Hey there friends! Here are my pro tips for creating a home workout that will leave you energized, and attended to!
Here are the elements you should consider when practicing at your home on your mats.
Move in Every Direction - flexion of the body, like forward folds and extension, like swan and cobras on your belly. Side line like side planks, and gate. And last but, not least, Rotation like twists.
Use Your Breath - your breath will use those deep core muscles everyone so desires to keep healthy and to grow stronger. Breath also keeps us sane. Breath also nourishes our bodies. Breath also anchor us to our bodies, and the present moment. You made it to your mat, so soak up all you can when you're on for however long you are on it.
Keep it Simple - WARM UP, FULL BODY, LEGS, ARMS, CORE*, REST. For example start with Cat/Cows, move to Warriors/lunges/squat using your strong legs, your full breath, and arm variations, move to legs like a side lying sequence, then move to arm variation with light weights, move your core like foam roller sequence, or toe taps, etc, and omg, please rest, don't skip this one. Melt in a child's pose, legs up the wall, or just sit and be for one minute. *technically as my Pilates peeps know, anything you do should be moving from the core. ;)
Dedicate a Space to Move - it can be a corner of a room, or in-between your bed and dressers, or in your living room. Years of practicing Yoga and attending the my fair share of workshops, practitioners often suggest having a dedicated space for you movement. For many years I scoffed and this but, it took a pandemic lock down to fully embrace the wisdom. When your mind is made up that you going finally going to hit the mat again, it helps having your favorite props in a basket for ease of access (so that monkey mind doesn't get distracted as you search for that yoga block, or those light weights you know you had somewhere), and the space will subsconsciously know it's time to move and focus.
Listen to Your Body - If you feel like picking it up a notch, do it! When you feel like slowly down, do it! The wonderful thing about having your own practice is you get to learn to listen to yourself, and practicing trusting yourself and your body more.
Sprinkles Count - If you only have 10 minutes here and there, or maybe even just a minute the sprinkles add up! I promise. Maybe you just stretch. Maybe you just do some quick arms.
Just Move - It's that simple. Just move. Remember, dance parties count! Walking is very underrated in the fitness world. It works! If the indoor space isn't working for you, get outside! Garden. Hike. Bike. Run. Jog. Swim. Kayak. Stroll. Go smell the flowers. Play with your kids. Play with your grandchildren. Walk your dog.
Be kind to yourself. Keep it simple. Commit to some time for you everyday. You matter. Your health and wellbeing matters. I hope this helps you create a movement practice you can come back to over and over again.
xo,
Emily
PS - Still lost? Need that guidance? Check out my YouTube Channel for some short practices. And, here's a blog post I wrote on what props I use during my virtual offerings.