home made practice?

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picnic2day
picnic2day Posts: 63 Member
OK I'm getting to the end of my 30 days of yoga with Adrienne, and more and more she is leaving you to 'find what feels good' and do your own thing.

I'm very new to yoga and I'm at a loss what to do without anyone telling me :\

Just wondered, do you with more experience, follow a routine? Have a specific series of moves? Follow a video/DVD or 'find what feels good' and go with the flow?

I'm sure I'll find my groove eventually, still loving it and getting my mat out most days

<3

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  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,784 Member
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    I think the main thing to developing a home practice is to start with one pose. Even if you only do one pose, you have some home practice. That is key - to begin the habit.

    From the one pose you can:
    Try to figure out what is going wrong with that pose, try another pose that would help with that. For example, if your hamstrings are tight in dog pose, try a few forward bends and then try dog pose again - see what happens.
    Or work toward a "goal pose" - say dog pose was your goal pose - what kinds of things would help you do a better dog pose. This is similar to the above technique, but you might try a lot of things to help the one pose.

    Or you could work categories of poses: Day 1, Standing poses, Day 2 Backbends, etc. - don't forget to cool down afterward. Experiment how each class of poses effects your day and mental state.

    Or you could look for sequences on-line or in books. I just googled, "Iyengar yoga sequences". Looking at the "images" tab, there were a ton - all with pictures/diagrams to help you along (I do Iyengar yoga, so that's why I googled that - we are also very well trained in sequencing).

    I will have to disagree with the "do what feels good" advice. I don't think this is always wrong, but if you only do what feels good, you will never do the stuff your body needs. For example, I dislike ab work and I really like stretching my hamstrings - so if I did only what felt good, I would have overly loose hamstrings and weak abs. I think better advice would be "don't do what hurts" - if there is true pain (not stretching, not doms, not muscles working) - stop immediately. Try to figure out why there is pain. If you can't, find someone who can.

    I hope that helps. Feel free to message me. I'm always willing to talk about yoga. :D
  • SuperC_sa
    SuperC_sa Posts: 48 Member
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    I was actually doing my own practice with only a few classes and dvds thrown in before starting 30 days of yoga with Adriene. But decided to stick the challenge out to get deeper :)

    I usually write out the poses I want to do. Start off with a few sun salutations to warm up and then take a pose one by one. I have The Yoga Bible by Christina Brown and this is what she suggests:

    "Create a balanced routine by including an exercise from each of the following categories: a flowing practice that allows you develop awareness of breath, a standing posture, a side stretch, a forward bend, a backbend, a twist, abdominal strengthener, a balance, an inversion and final relaxation.'

    I have to agree with Yoginimary's advise on the do what feels good. Most of the poses I really hate have given me the best break through moments when I nail them :)
  • picnic2day
    picnic2day Posts: 63 Member
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    Thank you both for the advice.

    I guess it's down to having the confidence to go it alone. I like the idea of making a list first, then at least I can prepare and have some sort of sequence in mind.

    'don't do what hurts' excellent idea in all things I would think :D

    xx
  • Essencerose3
    Essencerose3 Posts: 9 Member
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    I'm the opposite. I found that although I like the classes offered on you tube by Adrienne, I tried my first "self guided" yoga session today (I'm on day 10 with Adrienne) and I finally nailed the downward dog -- not just in stance, but in mind. I felt my breathing line up with my movements and I had that "aha!" moment.

    When Adrienne says "do what feels good" in her videos, she is usually referring to finding a variation of the pose she is doing that works for you (at least that is how I've interpreted it so far). I am new to yoga, but from what I've done so far I think you should follow the cues your body gives you. You'll know when to challenge yourself and how in time. :)