All of Yoga

25. Five steps to starting a self-led yoga practice

• Episode 25

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Now, if the idea of stepping onto the yoga mat without a teacher guiding you feels really daunting then you are not on your own, but it doesn't have to be daunting at all!


Self practice is such a powerful way to deepen your understanding of yoga, to cultivate a peaceful mindset and to fully connect to your yoga practice, and that's why today I'm sharing five simple steps to help you start your own self led yoga practice.


Plus, if you’re looking for guided support, I’ll be sharing details about our Mysore Style Ashtanga – A 4 Week Intro Course at Yoga Hero, designed to help you build a structured self-practice with expert guidance.


In this episode, you’ll learn:

✅ Why self-led yoga is so valuable for deepening your practice

✅ Five practical steps to start your own yoga journey at home

✅ How to listen to your body

✅ Why Mysore Style Ashtanga is the perfect way to build self-led confidence


Join us for Mysore Style Ashtanga – A 4 Week Intro Course at Yoga Hero! This course is designed to help you:

👉 Develop your own self-practice with guidance from Jess

👉 Understand the Mysore style approach to Ashtanga yoga

👉 Gain confidence in your sequencing and movement

Book your spot here 

Enjoy!

💻 Practice yoga online with Yoga Hero, just £9.99 per month here

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🤩 Become a yoga teacher with Yoga Hero here (we're in the Top Ten in the UK! 🙌 )

AOY 25 five steps to starting a self-led yoga practice

 [00:00:00] Today we're looking at something that can completely transform your yoga journey; starting your own self led yoga practice.

 

[00:01:00] Now, if the idea of stepping onto the yoga mat without a teacher guiding you feels really daunting then you are not on your own. But it doesn't have to be daunting at all. Self practice is such a powerful way to deepen your understanding of yoga, to cultivate a peaceful mindset and to fully connect to your yoga practice and so that's why today I'm sharing five simple steps to help you start your own self led yoga practice. Plus, if you'd love some extra support, at the end we'll tell you a bit more about our MySoreStyle Ashtanga four week course at Yoga Hero. which is designed to help you build a personal yoga practice with confidence.

So let's get [00:02:00] cracking.


Step one. Set your intention. and create a routine. One of the biggest challenges with self led yoga practice is actually getting on the mat consistently. Without the teacher there at a set time giving you cues, it's easy to put it off or to feel unsure of what to do next. So start with setting an intention.

Ask yourself right now, why do I want to practice on my own? Do you want to practice to feel stronger, to feel more relaxed, to cultivate discipline? Then choose a day and a time. Pick a realistic time in your day or in your week that you will stick to. Absolute top tip here for cultivating a new [00:03:00] habit, read the quite amazing book Atomic Habits by James Clear.

Honestly, it's an absolute game changer. Yeah.

And lastly, in terms of getting started with your self-led yoga practice. Keep it simple. Your practice doesn't have to be long, even 10 or 15 minutes makes a huge difference. Step two, create your yoga space. It doesn't have to be a dedicated space for practice, but having somewhere that you continue to practice will signal to your mind and body that this is your time for your yoga.

It doesn't need to be a big space and it might just be your mat rolled up in a corner and then you unroll it when you're ready

and you might even add some soft lighting or a candle or a meaningful object to set [00:04:00] the tone of your practice. 

And see if in your practice space you can keep distractions to a minimum so that you can fully focus on your yoga. The reality is the more inviting your yoga space feels, the easier it will be to step onto your mat consistently.

Step three, start with simple sequences. Yeah, a big challenge with a self led yoga practice is just quite simply not knowing what to do. So, okay, don't worry. You don't need to be creating like crazy, elaborate flows from day one. Although, if you would like to create your own elaborate flows, you might like to explore yoga teacher training with us.

But back to your practice. Start with what you know. Just moving through familiar poses like even cat [00:05:00] cow, downward dog and some warriors and lunges. Use a basic structure, making sure that you're nice and warm, then doing maybe some standing poses, and then bringing the practice down with seated poses and ending in Savasana.

Check out episode 18 here for a beautiful guided Savasana at the end of each of your practices.

Step four. Listen to your body, not your mind. Without a teacher in front of you, guiding you, it's really easy to start overthinking your practice, thinking, Am I doing this right? Should I be holding this pose for longer? Or have I held it for too long?

Instead, think about how the movement feels in your body. Prioritise moving in a way that feels intuitive, and nourishing, and like, Just what you need in that [00:06:00] moment.

Listening to your body is one of those things where when you're like, I don't know how to do that. It's really hard to know exactly what to do. So, here's a little bank of questions that you can ask yourself in a pose, or in a moment, or with each breath. How would I describe this sensation? If the sensation is Delightful, therapeutic, relaxing, and so on, then these are nice terms that indicate that all is well in the pose.

But if you would term the sensation like painful, hot, sharp, on the edge, these are indicating that all is not well in the pose. So how can you make what you're doing work better for you? Can you do something different, or maybe back off a little?

Ask yourself, can I go further? [00:07:00] And do I want to? Yoga is not no pain, no gain. We're not pushing ourselves just for the sake of pushing ourselves. However, if you do have a bit more strength that you can build in a pose, or a bit more space within a pose, there's no bad thing about moving into that.

So if you ask yourself in your head or out loud, can I go a bit further and do I want to? And the answer is yes, , then that is absolutely listening to your body. Ask yourself, is this creating tension somewhere?

If you are straining to be in a pose and to hold it, this is an indication that something could be tweaked to make the whole experience more beneficial to you. What is that less effort? Slightly less challenge. And lastly, ask yourself, Can I bring my focus to my breath? [00:08:00] If you can bring your focus to your breath, and make your breath as smooth and as steady as possible, then that is a great indicator that what you are doing is serving you.

So those four questions to help you listen to your body, not your mind. How would I describe this sensation? 

Can I go further and do I want to? 

Is this creating tension somewhere 

and can I bring my focus to my breath?

Step five, get support as you build confidence. Self practice, even though it has the word self in it, it doesn't mean having to do it alone. Having guidance, especially in the beginning, is so valuable and that's part of why we are [00:09:00] offering the Mysore Style Ashtanga four week course at Yoga Hero. In the course, you'll get individualised, personalised guidance from Jess to build your self practice.

You'll learn how to move listening to your body without relying on a teacher for each cue. You'll learn the ashtanga sequence so that you always have something to practice. And you can expect to build your confidence to keep going with your self led practice at home. All in all the course is absolutely perfect for anyone that's curious about self practice, whether you're new to Ashtanga or you just want to deepen your understanding of Mysore style yoga.

Get all the details and book your spot at the link in the show notes. 

And to recap, here are the five key steps to start your self led yoga practice. 

One, set your intention [00:10:00] and routine. 

Two, create your space. 

Three, start simple. 

Four, listen to your body. 

And five. Get support as you build confidence.

And that's it, Hero. I hope that's demystified how to get started with a self led yoga practice. And remember even 10, 15 minutes can make a world of difference. 

If today's episode inspired you, please do, do all of those wonderful things, rate it, review it, and send it to a friend. And if you're ready to start your self led yoga practice with Jess, don't forget to book your space on our Mysore style four week course, all of the details are in the show notes. 

And until next time, happy practicing. [00:11:00]