Practice Yoga at Home

August 9, 2022

Last updated : December 4, 2024

Whenever people ask me what’s the best way to do yoga, my answer is always the same: as often as you possibly can. But the truth is, while we would all love to devote more time to learning and practicing yoga, for many reasons, this isn’t always possible.

Perhaps there is a shortage of experienced yoga teachers in your area, classes are too expensive, or maybe you simply aren’t confident in your practice. The simplest solution to these challenges is to start doing yoga at home.

The yoga you practice right now, right where you are, is the yoga that can change your life. If you make a plan that fits your goals and lifestyle, you can create and stick to a regular home practice. This will not only boost your well-being, but it can also improve your confidence and help you develop a deeper love for your practice.

Below, I’ll give you my tried-and-tested guide on how to do yoga at home and make your personal practice a priority, no matter how busy or chaotic life gets. Give it a try and find what works for you.

What to Know Before Starting Yoga at Home

A woman starts yoga at home

You don’t need to know all the yoga philosophy or Sanskrit words before you start practicing yoga at home. But you’ll be safer and happier if you have a basic understanding of it.  

If you are experienced and confident in choosing your yoga style and props, jump straight to our tips on How to Maintain Your Yoga Practice at Home. But if you’re a beginner finding your feet, here are some key points to keep in mind:

  • Yoga classes mainly focus on asanas (physical poses), but yoga practice can also include pranayama (breathing exercises), meditation, philosophy, and more.
  • Yoga is non-religious and practiced by people of different faiths.
  • Yoga poses should be adapted to benefit your body and abilities. This means that your practice will look different from the next person’s.
  • There are various styles of yoga, ranging from gentle to very demanding. The right style for you will depend on your personal goals and needs.
  • Yoga has risks, as does every physical activity. It’s important to pace yourself and take precautions if you have pre-existing injuries or health conditions.
  • Listening to your body will help you develop a practice that’s right for you.
  • You don’t need to have fancy props or designer yoga pants to do yoga at home. You can get started with things you probably already have. (Keep reading for DIY alternatives to popular props!)

Can Anyone Start Yoga at Home?

Yoga is for everyone, but your practice will be unique to you depending on your health, fitness, abilities, and anatomy.

Researchers have asked thousands of people about yoga related injuries. The conclusion from these studies is that yoga is no more dangerous than any other form of physical exercise.

Here are some points to keep in mind for a safe yoga practice at home:

  • Flexibility & Hypermobility: If you are very flexible, hyper-mobile, or have connective tissue conditions like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), you need to practice yoga gently and mindfully. It’s also important to avoid overstretching and build strength in muscles that control and protect your joints.
  • Chronic Health Conditions: People with chronic health conditions like glaucoma or high blood pressure should consult a doctor before starting yoga at home. For these two conditions in particular, inversions (being upside down) and breath retentions (holding your breath) are not recommended.
  • Existing Injuries: If you have an injury or health concern, discuss this with a yoga teacher who is experienced in injury management and prevention. With their guidance, you can find modified poses that meet your needs.
  • Introducing New Poses: Trying new poses is a great way to advance in your practice at home. But asking your body to do too much can lead to injury. Give yourself time to learn and adjust to these new movements and challenge yourself gradually. For example, you could try adding ankle weights or dumbbells in Balancing Table Pose and increasing the weight over time.

Benefits of Practicing Yoga at Home

For general well-being, we need some time to connect with ourselves and with our body each day. Many of us need to calm our nervous system to deal with stress, others need to be uplifted to balance low energy levels. To gain the most benefit, it's important to practice calming or uplifting exercises daily.

Keep in mind that this daily practice does not have to be yoga asana every day. It could be revitalizing pranayama techniques, a new type of meditation, or even a nice long walk in nature.

When you practice regularly, yoga naturally becomes part of your daily rhythm. This offers a number of emotional and physiological benefits, including stress reeducation, improved sleep, and better digestion. 

