Structure a yoga session well to benefit from the advantages of your practice.

You probably know about yoga classes, but you should know that you can also practice yoga at home. But how do you do it? How do you build a yoga session at home ? When you are a beginner, it is often difficult to organize the perfect sequence of yoga postures . In reality, there is nothing complicated, it is about finding the right time, the ideal place, defining your goals and following specific steps, from preparation to final relaxation through the asanas.

Set a duration for your yoga sequence

The sequence of yoga postures will depend on the time you want to dedicate to your yoga class . Do you have an hour in front of you? Then you can do a complete yoga sequence . However, do you have less than 60 minutes? Opt for a session without the inversion or balance asanas.

Determine the goals of your yoga session

Before starting your yoga class at home , ask yourself why you want to do yoga: to de-stress, reduce insomnia, boost your energy in the morning, increase your flexibility, let go, etc. But, you can also set goals to improve your practice, for example, succeeding in the tree pose .

The various steps to properly structure a yoga class

Preparation for yoga

Because of the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is important to start your yoga session with a moment of meditation while observing your breathing, or even chanting a mantra. Why? Simply to calm your mind.

Don't neglect the warm-up

Just like sports, yoga is a physical exercise where there is a risk of injury. So, warm up to prepare your body and become aware of your morphology. How? Through stretching, bending and twisting. For example, you can do the sun salutation. But, know that there are other warm-up asanas such as:

  • the mountain (Tadasana),
  • the stork (Uttanasana),
  • the cat (Marjarasana),
  • the cow (Gomukhasana).

The sequence of asanas

Standing asanas

Once you are well warmed up, perform 1 or 2 standing yoga postures to boost your energy and improve your flexibility. Start, for example, with the mountain asana (Tadasana), then the chair pose (Utkatasana). Finish with the warrior balancing asanas I, II and III (Virabhadrasana) and the tree pose (Vriksasan).

Inversion postures

The structure of a yoga class also consists of inverted yoga postures that tone your nervous system and slow down blood circulation. If you are a beginner, opt for the candle pose (Sarvangasana) or the plow (Halasana). More experienced practitioners can do the inverted stretched support (Mukha vrksasana). Be careful not to hurt yourself!

Backward bends

Then do 1 or 2 yoga backbends to strengthen your back and stretch your abs. Try the grasshopper pose (Salabhasana), the bridge (Setu bandha sarvangasana) and the cobra (Bhujangasana).

Twists

Yoga twists are not mandatory, only if you have trouble linking with forward bends. There are various poses like Bharadvaja twist, Half Lord of the Fishes pose (Ardha matsyendrasana) and Reclining twist (Jathara parivritti).

Forward bends

Forward bends in yoga complement backward bends. They have the benefit of calming the mind and stretching your back. Here are some suggested asanas:

  • Western Stretch (Paschimottanasana),
  • Mahamudra,
  • the stork (Uttanasana).

Closing postures

Finally, perform closing asanas to relax your body and mind and prepare yourself for the final relaxation. Try the candle (Sarvangasana) then the fish (Matsyasana).

A moment of relaxation thanks to the asana Savasana

The last step is the final relaxation of yoga in Savasana position (corpse pose) for at least 5 minutes. This phase is important because it allows you to benefit from the benefits of the yoga session . It is up to you to choose between a silent meditation, with music or guided.

To help you build a yoga sequence , discover the yoga books on the Tayronalife website.

March 28, 2019 — Patricia Nagelmackers