In today’s fast-paced way of life, you sometimes need a pause to bring your body, breath, and mind together. Perhaps that is why yoga and meditation are two activities that have been gaining popularity around the globe due to their benefits on the physical and mental health of the human body.
Yoga, a spiritual and physical journey into oneself, is a tremendous form of exercise that has been practised for centuries. It builds strength, both physical and mental, and helps with daily struggles such as anxiety, irritability, relieving muscle tension, and is a recommended form of exercise from any reputable healthcare organisation. However, a vital aspect of a successful yoga journey is a relaxing, safe, and loving environment, one that will allow a student to feel completely at ease when focusing on their metaphysical journey.
Currently, this is the biggest hurdle of completing yoga successfully at home. You may notice that your online yoga class does not hold the same magic that your dojo in the gym does. Cluttered mess around the room, everyday items like your office desk, dressing table, and TV takes away from the clean, minimalist approach yoga usually holds, making it much harder to escape your current climate mentally. Since your living room is also your yoga studio, it’s essential to pay attention to little things you can change to upgrade your at-home yoga sessions. Let’s draw attention to five ways on how to bring your yoga practice to the next level.
Turn On A Relaxing Playlist
Depending on what type of yoga you are practising, music can help you to find your inner stillness and get into a physical and mental flow. Try to create some ambience with background music that can deepen, motivate, and guide your yoga session. For instance, the more athletic Vinyasa yoga type should be accompanied by something more dynamic and upbeat than static Hatha that requires a less proactive approach.
When it comes to finding the right music for yoga, there are many options available online or via streaming services like Spotify. As taste in music is very personal, take some time to look for playlists or set up your own playlist of music that inspires and moves you. However, if you find music too distracting during practice, try to focus on your breathing instead of on the background music.
Awaken Your Senses
Yoga is a practice not only for the body but also for the soul. It is no coincidence that it combines perfectly with the use of scents, which also help to achieve a balance of physical and spiritual. Fragrances not only create a unique atmosphere in the room where the classes are held but also help to concentrate, relax, relieve stress, and gain confidence.
First of all, aromatherapy affects the human nervous and endocrine systems, allowing a balanced regulation of the body. With the right selection of fragrances, human health gradually improves: synchronise various processes in the body, normalise the hormonal background, strengthen the nervous system, and so on. The main advantage of aromatherapy is an effective fight against stress – it is the main culprit of many diseases in the body. With the help of aromas, a person learns how to relax and cope with stress, and not to react to stressful situations too clearly. Of course, such an effect can not be achieved in a single session of aromatherapy, but if you do it permanently, the positive changes will not make you wait.
Create A Perfect Space
Practising yoga allows you to connect with your inner self, purify your body, and achieve awareness of your surroundings. An essential part of yoga is a complete focus and deep breathing, so it goes without saying that clean space plays a vital role in exercising yoga. When you are surrounded by the physical mess, you will be less motivated and more prone to distraction and procrastination.
Whether you are doing yoga in your living room, outside your house, or have a dedicated space, make sure it is quiet, free of clutter, and has a proper temperature to not interfere with your headspace. Also, try to decorate it with a few air-purifying plants, crystals, inspiring books, or any things that bring you peace and joy to create a place that inspires you to get on the mat and area where you want to spend time in.
Furthermore, colour therapy is important during a time of relaxation and mental focus; therefore, the room or whichever environment is being used for yoga should somehow reflect this. Understandably, it may be impossible to redecorate your bedroom into a zen space, but adding posters or tapestries with specific colours may help to bring out certain moods. For instance, colour schemes that incorporate red and blue are claimed to heighten feelings of empowerment, speaking your truth and finding a broader perspective. To complete your at-home yoga practise, consider investing in some props like foam blocks or a meditation cushion, good mat, a yoga strap to help you achieve correct yoga posture, and an eye pillow to help you get in savasana or reduce muscle and joint pain when heated up.
Use Different Sources
Since there are now countless online yoga studios, different YouTube videos, and books, you can not only practice by yourself outside of a yoga studio but also correct alignment issues and track your progress over time. Getting serious about your at-home yoga session means using various sources to make sure your practice is safe, healthy, and effective as possible.
Consider signing up for a virtual workshop or yoga class that provides guidance on a wide variety of yoga poses and supports you in deepening your practice. You can also try scheduling a Zoom class with your friends to hold yourself accountable.
Try Out CBD Products
If you are experimenting with something new, one of the great ways of improving at-home yoga sessions is to incorporate CBD. Cannabidiol (or CBD) is a chemical compound of the cannabis plant, known for its benefits in helping sleep, anxiety, depression, and alertness. Its natural abilities to help heal the mind combined with the techniques of traditional yoga help to make a powerful combination for self strength, and the two appear to be harmonious. CBD oil is a natural fit for a yoga class as it holds the ability to enhance your experience. CBD oil benefits include pain relief, relief from overthinking, and an increased mood; thus, the concentration required in a zen class can be more easily achieved.
While someone who is a stranger to CBD may be slightly apprehensive about trying it alongside their yoga due to the associations surrounding cannabis such as psychedelic effects, it is crucial to note CBD is not THC and therefore does not have any psychedelic effects, and there are other ways than smoking it to reap its benefits. Simply by consuming some CBD tea prior to starting your workout, inhaling CBD vape oil, applying CBD oil or salve to the body, or taking CBD shots in the morning can positively impact your experience. The harmonious relationship between hemp and yoga has been practised successfully for years to bring inner peace, and there is no reason for it not to be incorporated into our modern world.
Keep A Yoga Journal
Keeping a journal for your yoga practice is a great method to set and track your intentions and goals. Incorporating a few minutes before or after your yoga session to reflect can help to develop insight into your progress both on and off the yoga mat.
You can even snap a quick picture to see how far your practice has grown. This is an effective motivation that serves a solid indicator of where you started, giving you a chance to determine improvements and things you need to work on.