Create Your Own Yoga Shala at Home

When I first set out to write this article it was because I was traveling often and realized that there were some essentials I couldn’t live without for my own personal practice. Little did I know what the future held and how soon the entire world would slow down, travel would be a thing of the past and the need for a personal practice space would be more real than ever.

Before we begin, let me dissolve a couple of misconceptions about practicing yoga at home. First, forget what I said because you don’t actually need anything to practice yoga at home. As long as you’re still breathing and your heart is still beating - you can practice yoga. However, the deeper you go into your practice the more awareness you will gain, you will begin to see that with the help of a few simple things you could take your practice to the next level and reap the benefits of doing so.

That brings me to my second point, which is safety. Practicing yoga at home has heaps of benefits from allowing you to spend quality time by yourself, forcing you to go inwards, being able to slow down, and learn more about your body but above all else has to be your safety. Don’t try to push yourself into positions you’re not comfortable in, make sure to take the time to educate and inform yourself on the modifications and variations and after you do so - practice to your heart's desire!

Below you’ll find a list of things that lie in my little yoga corner as I write this and I hope they become your helpers throughout this time too.

1. Yoga Mat

Lets, of course, begin with the heart and soul of the yoga practice. The Yoga Mat is not just a rug you throw on the floor for the aesthetic as it goes a long way in providing a soft cushion for your knees in positions like anjaneyasana and thus has to be comfortable, low slip and bonus points if its made from non-toxic and recyclable materials (anything that has those two factors gets bonus points in my eyes)

The mat I use is from our school InDepth Yoga Academy Unalome Mat but any high-quality mat will do.

2. Yoga Blocks

Yoga blocks will allow you to modify positions in order to experience them most beneficially. For example - the problems I have been experiencing with my balance have made half-moon pose impossible for me to hold for longer than 5 seconds in which time it is impossible for my body to feel anything. Using a yoga block under my hand has allowed me to stay in the pose for much longer.

I personally prefer cork blocks as they, in addition to being useful also look very pretty!

3. Straps

Oh, straps, what would I do without them? Can't reach your toes in paschimottanasana? Want to add an additional stretch to your dancer pose? Straps to the rescue.

This seemingly insignificant little rope truly allows you to elevate your practice to a whole new level.

4. Bolsters

The style of yoga I most gravitate to is yin yoga but bolsters come in handy in all different yoga styles. They are usually filled with some kind of organic material making them a bit heavier than your usual couch cushion which allows you to use it to weigh yourself down during some twists in addition to just helping you with any kind of recovery practice when instead of straining in a pose you simply let your body relax by itself and settle comfortably in a stretch.

Those are the very essentials that I always look for whenever I go anywhere and hope this post was useful for you in deciding how to set up your own. For some more information check out this video by Nathalie when she goes a little bit more in-depth the different things I mentioned and mentioned some of her own.