exercise

Let’s be honest, even if I had the money to go to yoga classes several times a week (I don’t), it doesn’t always fit into my schedule. But attempting to build a home yoga practice with no guidance can be extremely intimidating. I know from experience. Luckily, after two years of practicing at home I’ve picked up some helpful tips and tricks. So if you’re like me and want to bring your yoga practice home, keep reading!

1. Go to a yoga class (or two or three).

The best way to start a home yoga practice is to take a few classes first. Try a variety of instructors and yoga traditions (ashtanga, iyengar, vinyasa, etc.) to get a feel for what you like and don’t like.

While you’re there, pay attention to the instructor’s cues about proper form in key postures like downward-facing dog and chaturanga dandasana. You won’t be able to remember everything, but feeling comfortable in these foundational postures will significantly boost your confidence in your ability to practice at home by yourself.

Finally, notice that you never start class with the most challenging postures first. You always build up to them. If done right, your body will be able to do things at the end of class that weren’t remotely possible when you first unrolled your mat. Keep this in mind as you start your own practice. If you try to force your body into postures without properly warming up, you won’t be able to go as deep and you’ll risk injuring yourself.

2. Get your gear.

While you really don’t need anything but your body to practice yoga, who am I to deny someone the joy of shopping for new goodies? To get you started, consider picking up these basics:

Yoga Mat – Any kind will do. You may slide more on cheaper ones, but you can combat that by keeping a towel nearby to dry your hands and feet.
Blocks – Depending on your level of flexibility, blocks may be necessary to attempt some postures like Extended Side Angle Pose. Don’t have blocks? Large books will do just fine for most things.
Straps – Straps can be helpful when working on flexibility in postures like Dancer’s Pose. Don’t have a strap? Use a belt instead!

*Tip: Wait to buy expensive clothes and gear until you’re established in your practice! Consider them a reward for practicing consistently. There’s nothing worse than dropping $200 on a new hobby and then moving on to something else two weeks later. Instead, wait to buy yourself that new mat until you’ve been practicing regularly for at least 3 months. 😉

3. Find online classes.

While it’s not essential to use online classes, for people like me who lack creativity when it comes to choreography and movement, online classes take a lot of the stress out of practicing at home.

There are tons of free classes on YouTube (try theses), but my favorites right now are: this paid plan on Cody App that focuses on building strength and this 30-day series designed to help you learn a different basic yoga posture each day (trust me, basic does not mean easy). If you’re interested in either, look out for sales. They’re pretty pricey, but I consider them a great investment since I have access to them forever and I no longer pay for in-person classes.

I like to mix and match different online classes to best suit my needs. Here’s a schedule I created recently which incorporates both of the paid plans above.

4. Push yourself, but listen to your body.

One of the greatest advantages of a home practice is you make the rules. But with this freedom comes its own set of challenges. You may find yourself wondering, am I doing enough? Am I doing too much? Based on my research and experience, here are some flexible guidelines that should help you get off to a good start:

If your schedule allows, try to get on your mat at least 3-4 days per week.
Incorporate at least one rest day each week.
Not sure if you’re doing enough? Ask yourself, do I feel challenged? Have I reached my limit? Can I give it one more try? While you don’t need to push yourself to muscle failure every day to see progress in yoga, it’s important to challenge yourself. To quote one of my favorite yogis, Kino MacGregor, yoga begins at the point when you start to doubt yourself and the practice. Pushing through this is a part of getting stronger.
Concerned you may be pushing too hard? Ask yourself, is my breathing shallow and uneven? Is my face scrunched up? Am I in pain? Have I sacrificed good form? Am I thinking negative thoughts towards myself? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you may need to take a step back. And keep in mind, just because you were able to do something yesterday doesn’t mean you will necessarily be able to do it today. Listen to your body and accept what it can do at this moment.

Tips to Stay Inspired

Join the instagram yoga community! Surrounding yourself (virtually) with amazing men and women who have dedicated themselves to their practice will serve as an endless supply of inspiration and motivation. Check out some of my favorite hashtags to begin connecting: #yogainspiration #yogachallege #yogaeverydamnday #yogisofcolor #beginneryogi. Oh, and follow me at @sheglitterslikegold!

Join an instagram yoga challenge. IG yoga challenges are another great way to motivate yourself to practice each day. Not only do you get to interact with hundreds of other yoga enthusiasts, but you have a very real chance of winning some cool prizes (in fact, during my very first challenge I won a chakra bracelet)!

Drop by a class. If your home practice has become non-existent and you’re really struggling to get back on your mat, sometimes going to an in-person class can rekindle your motivation. While you’re at it, invite a friend so you’ll have more incentive to go!

