They say the hardest part of yoga is making it to the mat. That may be the case when it involves changing clothes, driving, parking, and paying for a class, but not when your mat is on your living room floor. If one of your resolutions is to take better care of your body or your mind, then I’d suggest trying a home yoga practice. I still go to a studio when I want guidance on trickier poses or I want someone to really push me, but for my nightly wind down or a quick, energizing morning stretch I love watching YouTube and then getting on with my day. It’s cheaper than going to a class, and chances are you have most of the tools you need already. Here are a few of my picks for creating your own at-home yoga space, and dupes that you probably already own.
Space for a mat – This is really the only requirement of a home practice. I live in a studio apartment and I roll out my mat in front of my TV, next to my coffee table. You could also do it next to your bed if you need to shut your door for quiet or privacy, and there are actually plenty of videos that you can follow along with in bed! It doesn’t get any easier than that.
Incense – One of the first things you may notice when walking into a yoga studio is the fragrance, which is oftentimes burning incense. I like lighting it at home because it feels like a bit of a ritual choosing an incense for my mood and lighting it, plus I don’t have to worry about having to blow it out if I fall asleep in savasana (which happens a lot). You can DIY a clay incense holder, or you can easily fill a bowl with sand or pebbles and stick your incense in that.
Chromecast – If your TV doesn’t have internet or if you find it hard to type into a search bar using your TV’s remote, then you can use a Chromecast to stream from your phone or laptop. They’re relatively cheap and super easy to use. An alternative is to set up your phone or laptop at the top of your mat and play a YouTube video there. If you’re more confident than me, you can ditch the video altogether and follow your own flow.
Bolster, blocks, eye pillow & blanket – Before you rush out and purchase any of these, I’d say wait and see if this home practice is really something you’re going to be doing consistently. These are all nice-to-have items, but chances are you have a dupe in your home already. For a bolster, you can pile a couple of pillows on top of each other or roll up a blanket or towel. Stacked books work as yoga blocks, and a scarf can be used in place of an eye pillow to block out light and put slight pressure on the eyes. You don’t have to have a Mexican falsa blanket, I use a throw that I already have.
Basket – I try to put everything that I use away, even if I’m going to get them all out again the next morning. I see it as similar to making the bed, and it only takes a minute! I repurposed an old basket as my station, and I actually really like the way the rolled blanket and mat looked tucked into it next to my TV.
Do you practice yoga at home? If you do, I’d love to hear what you do to set the mood!
*Sources: Inspiration photo Good Vibes Yoga via The Design Files, exhale print Printabold, lavender eye pillow OhHelloHenry, Chromecast Google, ecoYoga mat Yogamatters, DIY incense holder Curbly, matchsticks HarvestPaperCo, Mexican falsa SonoranSupplyCo, yoga blocks Kurma, wire basket Target, bolster Yogamatters
