At Home Retreat: Setup Yoga Space

Transcript

hello this is Emily welcoming you to your up home yoga retreat thank you so much for tuning in and also for making that really difficult decision to take time for yourself create a space in your home that feels comforting and grounding and inviting yourself to take more me time I know firsthand but it's hard to start home practice and in fact I spent years avoiding it because I felt like I didn't have enough time or the right stuff in my space you know the right props that kind of thing so in this tutorial video on how to set up your yoga space at home I also want to debunk the myth that you have to have the right stuff so as I go through what I have on hand I want to also offer some alternatives to what you might just find around your household that would work just as well so let's start with foundation first I think in the space probably the most important foundational element is that you can close a door or draw some curtains making sure that you signal to the world you know everyone you share your household with even the animals and also signal to yourself that when you draw the curtains or you close the door this is your time so with that create a little nook find a little space when I cleared out a recliner from mine you can move some furniture around and then once you have the physical space you can start adding some comforting elements to it I love the Marie Kondo method of does this spark joy bring in items that spark joy leave out items that stimulate distraction especially technology along with the foundation I also just brought in some extra comforting items from around my house so I'm seated on a blanket I laid down an extra blanket to add cushion to the floor and to my yoga practice and then I also have the sheepskin faux rug that I got at IKEA that adds that element of luxury so again these are optional items a beach towel would work just as well as a base basic yoga mat or adding cushion to your knees for your yoga practice so consider that that blankets from around your house or beach towels would work great but if you do have some colorful fun items that bring you joy go ahead and build that as your foundation first next I have this altar space behind me again totally optional but I think this is a really nice place to bring in those little reminders of joy so I have two candles to remind me to relax I have flowers to remind me to appreciate the little things and then I have a couple of yoga books that I personally use for my yoga class planning but you might have some books of poetry or inspirational reads that you'd like to bring into your space and also use this as a reading nook at the base of my altar I have a meditation cushion another optional item a decorative pillow would work just as well so grab anything that has a few inches of height for your sit bones if you're gonna start a yoga meditation practice this I think would be a really powerful and supportive item to bring into your space next I have this organizing basket I think in my space I'm easily distracted if there's too much clutter so having an organizing basket or some kind of bin to keep all of your props in is really helpful I have my foam roller for sore muscles I have a couple of yoga blocks and a yoga strap so as I mentioned before you don't have to have all of the right stuff you don't have to have certified yoga blocks to get started I also brought in my what do you mean game my favorite as an alternative to a yoga block they're about the same size and shape so those will work just as well any kind of game or books that you have around your house go ahead and bring those into your space as an alternative to this Manduca yoga strap I brought in my boyfriend's tie so any kind of tie rope strap you have around your house will work as an alternative to you know a certified yoga strap that you could buy on Amazon lastly I have this lavender bliss mist when I spray my miss it just signals to my brain that lavender smell its me time I get to come into my personal milk and relax and rejuvenate so again just an optional item but a nice one to have so I hope this little tutorial shows you that you don't have to have all the right stuff you can use any alternatives from around your house if your gonna even do strength-building in this space you can grab soup cans instead of weights get creative and enjoy your space I'm so excited for you to have this nook in your home that invites relaxation that invites stillness and me time so I'd love for you to take me on social media once you're all set up I can't wait to see your space and I really hope you enjoy it thanks so much for joining me today I'll see you next time