How to Practice Yoga On Your Own Like a Pro

You’re not getting the full value of your yoga practice if you only practice in classes — whether those classes are live, in-person; live via the internet; or recorded. Because yoga was assimilated into gym culture early on, facilitating its transition to studios that sold a look and a “vibe,” we’ve spent little time encouraging class yogis and yoginis to really practice — practice on their own, in their own space, from their own body, breath, and memory. This is where yoga class moves from a led experience to a living experience.

You don’t have to have years of experience or teacher training behind you to practice on your own. A few principles can give you initial confidence that then grows as you meet yourself on the mat.

Personal Yoga Practice (PYP for short) is different than following videos at home, though it integrates well with this and other forms of learning from teachers, live or recorded or in books. In fact, this is the most powerful structure for practice — not going to class every day. PYP is actually the missing ingredient of most people's’ yoga practices.

Practicing on your own allows you to focus on poses that thrill or confound you — and I suggest you do a bit of each. The thrills will teach you and draw you along; the confounders will also teach you and yield even more profound insight in the…