How To Start A Yoga Practice

Last Updated on July 22, 2026 by Matthew Sockolov

Doing yoga at home is a great way to keep in the swing of things between classes and can help take the stress and anxiety out of your day whilst calming your mind. There’s a lot of ways you can approach a home practice so try not to get overwhelmed at first, and yoga is a great way to start a moving meditation practice. The key lies in establishing a routine that works around you and the level of yoga you’re aiming to maintain. Here’s some sound advice for anyone looking to start their own practice at home:

Stay Motivated

There are lots of great reasons to practice at home, and it never hurts to keep these in the front of your mind to keep yourself motivated. Doing yoga at home will get your attention up as you focus on the yoga’s effects on your body where you may not have done so before in a class. Recognizing how you feel going into the practice will also help you get an idea of the yoga routine you can do that will best compliment your physical, mental and emotional needs at the time. You can do as much or as little as you like, so if you feel like indulging in a two-hour routine, go for it! You’ll start to notice you keep the gains between classes for a much longer time, and home and class practices will grow to complement each other over time. Pretty great for something you can do for free without leaving the house, right?

Building The Right Practice For You

It’s crucial to build any home practice around a solid foundation that covers some fundamental precepts. Start every routine from a comfortable seated position. Take some time to sense yourself in stillness and quiet, then you can judge how best to move forward. Next, pick a direction: If you don’t have much time or energy, pick a short practice geared at restoring yourself. If you’re chomping at the bit, go for something more vigorous. In re-energizing, include backbends, or try standing poses for generating stability. The more you practice caters to your immediate demands the more benefits it’ll nurture in the long run. Give yourself a simple goal to aim for, or work a specific part of the body. Focus can help create stability. Don’t forget to pick poses that you best enjoy. There’s nothing wrong with a challenge, but a home practice shouldn’t feel like a struggle. Start with a few poses that make you feel great so you’ll be motivated going into your session. Try moving the body in all directions as well, so you get the feel of a complete, well-rounded practice.

Practicing: When And Where

Taking time out of your schedule can sometimes seem like an obstacle to maintaining a home practice, but you can’t be worried about devoting your time to it. Once you’ve it you can return to your responsibilities re-energized with more focus than ever. Set aside an area in your house that you can psychologically ground your practice is to serve as a physical expression of your inner development. I personally recommend trying a period of yoga before meditation to help cement the habit.

How To Stay Dedicated

Feeling particularly tired on a given day, or maybe feeling too lethargic for even a simple routine? Get creative. At its core, yoga is based on observing your actions and reactions. But the form that takes is up to you. This philosophy can be applied to life away from the mat. Study your form when standing in a queue. Or set yourself to do a household chore with complete absorption. Try out breathing exercises or light meditations while you’re on the train to work or lying in bed. The only limits are the ones you set for yourself. As long as you bring some patience and commitment to the table you can’t go far wrong. Use the seclusion to your advantage as well. Doing yoga alone can give you the confidence to experiment with those moves and poses that you might have been embarrassed to attempt in class. Your own progress and come to seem more organic and less mechanical than the routines you’re obliged to complete in group sessions.

These are some ideas that we hope will get you started on a long and fruitful journey into home practice. You’ll start seeing the benefits immediately and the potential for development is exponential. Soon you won’t want to go a day without. Remember, yoga can improve all aspects of how you live and move through your day, so take the time to invest in yourself then reap the rewards.

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