Want to develop a yoga practice at home? Don’t be put off by thinking that you need a lot of expensive yoga equipment. That’s not necessary. You already have everything that you need. Put together a few items, and you’re ready.

You can practice in the early morning, or if you’re too busy, claim 20 minutes for your practice when you come home, or before bed.

Let’s look at what you need.

1. A Yoga Mat: Useful, but Not Essential

A yoga mat is useful, but it’s not essential.

If you have carpeted floors, just put down a towel, and use that for your practice.

If you have wooden floors, you can use a small rug, or a folded blanket for sitting and prone poses. For standing poses, the floor is fine — but ensure you have bare feet: socks can cause your feet to slip.

Eventually, you can invest in an eco-friendly yoga mat. Be wary of buying mats which contain polyurethane — they can give off fumes.

2. Yoga Blocks to Help You to Achieve Poses

If you’re new to yoga, you’ll need yoga blocks to help you to become more comfortable in some poses. Although you can buy wooden or foam rubber blocks, you can find household items to use.

For example, you can use cushions, or even books to use instead of blocks. Just have a look around your home to find objects which are the right size.

3. A Blanket for Meditation: Stay Warm

There’s no need to buy a special yoga blanket, any small blanket can be substituted.

4. Yoga Clothes: Choose Items from Your Wardrobe

Yoga clothes are very useful because they’re tight-fitting without being constricting. This enables you to get into yoga poses without your clothes getting in the way.

However, you can find items from your own wardrobe which you can wear during your practice. Leggings and a pair of shorts, and a T-shirt, make a simple but effective yoga outfit.

Want to develop your own home yoga practice? If you don’t have time to attend classes, a home yoga practice is the perfect solution — Yoga Tutor has everything you need.

Are you expecting a baby? Prenatal yoga can help your baby’s health as well as your own. Start your yoga practice today, or add specific exercises which will help you throughout your pregnancy and help you with the birth as well.

1. Look for Prenatal Yoga Classes in Your Area

Your first step should be to look for prenatal yoga classes in a location that’s close to you.

Perhaps your own yoga studio offers classes, if not ask your yoga instructor whether she knows of any classes in your area. Some yoga practitioners who offer prenatal classes don’t promote themselves as effectively as they might do, so you might be surprised how many classes there are in your area.

2. Practice Alone With a Book or DVD

If you live in a rural area or in a small town, there may be no classes available to you.

You can certainly practice yoga or with the aid of a book or a DVD. In the early stages of your pregnancy, any beginners yoga class on DVD will be fine. As your pregnancy progresses, look for a DVD which focuses specifically on prenatal yoga.

If you’re practicing alone, tell your doctor what you’re doing. Make sure that he’s okay with you practicing yoga during your pregnancy. If you’ve had health issues like spotting, you shouldn’t be practicing yoga alone, you need a qualified prenatal yoga practitioner.

3. Do a Complete Workout Once a Week

Everyone’s busy, so you may find that you can’t fit in a complete workout more than once or twice a week. That’s fine. Do a little yoga every day — even if it’s only a single pose. You can do a complete workout once a week, perhaps on the weekend when you have more time to devote to yourself.

4. Do Yoga Exercises to Help the Baby’s Birth

Yoga shines because it makes you aware of your body, so that you’re not frightened by it. It’s natural to be a little scared of the birth. This is fine, everyone is. With yoga you have a powerful tool which will help you during the birth because you’ll be comfortable with your body.

Your prenatal yoga classes will offer you specific exercises which will help you to prepare for the baby’s birth. When you’re practicing at home, focus on those particular exercises as the birth draws near. They really do help.

Want to get pregnant? Yoga can help.

Enrich your life with yoga today

Read Yoga for the New You and discover everything you need to create a yoga practice right in your own home. Transform your life with yoga.

[tags]yoga, prenatal yoga, yoga, yoga classes, beginners yoga [/tags]

Looking for an instant energy boost? Yoga can help. Yoga can smooth out your moods, energizing you when you’re tired, and relaxing you when you’re stressed. Make time for yoga during your busy day: you can even do yoga at work — just close your office door.

Here are four poses which will give you an instant energy boost.

1. Mountain Pose

When you’re standing in mountain pose, you’re focusing on your body’s alignment and on your breathing. Your everyday concerns drop away and within a couple of moments you’re relaxed and focused.

Practice mountain pose for a minute or two every hour when you have a busy day. You’ll be amazed at how this very simple pose revitalizes your mind and body: it gives you an instant shot of energy and helps you see everything more clearly.

2. Forward Bend

There are several popular forward bend poses which you can do. All of them help to relieve stress. Just pick your favorite forward bend pose, and maintain the pose for at least five slow breaths. Inhale deeply before you come up, this helps to prevent dizziness.

You can create a sequence with forward bends. After standing in mountain pose for five breaths, bend your body from your hips with a straight back and maintain the forward bend pose for five breaths. Then come back up into mountain pose.

After this sequence, you’ll find that you’re totally relaxed, and energized too.

3. Downward Facing Dog

Dogs know how to stretch. If you’ve ever watched a dog waking up, the first thing he does is downward facing dog pose. This pose stretches his muscles and gets his entire body ready for action.

As with all the forward bending poses, this pose gives you a new perspective.

From mountain pose, get down on your hands and knees, and then go into downward facing dog pose. Maintain the pose for five breaths, lifting your hips towards the ceiling.

Then walk your feet forward until they’re between your hands, and get up into mountain pose again.

4. Cobra

Cobra pose stretches out your back and is a great corrective if you’ve been sitting in an office chair for several hours.

Just maintain the pose for five breaths, and come out of the pose into downward facing dog, and from there walk your feet forward and come back up into mountain pose.

Try these four poses, they’ll give you an instant energy boost during your busy day. They’re especially useful when you come home from work, and then have to go out again. You’ll find afterward you get your second wind and you’re more relaxed too.

If you’ve been confining your yoga to weekly yoga classes, try these simple poses which help you to integrate yoga into your daily life.

Enrich your life with yoga today

Read Yoga for the New You and discover everything you need to create a yoga practice right in your own home. Transform your life with yoga.

[tags]yoga, yoga poses, yoga for energy, stress relief, beginners yoga, yoga benefits[/tags]