home practice/no studio?

Hi Kirsten – just saw your other post re this one getting lonely with no answers!

So I thought I’d be first in … 🙂

In the studio I go to they say it is not recommended to do some of the postures at home outside the studio.

I think this is purely because studio owners/instructors are concerned that without quality coaching and a mirror, it is possible that a “hot yoga practice” could turn into a “hot yoga bad practice” due to poor alignment not being prevented before attaining further depth in the pose.

There is also a fairly long-standing view that some poses – camel for example – are less safe if practiced without a thorough warm up (not really your situation, but this is sometimes why instructors say don’t do this at home”).

One could also imagine there is a commercial reason for suggesting that it is better to practice in a studio!

My view is that if you have established your practice well (and I know you will have Gabrielle’s manual for reference) then this shouldn’t be an issue at all. A mirror really IS helpful though!

Most of us who practice at home usually find some way of getting whatever is needed in terms of heat/humidity – in our winter here it can be very dry, but still warm, so when we used to practice in our converted garage, we also had a humidifier running to help a little (and we’d run that thing for hours by the way!).

In the summer when it is hot & humid, we often don’t need any heaters after the initial burst.

In general terms, if you accept that yoga is about your own development & “your own practice” – and take responsibility for your own results – then given the significant lineage of yoga, why not have a daily home practice and continue benefiting from it?

The “hot yoga studio” is a modern idea after all! (An idea we love of course …)

But without the heat, it is true it can somehow seem less satisfying. This might be because the cardio-aspect is less stimulating – but you can always simulate this to some degree – eg double the number of pranayama breaths and speed them up, or add a vigorous sun salutation warm up.

So yes, you may find that you feel as if your stretches are more “limited” – but it’s only relative and is still way more beneficial than no yoga at all.

Plus it is an easy series to remember and gauge your progress with – another plus for helping establish a quality routine at home.

I’ll be keen to see what the others have to say!

Thanks for your contributions Kirsten.

Namaste

Robert

Robert and Gabrielle:

I have a simple question–even as I have found my own answer. Home practice seems a very good bet for people tired of going to a studio. Once one has endured a year or two of studio practices–dropping it 5 out of 6 times for home practice seems a good idea to me. Tell me what is wrong with this routine. 1) lay out a mat with towel in front of a mirror in a room with 70 temp. 2) take a hot bath–as hot as you can stand for 20 minutes, 3) dry off and do as many of the 26 poses you want, 4) shower in the privacy or one’s own home.

What is wrong with that?