Track your progress. There’s no better way to stay motivated than to see how much you’ve improved. Progress can be mental or physical, just make sure you keep track of it! Instagram is a great place for that too. 🙂

While starting (and maintaining) a home practice can be difficult, I’ve found it to be a crucial part of my yoga journey. Once I took ownership of my practice, yoga stopped being something I did and became a part of who I am and how I view the world. My biggest piece of advice: don’t give up! And if you do, forgive yourself and begin again. None of us is perfect, but with a little dedication I promise you can have the home practice you’ve always wanted!

weight-loss journey

Last summer, for the umpteenth time, I started a weight-loss journey. I made a commitment to myself, for the umpteenth time, to eat healthier and exercise more. A week later, the French fries (and Kit Kats and chicken wings) started calling. For the first time, I didn’t answer.

I don’t know what made this time different, all I know is once you start seeing progress, it’s addicting. I felt lighter, I slept better, my skin was clearer. My waist shrunk, my biceps grew, and my clothes fit better. These were all things I was expecting, and I took note of each physical change with pride.

But there were a plethora of changes I did not expect. Some were trivial, and others, life-changing. So without further ado, from small to great—what I’ve gained while losing:

My laundry is always done. I am notorious for letting dirty laundry pile up for weeks between washes. Funny thing about working out: you can’t do that with sweaty clothes (it also helps that I only own three sports bras). Since I started working out the time between washes has lessened to a week, making the ordeal much less daunting.

I have a routine. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a naturally organized person, but when you only have 1300 calories to work with each day and five workouts a week to fit into you schedule, detailed planning is a must. Anything else is asking for failure. Before I go to bed I plan my meals for the next day and determine when I will work out. I pick out my clothes, get my gym bag packed and make my lunch. Creating these habits has made it easier to add on other new habits (like doing laundry every week!) and I must say, I like the structure. Doing things consistently at the same time means having to think less about the small things, leaving more time for the important ones.

I feel like Superwoman. There’s nothing like reaching a weight-loss goal to make you feel like you can do anything, because it represents a mastery of self. So often, we are our own biggest obstacle. So if you can master yourself – your thoughts, your feelings, your actions – you can master anything. This weight-loss journey has been about mastering myself from day one. And the more I lose, the more empowered I feel to not only improve myself but affect change in the world around me.

I have become okay with being uncomfortable. Every day for the past year, I have been uncomfortable. Whether while on the treadmill, or in the squat rack, or like now, while sitting in bed ignoring intense cravings for something sweet, being uncomfortable has become the norm. With weight-loss, it’s inevitable. It’s a prerequisite for progress. It’s when I’m the most uncomfortable that I know I’m pushing my limits and on the path to achieving something greater. It’s to the point now that I’ve become almost suspicious of comfort and ease. When exercising, if it’s easy it’s not effective. If I’m comfortable, I’m not improving. I definitely think this translates outside of the gym. Once you’ve become comfortable at a certain level, it’s time to move on.

I’ve learned to embrace my own weakness. Losing weight is downright hard. It requires pushing yourself and resisting temptation on a daily basis. Nevertheless, we often act like it’s easy. “No biggie,” we say, “I’ll just spend all day turning down my favorite foods and then run for an hour after work!” Our egos don’t let us think about the possibility of failure. If we want the results enough, we’ll do what it takes. If not, we’re weak. In truth, we ask far too much of ourselves. We set perfection as the standard and become disappointed when we inevitably fail. The reality is, we all have weaknesses. Either you plan for them or you succumb to them.

During my weight-loss journey this has meant shopping only when I’m full, planning my meals in advance, and scheduling my workouts for the beginning of the day. But it’s also spilled over into other areas of my life. For example, given my history, is it realistic to think I will have the energy to clean my house after a long day at work? I could convince myself while fresh from a nap that post-work Andrea will find the energy, or I could acknowledge that it’s improbable and find a more feasible option. It may seem like common sense, but people set themselves up for failure all the time because they want to believe the best of themselves so badly, they ignore their weaknesses. This journey has shown me just how much I’ve sabotaged myself with that kind of thinking. I’ve had to learn the hard way that my best chance of success comes from embracing my weaknesses, not denying them.

I have a deeper understanding of success. More than anything, what I’ve gained from this journey is the strong reinforcement of a simple truth: success is the sum of small actions. One day of weight training means nothing. One day of disciplined eating is pointless in itself. Success is not won through sporadic bursts of intense exertion, but through many days of consistent effort. What this means for me is placing less emphasis on end goals and more emphasis on daily behaviors. The behaviors are where success lies; achieving the goal is just a result. So instead of concerning myself with how much I weigh, I concern myself with how often I am able to stick to my calorie budget. And instead of making a 4.0 my objective for next semester, my priority is to develop productive habits. In short, I no longer view success as a state of being, but rather a state of doing. I can be successful independent of reaching a goal, and it is this intermediate success that will ultimately make my goals attainable.

It’s taken a year to get to this point, and it’s been difficult, for sure. But with everything I’ve gained, the journey has been more than worth it.

The Golden Life

Passion. Positivity. Purpose.

How to Start a Home Yoga Practice