Yoga at Home: Create Your Space

Designing a Special Area for Your Practice

Jun 11, 2008 Laura Susan Henry

Your personal practice at home should be a special time in your day; create an environment that will enhance your experience rather than distract from it.

Developing a personal yoga practice at home can be a rewarding experience of self discovery and exploration. Though the fact that a basic practice requires only some comfortable clothes and your mat is one of the most attractive aspects of yoga, creating a sacred space for yourself will enhance your enjoyment of your practice and encourage you to make it a regular part of your day.

Make an Exclusive Yoga Zone

If you have the room in your home, designate a specific area in which you only practice yoga. This will help you keep your mind focused entirely on your practice and minimize distractions. Items such as clothing, office equipment, art supplies, and clutter may cause your mind to drift to the things you feel you could or should be doing in that area such as cleaning, paperwork, and projects.

Be Sensitive to Your Senses

Harsh light, ambient noise, unpleasant smells, and uncomfortable surfaces can be distracting and disturbing. Try to limit these factors when choosing and designing your space. Consider using the following elements:

  • Use soft lamp lighting and/or candles. Avoid overhead lights or UV bulbs.
  • If the room has windows, use curtains to control the amount of light. Sometimes in your practice, you will want full sunlight. At others, such as during savasana, you’ll want the curtains closed.
  • Use incense, oils, or scented candles. Pleasant smells calm the mind and stimulate pleasure receptors in the brain.
  • Avoid cooking near your yoga space. Food smells, even lingering ones are distracting. Also, your sense of smell becomes more acute during yoga, meditation, and deep breathing exercises.
  • Decorate with plants. A few green friends in the room will help oxygenate the air and add a fresh and lively vibe.
  • Avoid using a room that is facing a street or busy area in or out of doors. You may also avoid sounds like trash trucks, the activities of family members, noisy pets, etc. by choosing a quiet time of day for your practice.
  • Play music, whatever kind of music you enjoy, whether it is chanting, classical music, or pop. Just try to choose something you enjoy that is melodic and rhythmic; avoid syncopated or complex music.
  • Comfortable carpeting, a well-finished wood floor, and throw pillows for relaxation poses and seated meditation will keep you at ease on the floor for a longer and more enjoyable practice.

Cleanliness and Godliness

A clutter-free and clean space is necessary for keeping a clutter-free mind for a strong practice. Cleanliness is also a reflection of your desire to honor yourself, your practice, and the universal energy of which you are a part.

It is also helpful to have images in the room that you consider sacred (e.g. statues, mandalas, pictures). Anything that centers your mind on divinity will guide your intention in both meditation and your practice of asana.

An enjoyable space aides in the experience of a joyful practice. Namaste!

The copyright of the article Yoga at Home: Create Your Space in Mind/Body Fitness is owned by Laura Susan Henry. Permission to republish Yoga at Home: Create Your Space in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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