Yoga Year-Round: a home practice how-to

“ Anyone who practices can obtain success in yoga but not one who is lazy. Constant practice alone is the secret of success.” - Svātmārāma

Want to have a personalized home yoga practice going year-round? If you’ve followed the three steps below, then you are well on your way!

1. Sold on the many reasons to have a daily practice – check.

2. Created the perfect spot to practice – check.

3. Got the necessary props, equipment, and gear – check.

Ready, set, go! Right?

Um… Go where? Go how exactly? Are you stutter-stepping on the starting line?

Quick Start Tip: subscribe to an on-line service or join a local studio offering virtual classes that can help you get into the habit of yoga-ing at home daily.

The Quick Start Tip above could work in a pinch to get the ball rolling so your hard work setting up your space + hard-earned cash spent on gear don’t go to waste. However, to get the most out of your time on the mat at home, at some point that home practice needs to evolve a bit.

Having a personalized home practice for yourself is not the same as doing yoga classes (on demand nor realtime) at home.  Yoga classes, workshops and online subscriptions all have their places in a well-rounded practice. But time on the mat at home putting all those class/workshop/online lessons into practice is where the rubber really meets the road. It’s the combination of classes, subscriptions, and home practice that create the trifecta for your well-rounded practice.

The sticking point for many of us though is not in the desire to get on the mat or meditation cushion at home. The set up and the equipment is an easy enough problem to fix. It is the what and exactly how that stalls us out, isn’t it?

You got the gumption and the set up. Now what?

How to Start Personalizing Your Practice Year-Round

Having an idea of what style of yoga to do depending on the time of day or season of the year can help keep your home yoga practice going strong all year long.

How about taking a cue from yoga’s sister science, Ayurveda. This is a medical system with roots similar to yoga in ancient Indian philosophy, and the word Ayurveda means, roughly, the wisdom of longevity. A key principle in all Ayurvedic practices and treatments is supporting natural balance. Natural balance for the sake of our energy as well as our digestion (nutrition happens to be a big deal in Ayurveda). Natural balance between our work and play and rest in the routine of our days. Natural balance in our relationships with ourselves and others. Ultimately the idea is to support a harmony that ebbs and flows to keep all things copacetic. Doesn’t that sound lovely?

Ayurveda has recommendations for what style of yoga to practice based on our individual doshas as well as season of the year and even down to time of day.

Yoga-ing in Tune with the Seasons

In the springtime

As the days slowly get longer and lighter and the weather gradually gets wetter and warmer, the suggestion is to follow suit in your yoga with practices that are heating and have plenty of flowing movement (especially if your personal dosha is kapha dominant).

Some examples to consider weaving into your springtime yoga:

• strong flow and power yoga that favor backbends, side bends, or twists,

• walking meditation outdoors, and

• bhastrika pranayama (bellows breath).

Think of it as time to slough off the winter and do a little spring cleaning to revive a routine that might have gotten stale. Use yoga as a way to refresh, energize and get you moving again during the spring.

In the summer

When the long days become exceedingly bright and hot, the suggestion is to counterbalance the excessive heat (especially if your personal dosha is pitta dominant).

So, try weaving in more of the following during summer days:

• slow, mindful flow-style asana sequences that favor forward bending and seated or supine poses,

• mantra or japa mala meditation, and

• sitali or sitkari pranayama (cooling breath).

You might think of these recommendations much like applying sunblock to avoid summertime sunburns. Find ways to sooth and cool during long summer days.

In the fall

As the days slowly get shorter and darker and the cooling weather brings wind and rain, the suggestion is to find ways to get cozy and grounded (especially if your personal dosha is vata dominant).

A few ideas to consider incorporating into your autumnal practices:

• hatha-style or restorative practices that include a lot of stillness,

• incorporating balancing postures and inversions to stimulate focused attention,

• guided mediation, and

• nadi shodhana pranayama (alternate nostril breathing).

Look for ways to bring a calming cadence to your practice throughout the fall.

In the winter

When the short, dark days and cold weather keep us cooped up indoors and yet the holiday season keeps us overwhelmed in busyness, the suggestion is to nourish and restore our mind-body energy reserves. Early winter is known for knocking vata dominant folks off balance. And late winter is known for slogging down those who are kapha dominant. If either applies to you, be particularly mindful of the practices you can incorporate to counterbalance the natural unsettling tendencies of the seasons. Practices that might be helpful in rebalancing include:

• yin and restorative yoga,

• yoga nidra meditation, and

• anuloma or viloma pranayama (depending on whether you need to ground or revive your energy).

Seek out ways to help nourish and restore those energy reserves as you hibernate through the winter.

Yoga-ing in Tune with the Time of Day

kapha time

The hours of 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. (and again at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.) are considered “kapha time”. If you are unrolling your mat during these hours, the suggestion is to plan a practice with flowing movement (especially if your personal dosha is kapha dominant).

Some ideas if you are practicing during these hours in the a.m.:

• strong flow and power yoga that favor backbends and side bends,

• walking meditation outdoors, and

• viloma pranayama.

Some ideas if you are practicing during these hours in the p.m. (and will be going to bed shortly after):

• steady-rhythm, mindful flow that favors twists,

• a rhythmic mantra meditation, and

• anuloma pranayama.

pitta time

The hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (and again at 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.) are considered “pitta time”. If you are unfurling your mat midday, the suggestion is to plan to counterbalance the busyness or sense of rush typical of midday and give the belly time to peacefully digest lunch, which, in Ayurvedic recommendations should be your largest meal of the day (especially if your personal dosha is pitta dominant).

Some ideas if you are practicing during these hours midday:

• slow, mindful flow-style asana, or hatha-style asana with stillness,

• guided or japa mala meditation, and

• anuloma ujjayi pranayama.

Some ideas if you are practicing during these hours in the middle of the night (although Ayurvedic teachings strongly recommend being in bed before nighttime pitta time begins at 10 p.m.!):

• restorative yoga postures in bed,

• yoga nidra meditation, and

• simple breath awareness or feather light breathing.

vata time

The hours of 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. (and again at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.) are considered “vata time”. If you are hitting your mat or meditation cushion during these hours, the suggestion is to plan a practice that will ground and settle the spacey, restless energy that can naturally occur during these hours (especially if your personal dosha is vata dominant).

Some ideas if you are practicing during these hours in the early a.m.:

• rhythmic, mindful flow that favors forward bends and twists,

• guided meditation, and

• nadi shodhana pranayama (alternate nostril breathing).

Some ideas if you are practicing during these hours in the p.m.:

• a hatha-style practice with steady holding of postures that focuses on standing or arm balances and/or inversions,

• a simple mantra meditation, and

• chandra bedhana pranayama (left nostril breathing).

While some of us practice routinely at the same time of day (because that is a handy scheduling trick for turning your yoga practice into a daily habit), others of us may have lifestyles that leave us squeezing in a home practice at various times throughout the week. Whichever is true for your routine and lifestyle, try on some of these Ayurvedic-inspired suggestions and see if they just might augment that personalized feel a home practice should have.