Start by committing to practice five or six days a week for three weeks. Make this commitment to yourself clear and strong—think of it as a meaningful promise rather than a rigid rule.

After three weeks, you'll begin to feel the benefits: how yoga helps you move better, feel calmer, and navigate your day with more ease. You'll naturally discover which practices serve you best and what times work well with your schedule.

Soon, your daily practice becomes something you look forward to—a time you set aside to nurture yourself, knowing it makes your whole day better.

How to Do Yoga at Home

The best way to start doing yoga at home is from the beginning. This means, don’t get overly keen and attempt advanced poses before you’re ready.

And remember, whether you’re in a packed yoga class or following an online tutorial alone at home, you can always stop whenever you feel the need to. Here are six important steps to consider when starting a yoga practice at home.

1. Choose the Right Practice

A woman learns how to do yoga at home

The first step to take is deciding what your daily yoga practice will look like and how it will fit into your day. Five minutes, twenty minutes, or an hour? Morning, afternoon, or evening? A physical asana practice, breathing exercises, or perhaps some yoga philosophy?

These are all essential questions to ask, and the answers must be based on your personal goals and needs. Yoga should serve you. Consider what elements of practice would help you most and incorporate them into your routine in manageable doses.

2. Start with Short Lessons

Start practicing yoga at home with short sessions. Sun Salutations, also known as Surya Namaskar, is a good starting point. This series of yoga poses is designed to energize and warm up the body. There are a variety of sequences, but the two most common are Classical and Modern Sun Salutation.

For beginners, we recommend starting with Classical Sun Salutation from Hatha Yoga tradition, as it’s gentler than the faster-paced Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga version.

Give this a try in our: Step-by-Step Guide to Sun Salutations.

3. Introduce Pranayama

A woman practices pranayama at home

To add Pranayama to your practice, begin with simple breathing exercises. These are intended to increase your Prana, or life-force energy. The core of many breathing exercises is yogic breathing, which is slow deep breathing.

It takes practice to develop a smooth and flowing yogic breath. There are online breathwork training courses that can help you build a solid foundation in Pranayama. If you’d like to start right now, here is a simple breathing exercise you can easily incorporate into your daily home practice:

  • Find a comfortable upright position so your ribs are free to expand with your breath.
  • Become aware of your natural breath, breathing slowly and quietly.
  • Breathe more deeply, focusing on filling your lungs in three stages: expanding the lower abdomen, then the ribcage, and then upper chest right up to the throat.
  • Exhale slowly by relaxing the belly, then the chest, then the upper chest and throat. Tuck the navel towards the spine to expel any remaining air from the lungs.
  • You have completed one full yogic breath. Continue with a smooth flow of deep inhalation followed by full exhalation.

4. Create a Practice Space

There is no essential equipment needed to start practicing yoga at home, but it’s important to have a space where you can practice poses without bumping into anything. That space could be the seat of your car for morning breathwork or a larger space with a flat, comfortable surface for practicing yoga poses.

5. Find Props at Home

A woman practices yoga at home with props

The monks who invented yoga often owned nothing but a loin cloth. You only need loose, comfortable clothing that allows you to breathe deeply and move freely for the type of yoga you practice.

The extra items used to help with yoga practice are known as props. The greatest benefit of using props is to modify poses to suit your body, allowing you to practice new or challenging poses safely. They can also provide support and comfort in passive yoga styles like Yin Yoga and Restorative Yoga.

You can buy yoga props from most fitness stores, but if you’re starting to learn yoga at home, you can swap these out for ordinary household objects instead.

Here are popular props in yoga, how to use them, and alternatives you can easily find at home.

Yoga Mats

Yoga mats come in different thicknesses. Thin ones (1-3mm) are great for standing poses and balance work since you can feel the ground. Thicker mats (4-6mm) give you more cushioning for floor work but might feel a bit wobbly for balancing.

