Balance

As with everything else in my life, finding a balance between a home and studio practice is important.

You might think that as a yoga instructor, I would tell you to only come to practice at a studio; more students in the studio offer more teaching opportunities and therefore insure that I have a job.

However, because I am a yoga instructor, I have seen the benefits of having your own home practice as well as a studio practice.

Home Practice:
I love to practice at home. There are some days that I need to take it easy, or can't make it into the studio because life gets in the way. Don't think that just because you aren't in a studio performing some specific type of yoga, that your practice doesn't count. Anytime that you take time to sit and breathe is worth it. When I practice at home, I usually like to focus on things I didn't get around to practicing in the studio. For instance, I'll take a restorative practice, (never underestimate the power of lying around in a yoga pose), a yin practice, (the chinese form  of yoga that can be extremely intense while you lie around and wait for various muscle groups to open), or I'll work on poses I've seen in the Yoga Journal, that I've never had the opportunity to try in a class. 
I remember once earlier this year I was too afraid to let my feet touch the ground in plow (post on fear in yoga coming soon!). So in classes whenever we did plow, I let my feet hover fearfully over the ground, afraid to drop them too far. I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to breathe. So I decided to help myself overcome the fear and work on it at home. So one night, accompanied by my 2 dogs (who think anytime I get down on the floor is to pet them, and also like lying on my yoga mat), I began a home practice with a few Sun Salutations before venturing into a shoulder stand. Because I was afraid of what might happen if my toes touched the ground, I made my husband come watch and tell me when I was getting close.

I made it. It was in there all along, it just need a little extra coaxing and attention.

Studio Practice:

I love practicing at the studio. Especially Awakened Yoga. Maybe because this is where I work and has become a home away from home. Maybe because I know people here, and I can count on a community of people trying to achieve a similar goal. Maybe because during a certain point of my life, I found comfort in my yoga practice within these walls, that I never had before.

There is something nice about practicing at a studio, where you can leave all your cares and worries at the door, turn your brain off, move your body and breathe.

With a studio practice comes a sense of camaraderie. Being an extrovert, I generally like to be around people, and I enjoy the community that the studio has to offer. I like to hear other peoples stories and journeys, and gain wisdom from them.

I also learn from other teachers about how and what to teach. Every teacher has their own lessons to teach, and whether you are a yoga instructor or just a student, there is something to learn from every class.

So I encourage you to balance out your practice. Try something you haven't tried before. Push yourself to learn and grow. And remember to breathe.