by Richard Jonas
Home Practice: Starting Now
Home Practice is the core of yogāsana. Class is great – but there is more, much more to it. Practicing on your own is too important to miss out. When beginning a practice at home, one really learns, really experiences the transformative effects of each āsana – on body, mind, and spirit.
How can one get a Home Practice? Get up tomorrow – practice – then do it every day after that (take Sundays off). If that sounds daunting, here are some hints that might help one get started and stay with it.
Start slow:
Students tend to set the bar too high when starting a Home Practice. If it doesn’t resemble an hour of perfectly sequenced poses, they are disappointed and give up. Instead, do a few poses that are familiar and feel confident with. When finished, lie down for a five to eight minute Śavāsana. Fifteen minutes later, you have a Home Practice!
Be disciplined:
Make Home Practice a priority. Do it every day. Keep with it for two weeks, then note how better you feel, physically and mentally. It gets easier. Soon your 15-minute Home Practice will grow to a 30-minute one. Give this practice a dedicated time and space, and it will make room for itself in one’s life.
Time and Place:
Choose a time of day, and a place where there is a low probability of being disturbed. Ideally, keep that same time each day. First thing in the morning works well; waiting until later might interfere with your schedule. The body may be stiff in the morning, but the mind is quiet and receptive – something very important. If afternoons, or evenings, work better, then practice then.
Do what you know:
Start with a few simple, familiar āsana like Adho mukha śvānāsana (Downward-facing dog) and Adho mukha vīrāsana (Daownward-facing hero). Follow with a few standing poses: Utthita trikoṇāsana (Extended triangle), Utthita parśvakoṇāsana (Extended side angle), and Vīrabhadrāsana II (the second Warrior). Finish with a seated forward extension, say Paśchimottānāsana (Deliberate stretch of the west), or lie down with your legs up the wall (Ūrdhva Prasārita Pādāsana). Then rest fort several minutes – even when short on time, always practice Śavāsana (Corpse).
Cultivate the Voice:
Maybe at first you’ll hear your class teacher’s voice reminding you to engage ‘here’, and ‘not there’). Eventually, you’ll cultivate your own teacher inside. If you’re not sure about something, ask your teacher later. Remember, that if it doesn’t feel right, then you probably ought not to be doing it. Also, remember to refrain from doing āsana you are not confident doing; save those for class when someone else can supervise.
Work by the Book:
B.K.S. Iyengar’s Yoga The Path to Holistic Health is abundant with information. One whole section details how to, and which props to use in the different āsana. As well as listing the Benefits and Cautions. Another section is devoted to sequences for particular ailments. Dr. Geet Iyengar’s Preliminary Course has detail, step-by-step instructions and drawings to assist in executing the poses. Metha’s How to Use Yoga, and Yoga the Iyengar Way, both have large photos to further guide you.
When you’ve been self-practicing for a while, try to remember the poses taught. Then write them down, in order, right after class. If you don’t remember the names, describe them or draw a little stick figure sketch. The more you do this the easier it becomes. Next day, recreate the sequence – or part of it – at home on your own. Try to recall the points the teacher made. When you do poses a second, third time, etc. – when you become your own teacher – the learning deepens; the experience becomes more profound, and more truly your very own.
Props:
Buy a mat and three blankets (you’ll need them for Sālamba sarvāṅgāsana I (the first Supported shoulder stand), which is vital to one’s practice. Also, a belt and a block or two are very useful. A timer will help you understand your tolerance in the different poses. Meaning, check the time after each to keep track of your progress (do not force anything, at any time).
Sequencing the Postures:
As a rule, Downward-facing dog and/or Downward-facing hero are good ‘warm-up’ poses. Follow-up with a standing postures, onto an inversions, a back extension, a twists, and a forward extension. Often, Sālamba sarvāṅgāsana I (the first Supported shoulder stand) is done near the end of your practice. However, as a rule, if you practice Sālamba śīrṣāsana I (the first Supported headbalnce), do so close the the beginning of your practice (say after Downdog). Headstand must be followed with Shouderstand later in the sequence, or another pose (say Setubandha sarvāṅgāsana) which creates the Jalandhara bandha, or conjunction between the chin and the top of the sternum.
Do the Pose Everyway:
Try the pose many different ways. For example, one day do Utthita trikoṇāsana with your front foot up the wall. Another day, with your back heel at the wall. Or with your back to the wall. The goal isn’t to find the way that works best for you, so you can repeat it that way every time. The goal is to experience the pose from every angle, to learn all about it. Become as familiar with these poses, as you are with your room (where you can walk around in the dark without bumping into furniture). In time, the poses become templates used to explore the mind, the senses, the emotions, …our place in the world, and our relationship to the Higher Power.
Richard Jonas is a faculty member of the Iyengar Yoga Association of Greater New York.
Rafael Durán 