When choosing a yoga mat for your home practice, make sure to get one that's longer than you are tall and wider than your shoulders. That way, you'll have plenty of space to move. The right mat will give you a good grip and a clean, stable surface whether you're practicing at home or outside.

Yoga Mat Alternatives

If you don’t have a yoga mat, you can use a:

  • Carpet
  • Towel
  • Blanket
  • Piece of lawn

For gentle yoga styles like Yoga Nidra, a bed is perfectly suitable. There is also Chair Yoga, where students with restricted mobility can practice entirely on chairs.

The key is to make sure your chosen surface is not too slippery or unstable. It’s especially important not to attempt balancing poses on a surface that can’t support you.

How to Clean a Yoga Mat at Home 

As you rest your face, hands and body on a yoga mat, it’s important to clean it regularly and ensure it’s free of bacteria and germs.

Here’s how you can clean a yoga mat at home:

  1. Unroll your mat and place it on a flat surface outside.
  2. In a large bucket, mix together warm water and a few drops of soap.
  3. Take an old cloth and dip it into the soapy water. Starting from the top, wipe down the mat and gradually work your way down to the bottom.
  4. Once you’ve wiped down the entire mat, take a wet cloth and remove the excess soap and dirty water.
  5. Dry the mat with a clean towel.
  6. Leave outside in a shaded spot to air dry for about 30-45 minutes.

 Yoga Blocks

Blocks are used for support in a variety of poses and can be very useful for beginners wanting to start a yoga practice at home. There are many standing and sitting poses that ask you to place a hand on the floor, when perhaps your hand cannot reach the floor. Bridging the gap with a block allows you to practice the pose safely and effectively.

Blocks can also be used under the feet, under the seat, or a multitude of other points that might need support.

Yoga Block Alternatives

To bridge the gap on your mat, you can use a:

  • Piece of wood
  • Brick
  • Footstool
  • Cushion
  • Exercise step

Make sure the item is stable and solid and won’t shift unexpectedly or give you splinters.

Yoga Bolsters & Pillows

A yoga bolster is a very firm cushion with a long cylinder shape. Like blocks, bolsters are useful for supporting the body and making poses more accessible.

Yoga Bolster Alternatives

Any large firm cushion makes a great yoga bolster. You can create a firmer pillow by stuffing two pillows side-by-side in one pillowcase, or you can roll up one or two large towels to create a firm cylinder. 

Yoga bolsters and pillows

Yoga Blankets

Folded blankets or towels are often suggested when modifying yoga poses. They are used for support where something smaller than a block or bolster is needed, and they can also be used as cushioning under knees, hands, or other weightbearing points.

Yoga blanket Alternatives

If you do not have a yoga blanket, you can use any blanket or towel as added support during difficult poses. 

Yoga Straps

Yoga straps are versatile props that help you deepen stretches and reach difficult positions. Use them to gently hold poses for longer, allowing your muscles to relax and your connective tissue to stretch. They're especially handy when you can't quite reach something , like when grabbing your foot in a stretch or clasping your hands behind your back. 

Yoga Strap Alternatives

Instead of a yoga strap, you can use a:

  • Belt
  • Scarf
  • Tie
  • Skipping rope
  • Exercise band
  • Towel
Yoga straps

6. Choose the Right Yoga Style

A woman practices Hatha Yoga at home

There is an incredible variety of yoga styles available today. For beginners, attending a guided yoga class is the best way to get a feel for a particular style. And if you like it, enrolling in a yoga training course in person or online can help you take your practice a step further. But how do you decide which style is right for you?

To narrow it down, almost all of them fit into one of three general styles: Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga or Yin Yoga. Here’s a breakdown of each of these styles and how they might be suitable for your specific needs and intentions.

Hatha Yoga 

Hatha Yoga is the oldest style and involves alternating between resting poses and more challenging ones. It helps rebalance the nervous system and build strength and stamina. It isn’t intended to raise the heart rate, so although it can be quite challenging, it isn’t a cardiovascular “workout.”

