up like that ;-)

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    1. You're welcome! I hope you'll like the videos!

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  3. Yes!!! I'm a total at-home yogi. I almost never go to a class. My personal favorite channel on YouTube is Yoga with Adrienne -- she's so knowledgeable, but hilarious at the same time! She never makes me feel like I'm not taking this practice seriously enough, you know?

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    1. I know what you mean, she is wonderful! I recommend her to anyone who's starting out. Definitely one of the best YouTube teachers out there!

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