Arriving to your Home Practice
Now that the conference has ended and attendees are moving back into their daily lives, it seems like a good time to recap Rodney Yee's "Home Practice" workshop.
My teacher, Jason Crandell, has consistently reminded me that the benefits of yoga asana practice are maximized through coming to the mat on a daily basis. 
Yet, in our lives, full of activity and distraction, many of us fall into avoidance. We begin to view our daily practice as yet another chore that we must drag ourselves to do.
Rodney spoke to this, encouraging us to change our perspective by crafting a practice that is not prescribed from any outside authority, but is informed by that which our inner-selves are driven towards. He said that many of us who have difficulty with getting to the mat are probably stuck because we feel that there is a certain sequence of poses that must be done in order to be able to check "do daily practice" off our daunting to-do lists.
As a teacher, Rodney's skills are top-notch. He is expert at encouraging his students to learn through dialog with the teacher. He asked the students, "which poses might you start with... assuming you are coming to your mat from the hectic world... to bring you into the moment at the start of your practice." Hands went up. Suggestions from around the room. Tadasana (Mountain Pose). Uttanasana (Standing Foward Bend). Finally, Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand). This is what the teacher was looking for.
Rodney talked about how BKS Iyengar suggests starting with handstand because it focuses the body and mind, without putting the spine into a potentially dangerous position. For beginners, he said that Adho Mukha Svanasana is a good alternative, and that just moving toward a handstand, where the pelvis moves toward a position over the shoulders (the feet being less important) is great for focusing us and bringing us to the present moment.
We then learned that a basic sequence would move from poses that center us in our bodies and minds (like handstand, standing forward bend, and downward facing dog to a few sets of Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) and then standing poses like Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose) or Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II Pose) poses.
Next perhaps backbending poses, which we were instructed to follow with poses that have a neutral spinal alignment like Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining Big Toe Pose). Close out with some gentle twisting and, of course, Savasana (Corpse Pose).
There was much talk about Mr. Iyengar's recent three-day intensive workshop at our Colorado Conference. Rodney seemed to be energized by having recently studied with his former teacher and he brought much of Mr. Iyengar's spirit into the classroom.
You can find several Sequences for Beginners at YogaJournal.com.
We would love to hear about your home practice challenges and triumphs. Please use the comments link below, or send us an email.
Photo Credit: Todd Semo
Comments
I purchased Rodney's book "Moving Towards Balance", which outlines the steps to creating a home practice. I'm a beginner so his patient (and lengthy) instructions are a godsend. Thanks for this post; I needed to be reminded that there's no 'right' way to do a home practice. It's whatever makes YOU feel good.
Posted by: velocitygirl | January 21, 2006 06:14 PM
Hi velocitygirl, my name is Dianne. Moreover, it is not only what makes you feel good, it is what you are driven to in any one moment that makes your home practice defined. I try to bring to my students a sence of freedom in their practice, freedom from their busy lives, freedom from my instruction and ultimately freedom from themselves. Good luck on your home practice.
in peace,
dianne
Posted by: Dianne | January 24, 2006 04:14 AM
I started my home practice about 4 yrs ago. I usually do my asana's after a nice 30 min walk with my dogs. So my body is pretty warm by then which really helps. I usually start with a series of forward bends,seven or so, then right into sun sal's...
Always a nice way to start the day.
Posted by: Tony Garcia | January 27, 2006 03:26 PM
Handstand to begin the day??!! Wow! I've been doing Sivananda Yoga for a few months now, and was alwasy bothered with the very first posture of the sequence - Savasana...Not easy to unwind and forget your hectic mind when the body has "nothing" to do; Handstand sounds like a good alternative! Thanks for the tip!
Posted by: julieyogi | January 31, 2006 07:56 AM
On workdays after walking my dog and sending my kids on the school bus, I am alone in the house for about an hour. This is the only time this happens, so I do yoga as a prayer of thanks for the peacefulness, and aloneness and it works! It has evolved from being a chore, a to-do into to a celebration. I do 10 minutes of a Baron Baptiste video, because I like the musice and his spirit and encouragement. my dog lies there at the edge of my matt watching. It is part of our routine and my day would not be complete without it.
