One of the most amazing things about yoga is that you can roll out your mat literally wherever you are and instantly squeeze in a feel-good flow to rejuvenate your body, mind, and soul — no yoga studio needed. Don't get me wrong: Yoga classes are great and all, but oftentimes, there simply aren't enough hours in the day to make it to one, and if you're like me, your bank account doesn't exactly have room for it, either. So, you resort to being one of the many people who do yoga at home, and most of the time, your remote mat-time is absolutely incredible — but there are some inevitable struggles that come along with a home yoga practice.
The struggle usually starts when you merely attempt to use your full range of motion in the shoebox apartment you call home. But then it escalates to your cat thinking she can claim residence atop your yoga mat, or your neighbors having disturbingly loud sex on the other side of the wall while you're trying to find your inner ~zen~. Seriously, what does a girl have to do to meditate in silence?!
On the real, though, most of the time, a home yoga practice is a convenient, awesome way to clear your mind after a hard day. But if you're someone who does yoga at home on the reg, there's no doubt in my mind that you've experienced at least a couple of these five serious struggles. We've all been there, right?
I said it once and I'll say it again (and again, and again): Practicing yoga in a small apartment can be ridiculously difficult, fam. Every time you raise your leg in downward facing dog, you always manage to stub your toe into the wall. Then, when you attempt to get your lower body into pigeon pose, you basically never have enough room to fully extend your back leg. Ugh.
Doing yoga in a small apartment feels a lot like playing a real-life version of Tetris or Jenga. But trust me, after a little bit of trial and error, you eventually learn to work and move within the space you do have. In fact, twisting and turning out of so many different poses actually feels way more rewarding when you know you successfully did so in such a small space.
You thought you'd made peace with your paper-thin walls; part of you was even beginning to kind of enjoy eavesdropping on your neighbor whenever they have late-night visitors over (hey, it's not like you have much of a choice either way). But that acceptance goes right out the door whenever you try to sit down and meditate at the end of your yoga practice.
It takes all the zen-like energy in your being not to storm over and bang on your neighbor's door to ask them how in the world they think the noise they're making equates to "quiet sex." But, you conjure up your deepest amounts of willpower to stay calm, cool, and collected. Hey, it's all practice for riding the not-so-perfect waves of all situations in life, right?
When you're not in an actual yoga studio, there's no one telling you to stop checking your phone in downward facing dog, or to quit peeking at Instagram in child's pose.
Hopefully you value your own time and presence enough to set your phone aside completely for the 30 minutes or so that you're on your mat. But if, for whatever reason, your phone needs to be in the same room as you and your yoga mat, the least you can do is turn that bad boy on airplane mode so you can get the most of your practice, distraction-free.
As much as you love your fur babies, they need to learn some manners when it comes to respecting your time on your yoga mat.
Have you ever seen those adorable YouTube videos of people doing yoga with their pets? Don't get me wrong: I think those videos are cute, too, but the truth is, that's not real life, guys. That dog in the video may be an expert yogi who can synchronize his movements with yours, but your pup is, most likely, just walking all over your yoga mat because he wants attention, or for you to feed him.
Snap a pic with your fur baby for the 'Gram (because duh), then shoo them into the next room until you're done with your practice for the day. You deserve a little privacy, and there will always be time for snuggles post-yoga.
If you're not doing yoga at a studio or in a class, and there's no instructor around to motivate you to try new poses, you might find yourself getting a little stagnant in your home practice, or you may not trust yourself enough to experiment with more complex asanas.
I know it's easier said than done, but seriously, let that self-doubt go, girl. No matter where you are in your yoga journey, I promise you, you're strong, capable, and you can handle any new challenge that's thrown your way. You don't have to push yourself past your natural limitations; it's all about trusting that you can surprise yourself and learn something new, even in the comfort of your own home.
