Your Yoga Practice

How often do you practice yoga? What time of day do you practice? And for how long do you practice?

I usually practice in the mornings from anywhere between 10 minutes and 1 hour. The morning is the best time for me because I'm not as distracted with all that I have to do (maybe that's because I'm half-asleep!) Currently, I only practice a few times a week, but my aim is to practice every day.

The hardest part for me is getting my cat off my mat! She constantly wants to play and scratch it, or sit on my lap. When I do a push-up into downward facing dog, she climbs on my back and rides all the way up! :)

Well, it's certainly a good practice of being 'in the moment.'

Currently, I'm "out of practice" -- I have all kinds of reasons (read, excuses) why I'm not doing more yoga more regularly, but a large part of it is that I'm a social person who does better with the structure of regular classes -- and I'm in a small town that doesn't have them.

I do try to keep a certain amount of general awareness of things like posture, stretching, etc., but mostly these days my at-home practice tends towards the remedial -- like when I have a cold or a headache, I'll do a bit of yoga to ease the discomfort. When I do practice, I like mornings, too; I usually find that once I get started, it's easy to keep going. It's just getting on the mat in the first place...

Pets certainly are fascinated by yoga, aren't they? :)

As for cats and yoga, see my profile photo. :)

I'm off the wagon also. I was hoping to resume classes at my Iyengar studio after the New Year, but that's not going to be feasible quite yet.

For almost ten years I have done yoga primarily in the evenings, infrequently, and following along with a couple of DVDs I own.

But in the last two weeks I have moved to doing a half hour of yoga every morning before I go to work (in my living room). I am experimenting with different poses and sequences, but have already seen major benefits that stay with me the whole day.

I recently saw a quote that struck me as very true: "You create your practice, and your practice creates you."

Hello all...I practice Bikram yoga. So...that's 26 postures, 90 minutes in about 105 degree heat. It's a wonderful meditation/workout/detox and I practice daily.

The peace yoga brings to mind life is beyond words...how wonderful to share this love for yoga through books and reading. Namaste, Dana

I go to a studio 1-2 times a week. The right-after-work classes seem to fit my schedule best; I'm not a morning person! My practice overall seems to cycle with the year; I find it a great pick-me-up in the dark winters but shift my activities outdoors when the sun comes out.

I would love to add a routine home practice instead of always racing to the studio in traffic(isn't that counterproductive?), but things seem to flow better for me with an instructor around. Any ideas for creating a beginning home practice?

I do yoga 3 to 5 times a week for 1 to 2 hours. Then throughout the day i find myself practicing breathing, clearing my mind and hitting a pose or stretch. I usually practice in the morning after i wake up, but if the day is bad and i missed the morning session I do it in the evening. I practice Kundalini yoga. Love it.

Hi, I also do mostly Kundalini yoga although I do other Hatha. vinyassa, power, viniyoga, and restorative. I really want to find a viniyoga class because they haven't made any DVDs and I love this form of yoga.

I mostly practice when I get home from work or before bed. I wish I could get up early but it hasn't ever happened. My dogs drive me NUTS as well. As soon as I get out the mat they are all over the place.

Evil Twin you should check out the book Yoga : the spirit and practice of moving into stillness it is really a good one and he talks a lot about creating a personal practice. I also am really loving Yoga for wellness : healing with the timeless teachings of Viniyoga it has been really eye opening. He talks a lot about creating sequences for what you need to manifest in your life, weather you want a physical, mental or spiritual practice and how to work with different illnesses and problems.

Also, I use a lot of videos. The website videofitness.com has lots of wonderful reviews and breakdowns of every yoga tape known to man. Also, YogaToday offers free downloads every day. These classes are fantastic and they are structured really well.

Hi. I'm new.

I practice vinyasa. I'm terrible at home practice, and don't really have a space for it anyway, and so I aim for at least twice a week at my studio - afternoons and evenings, I don't like morning practice.

My goal for the summer is to faithfully practice three times a week. I also work/study at my studio and the two hours a week I spend working there is *almost* as centering and calming as class!

Hi all,
I am delighted to have found this group, as I am integrating yoga into my life more and more these days. I "accidentally" found yoga when a member of my women's group led a hatha yoga class for the rest of us. It literally changed my outlook, my sense of self, my life. Now I practice in her studio weekly, and occassionally in morning before work (especially if it is raining, so I can't do my usual cardio/walk). Each Saturday, my husband asks if I am going to youga. My typical response is "Am I alive? Then I am going!" I feel like an evangelical as I sing yoga's praises to nearly everyone I know.

I look forward to sharing book recommendations. For now, I recommend a memoir about mind/body connection called Waking- A memoir of trauma and transcendance by Matthew Sanford. It tells his story of becoming a paraplegic at age 13, and his eventual journey to yoga and a healthy mind/body relationship.

Namaste...
Laura

I currently don't have a consistent Hatha practice going, although I do practice the more spiritual branches, ie, meditation, etc. I am actually kind of curious to know how many here practice yoga solely as a physical exercise, or if there is anyone else that practices the spiritual aspects of it (especially since traditionally Hatha is inseperable from spirituality. There are prayers that are associated with each posture, and it is practiced as a sort of meditation in motion.)

I practice at a studio. Occasionally I'll do a video. If I'm traveling I'll practice by myself sometimes, but I never work as hard on my own. The frequency of my practice varies with what's going on in my life. When will I learn that yoga makes life better and should be done consistently? Sometimes I'll only make it once a week, sometimes I go as much as four times. I love the studio I belong to and can't imagine doing yoga in a gym or a storefront. I do Hatha, Vinyasa but that's because that's what goes on at the studio. I'm happy with those but am open to trying other ways. I've tried Kundalini and liked it. Whatever it is, it has to be active as I don't do any other sort of regular exercise (and don't want to). I do it after work and on weekends. I'm not crazy about morning practice besides a few stretches. I find myself correcting my posture while walking and attending my breath. I can see yoga's influence on the way I get up from a chair or pick up objects from the floor. I'll do a down dog or forward bend in my office with the door closed, especially if I'm feeling tense. I do calming and cleansing breaths throughout the day.

Child of Light, the physical and spiritual aspects are almost inseparable for me. Sometimes it's the only space where I'm completely still and quiet (besides bed). I feel that yoga makes me stronger inside and out.

Lcwilson, I know what you mean about feeling like an evangelical. When people at work complain about their backs or weight or general unhappiness, I always invite them to yoga. They usually refuse. Sometimes it seems like people are afraid. I think the biggest fear I come across is that of being judged in a room full of people. In the western world it's hard for people to imagine a nonjudgmental, noncompetitive exercise environment. (I'm sure we've all been traumatized, at least a little, at gyms.)

Jeez, I've rambled on.... Namaste-

>13 citygirl: Sometimes it seems like people are afraid. I think the biggest fear I come across is that of being judged in a room full of people. In the western world it's hard for people to imagine a nonjudgmental, noncompetitive exercise environment.

I think there's also still a pervasive idea that yoga is weird and that you have to get into all these contortionist positions. Although, it has certainly gained a lot of popularity and understanding from when I started doing it 30-some years ago.