Introducing our guest blogger, John Nield - Home Practice 101

Home practice can be daunting (sometimes). What to do?

General vs Specific Practice

Let's break it down into two categories: general and specific.


General is a bit of everything: forward bends, back bends, side bends, standing poses, one leg balances, arm balances, hip and shoulder openers.

Specific is say when you want to work on your back bends because they are your weakest category of Asana (and you should be specifically practicing your weakest areas).

When to Practice Specifically

Yoga classes tend to be general. So if you are hitting the mat in class a couple of times per week, then you've got this covered. Supplement this general practice with specific home practice in your weakest area(s).

Create an A4 page of 10 stick figures targeting your weakest areas. Make sure to work upwards in difficulty. 

Practice the poses a couple of times each, going deeper each time. Remember, you are trying to gain in strength and flexibility or to balance better, so repetition is key.

When to Practice Generally

If you aren't getting to class enough, then you need to run through a general practice at home.

Bang out some Suri A, B and C. Add in some standing and balancing poses, and finish with some back and front bends. 

30 - 45 mins and you are done and dusted. No biggie. Keep it simple. Maybe write it down to keep you honest and on track.

Always Finish Hungry for More

When I boxed, the trainer would always finish us off when we were still hungry for more training. This kept the training interesting and us coming back. Same with a home yoga practice. 

Keep it tight and practice generally or specifically depending on your class attendance.

About John - John is (in his own words) a redneck yogi wannabe try hard. 
You can check out his blog here 'How To Be Your Own Yoga Messiah'

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