Posted by: Adkgirl | February 7, 2006 03:56 AM
I've tried to do classes, but being a vata type, they always left me stressed as I rushed to keep up with everyone else. A home practice allows me to spend as much time in each asana as I need, to focus on my body and on my breathing instead of what everyone else is doing. I come away refreshed, invigorated and centered.
Posted by: Kim | February 7, 2006 06:37 AM
I have three of Rodney Yee's DVDs and use them for home practice. He has such a calming, encouraging manner that - for a beginner like me - it helps me to stay motivated and continue to learn. Although I hear the same words each time, I find that the DVDs are a wonderful way to push myself to be better. I would highly recommend Rodney Yee's DVDs for any home practice!
Posted by: Tobey | February 7, 2006 06:46 AM
I have several of Rodney's DVDs, as well as one of Baron Baptiste's and a couple of Yoga Zone DVDs. These are great for following, but can be somewhat limiting if you're wanting a little more than a 20-minute workout and less than a 45-minute or hour-long practice.
The only catch with Rodney Yee's DVDs in particular is that, if you're a newbie, you'll definitely have to research some of the pose modifications if you have trouble doing some of them, since even the beginner-level DVDs may not discuss modifications for beginners much.
At this stage, I'm starting to use the DVDs if I don't have anything planned out, but and doing a double-fisted approach to my home practice. Between books and DVDs, I am researching how to sequence a session by using the DVDs for inspiration, and the books for tips on modifying poses. The books also help where DVDs can fall short in reminding you in which part of a movement to inhale, and which part to exhale. Between the two sources of information, I'm working on planning routines for the course of a week based on working various parts of the body, but incorporating at least one of each type of movement such as warrior series, balancing poses, backbends, twists, etc. I'm also working up routines for days where I may either feel like being challenged more, or days where I'm beat and need to make my practice an easier one. Even if I wing it, I find it works well to get an idea of which poses I want to do before starting a session, rather than making it up as I go along.
Surprisingly, some of my self-planned sessions I make on the spur of the moment are more intense than some of the DVD ones. I don't think it's so much because the poses are more challenging than the sequences in the DVDs, but because I can put more into each pose, hold them longer, and explore the alignment rather than trying to keep pace with a DVD's instruction. Not having to follow a DVD also lets me focus on my breath more. I tend to use music to accompany the workout, though. My current favorites are "Govinda Hare," "Hanuman Puja," and "Hanuman Chaleesa" by Krishna Das.
I think this is a great way to transition from DVDs to a self-tailored practice.. using them for inspiration, and falling back on them as a refresher from time to time.. but ultimately using them as a springboard for developing sessions that allow you to challenge yourself at your own pace while paying attention to your body's needs for that day or that week.. all the while cultivating mindfulness in your movements and the moment. I think it's also helpful for exploring your yoga practice and gaining confidence in playing with your yoga to overcome any intrepidity you may have about joining a class.
Posted by: ZenZhu | February 7, 2006 10:37 PM
I always begin my sessions with a seated cross-legged meditation-type pose with a grounding hand mudra. I close my eyes, straighten and relax my spine, and breathe slowly about 5 breaths (sometimes more if I'm stressed). I find that this technique signals the shift needed to move from daily life to a meaningful spiritual practice.
Posted by: Kelly | February 8, 2006 07:23 AM
Wow! I am the type to always prefer to be upside down but thought that handstands, shoulderstands, etc... were supposed to come during the middle or end of practice. Perhaps, now I can start a home practice knowing I can begin with a favorite!
Posted by: Jillian Darling | February 9, 2006 04:26 PM
Wow. So many great comments. I wonder if we started up a daily yoga blog on yogajournal.com, how many of you would tune in?
Let me know
Alan Zucker
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the IwantCleanAir site
Posted by: Alan Zucker | June 7, 2006 07:37 PM