Teacher Says...

By Lishan -

Recently someone asked me, what’s the greatest challenge for me in my practice? Well, arm balances are still a work-in-progress for me, as are inversions without the security of the wall or a buddy to spot and assist me. But in all honesty, the greatest challenge has been, for me, establishing a home practice. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we should all just practice at home and forget about attending yoga class – I do feel attending class is an important part of my practice, as it is where I get to learn from other teachers and fellow students, and experience the camaraderie of being part of a yoga kula (community), sharing knowledge and a common interest.

Why, then, should one bother with a home practice? I think of it as time out for myself, BY myself – I set the goals and the parameters. I make the choices – I create my own sequences and experiment with what feels right. I can take my own time to discover new ways of getting into asanas, and, best of all, I get to fall flat on my face (or my butt) without embarrassment! Practicing in the absence of mirrors is very valuable as well – it is an exercise in body-awareness, where I’ve learnt to “feel” my alignment through my own muscles and bones, rather than relying on something external for alignment cues. Most of all, the home practice is empowering – it lets me know that I can be strong and effective in my yoga on my own.

Therein lies the greatest challenge too – without the environment of a class, in the absence of a teacher to guide, and fellow students to share the energy, it can be so hard to be disciplined enough to get down to the practice. After the 4th sun salutation, I might suddenly feel the urge to check my email, see what’s on TV, or my phone’s message alert might beep. I’m in my 3rd lunge, and suddenly I feel the urge to go raid my snack stash. There was even a period when I simply had too much junk on my floor and did not have space to lay my mat out for weeks!

Here’s what I’ve found works for me – the home practice is first about clearing out the excuses – whether or not it is for the purpose of laying your mat down, clearing junk out and putting your things away in their rightful places will ALWAYS feel good. Secondly, put the phone on “silent” for an hour – it’s just one hour of your life! Thirdly, invest in a solid, sticky mat. Your mat sets the foundation for YOUR foundation, so get a mat you will love to roll out and get your hands and feet on. Finally – it is ALL about the music! Yoga is movement, and music motivates, literally lubricates, movement. Make a playlist you enjoy, and flow to it. The louder you crank up the volume, the better! The only reason I play only yoga-inspired music when I’m teaching, is because I know music is something very subjective, and not everyone will be able to focus on their practice with the kind of music I listen to in my own practice! The theme of my home practice is Liquid Metal and Molten Rock –I flow best and most unceasingly when I have classic rock and heavy metal on. If, like me, you are a rock/metal fan, do let me know! Perhaps we could set up an AC/DC, Led Zep or Iron Maiden themed class!

If you don’t have a home practice, one way to start is to simply do some simple warm-ups (a few sets of sun salutations, for example), and then just play around – experiment with getting into postures that you’ve always found challenging, and surprise yourself when you get closer to perfecting that difficult asana. Even if you tend to solely practice Hot26 and have no idea what a sun salutation is, you can still go through the Hot26 sequence in your home practice (starting with Half Moon, and moving onto Chair, Eagle, etc.). Put your favourite tunes on. Laugh at and with yourself if you fall over. Most importantly, even though the home practice is an act of self-discipline, dolet loose and just have fun! Nobody’s watching, so this is when you can truly be yourself in your practice.