6 Tips to practice Yoga at home due to Covid-19
yoga at home
The restricted travel, panic over the risk of infection, continuous flow of negative news and scarcity of day-to-day material and resources due the corona pandemic are all adding to growing anxiety. Being confined to our homes can be mentally challenging. Besides staying connected to family and friends, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, there is also one other thing that can help keep anxiety and mental health in check – yoga. Yoga has known to be beneficial since ages, and not just for weight loss, but also to keep the mind calm. This traditional routine is known to nourish the brain as it leads mind and body. It also relishes your senses and makes you aware of your well-being and surrounding. Yoga promotes alpha brain waves by increasing cortical thickness, which leads the learning and memory abilities. Techniques of reflection & meditation infuse a sense of mindfulness, also regulates breathing and a sense of tranquillity and well-being is maintained.
Yoga during Covid-19 quarantine
One of the best forms of physical, mental and spiritual practice, Yoga is best suited for this quarantine period. “Practice of yoga takes care of all these mental issues. Yoga along with breathing and meditation can be considered as an all-round exercise which will take care of our body, mind and soul. Hatha yoga practices are best suited for beginners. These practices also can have different variations which can make one perfect in the final poses. Some of these practices include Tadasana, Trikonasana, Ardha Kati Chakrasana and Veerbadrasana,” says Kutteri. Dandwate says that Yog Nidra is the most beneficial during these times. He says, “One of the most profound and powerful techniques that can be used is Yog Nidra. 20 minutes of Yog Nidra every day can help immensely in overcoming stress and anxiety.”
Tips to do yoga on your own at home
1-Find the right yoga style
What are you going to do when you are on your mat? The first question to ask is….. “What do my body and mind need?”
Something active like Vinyasa Flow, to get the juices flowing or something more soft and restorative like Hatha Yoga or Yin Yoga to quiet your body and mind? The more you do yoga, the more you learn the effects of different practices and the more you learn to recognise what it is your body and mind need at different times.
If you pick an online class, don’t get stuck in reading too many class descriptions. The nature of the mind is to look for the perfect class to solve everything. That class doesn’t exist; you have to make it yourself. You can also decide to pick a yoga program where we’ve put together a series of classes that fit well together or choose from Playlists.
Pick a style, teacher, specific use and preferred class duration (or any one of these combinations) from the filters on the classes page, look for a title that speaks to you and go for it! The way you make the class perfect for you is through practising with full awareness, with as little resistance as possible. If there is a part you don’t like, breathe through it and observe your reactions. Remember that how you react on the mat seeps through in how you react in daily life.
2-Get your yoga gears
Technically, you don’t need anything but your own body to practice yoga. However, having equipment you truly enjoy using, particularly equipment you feel proud of, can help you create the “space” and atmosphere in your home that encourages a continued practice.
The best reason to start a home yoga practice is that you don’t need much to begin:
- A yoga mat
- A pair of yoga blocks
- A belt or yoga strap
- A cushion or bolster to sit on for meditation
Depending on where you live, it might be dificult to find the right yoga accessories. The good thing about the Covid-19 lockdown, is that many online shops have developped a wide range of good quality products and they will delivered it straight to your door.
You can shop on Amazon. They have accessible prices on all you need to start your yoga practice from home
Aliexpress is also a good shopping option. They have products from diferent suppliers , from known yoga brands or budget
3-Choose Your Yoga Space and Time
“There is no perfect setting externally, it’s about the internal state that you cultivate,” says Vertue. “Your environment shouldn’t deter from that – easier said than done, but ultimately that’s what you’re working towards.” Choose a space that’s as free from clutter and distraction as possible. If it helps you to set the mood with some incense, sage or a candle, go for it: you can indulge in whatever works, no one is watching. When you inevitably get disturbed by the cat, the kids or the doorbell, press pause and know that you can always come back to it, later in the day or later in the week. The good thing about a home practice is that you aren’t confined to a specific class schedule or length of practice. The bad thing about a home practice is that you aren’t confined to a specific class schedule or length of practice. As many a yoga teacher will say, no effort is ever wasted – whether you’ve got 45 minutes or just five to spare. If you’re following an online class, options range from 10-minute to 90-minute routines. If you’re yoga-ing solo, set a timer for 10 minutes before you want to finish, so you know when to begin your closing sequence. Practice could even be determined by the time it takes for your coffee to brew or your bath to run. Flexible in every sense.
4-Always relax with Savasana
It is really important to give your body time to relax in Savasana after a yoga practice. The nervous system needs time to assimilate the benefits it has gained during the practice. You can otherwise feel unnecessarily wired after a yoga practice, especially after an intense yoga class.
5-Practise yoga regularly
Even practising yoga once a week is beneficial! Three times a week is great, every day is great too. What works for you? If it’s very important for you to achieve goals, then it is much better to set a goal of practising three times a week, being able to do it and feeling proud of yourself, than to set a goal to practise every day and feeling bad if you do only three times a week. A feeling of failure usually just makes you skip practices even more. So, be honest, set realistic goals, and do what you can. A 10 minute yoga practice is still a practice and definitely counts.
6-How to stay motivated to keep doing yoga regulary
Setting up a home yoga practice is only half the battle — now you have to roll out your mat and do it.
“The best advice I can give you,” says Yee, “is to make your yoga part of your morning ritual. This means getting to bed 15 minutes earlier so your yoga practice does not cut into your sleep time. The second piece of advice is to sit down with your weekly calendar and begin to cross out any activity that is not serving you anymore (this takes being brutally honest).
But in this interview clip from the intro to his A.M. Yoga for Your Week DVD, Yee says the real key to staying motivated to keep doing yoga at home gets back to listening to yourself and exploring what you need with a sense of curiosity and creativity.
“Another significant way to support your home practice,” Yee adds, “is to practice with a member of your family or a friend. Being held accountable by others can get you to the mat on the dreariest of days. Once you get to the mat, the magic often takes over after a couple of minutes, and you find yourself vibrating with the music of yoga.”
Think about doing a deeper yoga pracetice with Online yoga retreat
If you want to go deeper in your practice or to have interaction with real teachers and instructors, you can also opt to join a online yoga retreat. You just need a good connection and a device to interact with the teachers, follow the classes and workshops and share your experience with the other participants.