Starting a home practice. It might be something you have been wanting to do for awhile or a sudden inspiration. We all love going to a yoga class/studio, the ambiance, but practicing at home feels different.
SPACE
First step is to designate a spot/space in your home. It might be a space dedicated to your yoga practice or a spot that is multipurposed.
In an apartment I lived in once, I used an
7'x4' space between my bed and the furniture. After my practice I would put everything away so I could walk into the closet. Your space does not have to be huge but I do recommend a spot that is at least big enough to have for 2 mats to make a plus sign.
ENVIRONMENT/ATMOSPHERE
One way to bring the same tone as the yoga studio to your space is a 'yoga alter'. I had an instructor tell me to keep a candle and/or incense, my mala beads, a picture or object that inspires me, and a notebook. My table usually has a candle, incense, salt crystal light (gift from mother), reference books, notebook, mala beads, and a small wooden statue of a figure contemplating. It is not terribly important what you put on yours, it is more a way to invite the same atmosphere your feel when you are in a yoga studio into your home. Atmosphere sets the mood and helps cement your intensions when you step onto the mat. Tangible triggers to take you to that mentality. Other suggestion for your space is plants. I am fond of spider plants. They are extremally efficient at cleaning air and are low maintenance.
TIME
Schedule it into your day. Until something has become habitual, integrated into a part of your day like brushing your teeth, you are more likely to actually unroll your mat if you schedule it into your day. I would recommend it being the same time of day each day. It doesn't always have to be an asana practice. Same time of day but say on Wednesday you are just practicing pranayama. You are building a new habit. It will take time. Schedule a time- dedicate it to your practice. Just can't motivate yourself to do a 30-60 minute asana session, still go to your mat at your scheduled time. You could use the entire time in savasana (corpse pose) or just sit in easy seat breathing in the present moment. It is your practice. It is your time to care of yourself; fill your cup up so you can help fill others'.
My Space: a few people have asked about the floor. Living in apartments, I do not get to choose what floor it has and a lot of them are fully carpeted. I have found that jumping back/forward on a mat on carpet is difficult. The mat doesn't stay in place. I have tried a few different products but the floor in the photograph above is my favorite. It is 10'x4' laminated wood tiles. They snap together and were marketed for ballet dancers to practice pointe. It is a hard surface and my mat gripes to it perfectly. Before the tiles I used the foam squares that are propped up on the wall. The mat stuck to them but they were soft enough that I could not use a standard yoga mat and keep my balance. I switched to a VERY thin mat and the combination worked great (I now use them to block my knitting projects). I like having my mats and blocks off the ground and out of my dog's temptation to chew on. Most of the decorations are things that I repurposed from my old belly-dancing costumes. I don't perform anymore and they were just sitting in a box. Apart from the wall mounted mat holder, everything in this area are things that I already had. It was just putting things together to make my own space. The mask was a souvenir gift from a friend and the poster is a reminder of my first yoga instructor.
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