4 Pillars of Yoga Self-Practice
If you are hoping to build and sustain a successful Yoga self-practice, there are 4 pillars which need constant maintenance.
This work is not a chore though; it will bring you the joy of growth - something that brought you to Yoga self-practice in the first place.
1. Yoga Poses
Knowing the Shape
In a Yoga class, a teacher might help you find the right shape for your body but when you are on your own, you have to go a bit deeper with the knowledge of the pose so that you can make adjustments that are right for you.
Don’t skip this step - keep enquiring. You will get to know your body and be able to advance in a way that is hard to reach otherwise.
Starting out? Observe how your body and mind feels in each pose and if there is confusion about what to do or something doesn’t feel right, be the student with the hand up. (Or Google on hand.)
Knowing what to do for what you need
Explore how you can reach the results you are looking for, such as stretching the shoulders, strengthening the core, etc. Once you start exploring Yoga poses from this perspective, you will always be able to build the right practice for yourself.
Go deeper: even if you know a pose as ‘stretch’ or ‘strengthen’ pose, most Yoga poses have both functions depending on how we perform them. Can you play around with this?
Starting out? Each time you learn a pose or a movement, (mentally) note what it does for your body. Later you can return to it when you need to achieve a particular result, for example ‘hamstring stretch’.
Not leaving the mind behind
Each Yoga pose has subtle effects on the mind and as you dive deeper into the study of Yoga poses and sequencing, you will be able to start creating a practice that work on your mind as well as on your body. Build this awareness pose by pose.
Starting out? Don’t forget to pause after each pose, close your eyes and just note where your mind is at.
2. Sequencing
Not knowing how to sequence poses together is another reason why many of us give up on Yoga self-practice. The basic knowledge of sequencing however, is really not that hard to learn.
A traditional and most used foundation for Yoga sequencing is the Sun Salutation. Learn the classical version - it is easy to add poses and create a beautiful Vinyasa sequence just with this knowledge. (Ask for our 10- step Sun Salutation course).
Already got Sun Salutations down? Learn more about Yoga pose categories and how to add poses from different categories into your Yoga practice.
3. Habits & Planning
Building habits is a big part of regular Yoga self-practice and it is also why having a Yoga self-practice is so valuable - you start mastering your body as well as your mind and it provides you with a great structure to which you can add other healthy habits.
4. Mindset
With the right mindset, working on the other 3 pillars becomes effortless. If you manage to build confidence, particularly the confidence that you can take your Yoga practice and health into your own hands, not only your Yoga but your whole life will start to blossom in ways you might not have even thought possible before.
Strengthen your Yoga Self-Practice:
Yoga Poses
✓ Start with what you know:
Learn more about the poses you already know (use, variations, explore mind+body applications)
Learn other poses in the same Yoga pose category
Sequencing
✓ Start with whichever Sun Salutation form you know and:
Use it as a warm up
Add poses to the form to create the practice you want
Learn about Yoga pose categories
Habits & Planning
✓ Keep checking in with yourself:
Have a plan!
Monitor and track your habits
Keep re-adjusting your daily Yoga plan to what’s going on in your life & in your body
Mindset
✓ Plan for mindset work the same way you do for physical practice:
Journal regularly or have a weekly check-in
Get a regular dose of inspiration for what you’re working on in your practice
Before you move on…
Take a few minute to think/write about the work you’ve done on the four pillars so far.
Pick one you’d like to work on the most, or one that you are excited to learn more about and think of some steps you can take to get there.
Myown.yoga Course
It is hard to get support with building and maintaining these 4 pillars.
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✓ Master habit building strategies
✓ Find a simple Yoga practice you can do anytime, anywhere
✓ Gain confidence in how to care for your body & mind