Dear beauties,

Today I wanted to write simply to you about starting a home practice. This comes up a lot with my students. They love the classes but they don’t know how to convert the yoga or meditation they do in class to a practice at home. Here are some simple ways to make that happen.

 

Create a space

We are all so busy every day. Sometimes we even pride ourselves on it. When somebody asks us how we are the first thing we say is busy. Busyness can be good – but if you don’t create a space for yourself then it’s not necessarily as productive as you might think.

So first of all, create a space. Whatever time of day is best for you – choose it. For some people that’s first thing in the morning before the rest of the house is up. For others it might be a quiet moment in the middle of the day, or the last moment before you go to bed. Wherever it is – find that space. Everybody has one.

Commit to that space

Most things worth doing take practice. Commit yourself to that space in your day. Tell everybody who might interrupt you – this is my time, for me. Note it down in your calendar as an appointment with yourself. Do whatever it takes to keep reminding yourself of your commitment. I use an app called Streaks as you can literally track your streak. It’s a great motivator for not breaking a streak when you have one!

 

Choose a pleasant spot

Make the physical space you to go attractive. If you like candles, have candles there. If you like colour or soft fabrics, place them there. Create a space which is always ready for you to go to – even if it just means a box that you open every time you wish to practice to get what you need from it. Make it a location you look forward to being in. But keep it simple. Don’t turn this into a thing that delays you from starting your practice. That’s just procrastination tactics. Call it what it is.

Sit

You’ve now chosen a time, you’ve told yourself, your calendar + your world about it. You’ve created a pleasant spot.

All you have to do now is sit. If you’ve never had any sort of sadhana (daily practice before) then I would encourage you to start simple. Make your daily practice for now just 3 long deep breaths. Completely full and empty the belly as you inhale + exhale through your nose.

 

Commit to that until you feel ready to add something more in. If that doesn’t come for some time, that’s find. Just commit to 3 long deep breaths. If it does – why not start with one of my free meditations? They are 11 minutes long – but you could try one for 3 minutes first and gradually build up. If you’re ready to add in some yoga then try sat kriya. This is one of the foundational poses in kundalini yoga, you can do it by itself and it’s very powerful.

I hope you enjoy your 3 long, deep breaths. Let me know how you get on!

Love + Light,

Raeeka

xo