Self practice
Experiment, play and grow
Self practice: cornerstone of your yoga practice
Here you can play and invent, experiment and discover, and put into practice what you learn in class. Maybe you want to practice at home, but it’s hard to find the motivation, space or equipment. And there is no one around to help you. We offer you the possibility to practice in our studio – you do your own thing, but with each other. You see teachers in the room, you can ask questions or work together. It’s a bit like practicing at the Iyengar Institute in Pune (but quieter – see photo).
Every Friday from 14.00-17.00. You can come when you want and go when you want. We appreciate it if you register via Momoyoga. Then you will also receive a link so that you can make a donation if you want to contribute to the studio.
Self practice: where to start?
How?
What do you do? For how long? And how do you know if you’re doing it right? These questions are asked a lot. And honestly, the questions are more important than the answers – it is precisely those questions that encourage you to find out how yoga can work for you. But of course you have to begin somewhere. Here are some starting points.
‘It’s better to do a little, a lot than to do a lot, a little’ – BKS Iyengar.
How long will it take?
It depends! The classes you take do not have to guide your own practice in terms of time or intensity. For example you can start with 15 or 20 minutes.
The duration of the poses can also vary; If you work for yourself without outside instructions, you may wonder how long you have to stay in the pose. In the beginning, you may be able to hold a pose for 30 or 45 seconds. Over time this becomes longer – and that also depends on what actions you are trying to bring into the pose. For beginners, or with new or difficult poses, it is better to repeat a pose more often than to hold it for a very long time.
Am I doing it right?
It is best to practice on an empty stomach. You should be able to keep breathing gently while practicing. If your breath stalls or gets heavy, get out of the pose.
You want to use the muscles you need, and relax where you don’t need muscle tension. For example, around your diaphragm, throat, jaws, tongue, lips and eyes. Keep your eyes open, especially in the beginning, and breathe through your nose.
you can just begin
Here are some starting points
You can start by doing what you remember from the classes. Or look in a book, search for pictures or videos on the internet, or click on the links below. Don’t worry too much in the beginning if you don’t know exactly if you’re doing it ‘right’. Eventually you will get a better understanding of what to do and when. Building a good sequence is a bit like cooking: you have to do it with the ingredients you can get, and the result depends on many factors.
For inspiration: a collection of sequences on our Pinterest board
Home Practice Sequences
These sequences were put together by the Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York, and they offer a great starting point for your own practice. First, you’ll see four Level 1 sequences with different themes and postures that you’ll be familiar with from the classes. Click on the image to enlarge it.
Then four more sequences for when you have more experience, focusing successively on standing postures, forward bends, back bends and restorative postures. The first three are 2 pages each.
