The Home Yoga Practice

Most of the yoga I practice is on the floor in my living room.   

I like going to my studio because it does provide me with new poses,  some good Yoga friends, hotter rooms and an exact time to go.  Additionally,  certain instructors (most don't) do at times make corrections to my poses  (one especially works on Triangle with me) which is a good thing.   There are some teachers who's  class I would never miss and these tend to be strenuous,  hot , flow type classes where Down Dog is your only break. 

The disincentives to going to the studio is that you really do not know what to expect sometimes  and to be honest,  I get a better more focused  "work out" when I practice at home.  This is  because I flow faster,  do more sun salutations than most classes and I  gear my practice toward what I need.    I really appreciate the physicality of a hard flow session and I am guaranteed to get that at home.

It is my opinion that you need a home practice  in Yoga.   A studio based practice means that when you do not have the time to go to the studio or are  traveling , on vacation etc., you do not practice Yoga.  If your are able to build either a primary or secondary home practice,  it allows you to continue this practice outside the confines of the studio.

There are a few ways to build a home practice.  There are many YouTube videos that range from 5 minutes to 2 hours that you can follow.  I have a number of these either linked or downloaded and there are 2 that I especially like.    I also have been able to build my "stock" Hatha flow and my "stock" Yin series.   Most of the time,  I will follow one of these (depending on the day).    The Hatha flow has as a core set of poses that I add to depending on how strong and flexible I feel that day.   In general a typical Hatha flow should have some primary components

Stretch of Shoulders, Lower Back,  Hamstrings
Core (Bicycles,  Leg Raises)
Warm Up  (Sun Salutation A and B is the best way)
Standing Sequence  (Warrior I, II,  Reverse Warrior,  Triangle,  Side Angle etc.)  - add Chaturanga between sides.
Balance  (Tree,  Warrior III,   Half Moon)
Seated Forward Fold  (Dhandasana)
Inversion   (Shoulder Stand,  Head Stand, Plow)
Back Bend  (Bridge,  Bow)  
Hip Stretcher (Pigeon)  - Hold at least 1 minute
Twist
Savasana

The flow above can be done in about an hour if you hold most poses for 30 seconds  (5 - 10 breaths)

The best thing that I like about my home practice is that while on the floor,  I can toss a ball to my dog.

Namaste.