Yoga classes are famously zen.

Picture this: Soothing music is playing in the background. The only noise is the other students quietly laying out their mats and getting settled before the instruction begins. It’s like a picture in a magazine, right? It’s all very serene, tranquil, and soft.

It’s a whole new world, when you leave that environment, one where cell phones are discouraged and distractions are handled by someone else, and enter the dark dungeons that is a home practice.

I have a dog. Enough said.

Even as I type this, she is barking at me. This is why she is famous on my YouTube channel as being the official yoga interrupter!

Sometimes, even I wonder why I have a home practice at all. The only problem with not having one is that there are literally no studios near me, so without a home practice I’d have no practice at all!

So, here is a video to help aid you bringing your yoga mat home:

You see, I actually think we get pampered in a classroom environment. Yes, it’s a safe space, as it should be. It’s carefully guarded over by the instructor, attempting to give us a sanctuary from the rest of the chaotic world. The hardest part of a yoga class is showing up, because it is so easy to get distracted by our to-do lists. But, once we’re there, all we have to do is listen.

At home, it’s different.

If all I did was listen in my home practice, my eye would start twitching and I’d probably throw my mat at someone.

At home, not everyone around you is aware of what a yoga practice entails. People try and talk to you. Dogs run all around you and often start to pile up their toys on your mat. Phones ring. There is no escaping the distractions!

But, I think developing a home practice is one of the true tests of a yogi.

We may walk into a carefully prepared and protected space of zen when we go to a class, but when we make our own practice we are literally creating out own zen!

It’s okay if you get frustrated. The fact that you unrolled your mat in the first place means that you win. Taking a few deep breaths, moving through a few sun salutations, or just laying with your legs up the wall is a practice. It doesn’t have to be an hour. It’s all about your intention. It’s all about your breath. It’s all about bringing the zen you were exposed to in a classroom into your every day life.

So, get started! Keep it simple. Keep it gentle.

Relephant Read:

Yoga for Busting Through Your Barriers.

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Author: Stacy Porter

Editor: Travis May

Photo: Author’s Own