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Developing a Home Practice: Preparation

Attitude And Approach

Having a welcoming corner calling out to you will make it that much easier to get started. And that’s often all it really takes, I find. It’s a lot less intimidating to focus your motivational energies on getting yourself to your mat and taking it from there. Having the weight of obligation over your head (“oh I have to practice, have to do shoulder stand and head stand, have to do standing poses, have to get in at least half an hour”) is a recipe for resistance. When I need to get kick started, all I think about is getting to the mat and how much better I always feel once I’ve done my practice for the day.

• Bear in mind that you are doing something good for yourself.

• Practice with a friend to make it more enjoyable.

• Use a journal to help motivate yourself. Write down what poses you’ve done and any insights you might have about your practice that day. I’ve kept a practice journal in one way or another for a number of years. I rarely refer back to it, except sometimes to come up with ideas for teaching, but the act of writing down what I am going to do, or what I am doing while I’m practicing, or what I’ve done after, somehow is very grounding. The fact that I have this book sitting on my props that somehow represents what I’ve been working on is very comforting. In some ways it’s a little shallow and materialistic of me. The true record of my practice is my own body, my mind and soul. The external reminder does, however, help.