Vinyasa Yoga

Vinyasa Yoga focuses on flowing from one pose to the next, with each pose held more briefly than in Hatha Yoga. Faster movement raises breathing and heart rates, so Vinyasa offers cardiovascular fitness benefits as well as strength building.

Yin Yoga

Yin Yoga features long holds that stimulate and release fascia. The slower pace helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing stress and feelings of anxiety. Poses are usually held for about five minutes, often with the support of props.

It’s important to note that Yin Yoga is not Restorative Yoga. Poses are not meant to be relaxing but are intended to stretch and stimulate target areas. This is great for those looking for a good night’s sleep.

Also See: Which Yoga Style Fits Your Needs.

One challenge when choosing a yoga style is that individual teachers can make their classes quite different. It can be helpful to talk with someone who has experience with the teacher or read reviews online. Often, the only way to find out if a particular class and teacher suits you is to try it out.

Our easy Hatha Yoga class on YouTube is a great class for beginners. Give it a try!

7. Make It a Habit

When you find the inspiration or motivation to start a yoga practice, it might feel like something this good for you will be easy to keep practicing. Unfortunately, it’s never that simple.

New habits are hard to form and easy to forget. It definitely helps if you set yourself up for success and give yourself permission to get back on track blame-free every time you slip out of regular practice.

How to Maintain Your Yoga Practice at Home

A woman maintains her daily yoga practice at home

Changing your daily routine is challenging, even when adding something wonderful that will serve you as yoga can. Begin by considering what you hope to gain and which elements of yoga will best provide those benefits. Add those elements into your daily schedule in small, manageable doses. Allow for variety and flexibility in your practice.

If your yoga practice starts to feel like a time-consuming chore, reassess your routine. You might need to change styles, times, or the elements of yoga included in your practice.

Here are a few more tips to help you maintain your daily yoga practice at home:

  • Start small so it’s easy to fit into your day.
  • The five minutes you will do is far more useful than the hour you never manage to fit in.
  • Set a fixed time in your daily schedule.
  • Acknowledge that your mind and body might be best served by allowing flexibility in your practice.
  • Commit to building your new habit by practicing it every day for three weeks.
  • Increase your daily commitment in very small ways so you can easily continue.
  • Look for stray spaces in your schedule—breathing exercises while sitting in the car waiting for the kids is a classic.
  • Team up with a friend, even if you are each practicing separately in your own homes.

How Often Should You Do Yoga at Home?

A goal of 10 minutes to one hour per day is a good place to start. Often, people set their expectations too high. They plan how much time they will spend each day and are discouraged when they aren’t able to meet that target. Discouraged people tend to give up.

Instead of setting a high target, set a more achievable one. Commit to doing something every day, but acknowledge that it might be a walk or a few minutes of breathing exercises. It won’t always be a full asana practice.

Remember to be kind and patient with yourself. Avoid comparing your progress to what you think others are doing. Let yoga slide gently into your life as a support system.

Final Thought

Starting yoga at home is about finding what works for you in your own space and pace. It’s less about perfect poses and more about showing up for yourself. Just take it one step at a time, and let your practice grow naturally.

Source

About the author

Kalyani Hauswirth Jain

Kalyani Hauswirth-Jain is the Creative Director and a senior teacher at the Arhanta Yoga Ashrams. Prior to joining Arhanta Yoga Ashrams in 2011, Kalyani studied Modern Dance in the Netherlands where she discovered her passion for the body-mind connection and personal leadership. In 2007, Kalyani began teaching yoga professionally, and four years later, she was training yoga teachers at our ashrams.

Now with over 11000 hours of teaching experience, Kalyani is a lead teacher for the 200- and 300-hour Yoga Teacher Trainings, as well as a number of 50-hour courses at the Arhanta Yoga Ashrams. When she’s not adjusting postures in class, Kalyani is writing informative blogs and guides for fellow yogis, and co-authored the critically acclaimed book, 'Hatha Yoga for Teachers & Practitioners.'

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