Working out, practicing yoga, or trying to meditate can be difficult at home. It at least takes practice and time to find a rhythm and routine to diminish and try to overcome distractions.
What are the distractions you face the most (childcare, pets, feelings of guilt that you should be doing something else, etc)? Identify, first, what the problems really are that keep you from working out/practicing or from feeling like it was a good experience.
Then, can you identify potential solutions or ways to mitigate the distractions? Can you close a door, have a neighbor watch the kids, put the pets in a different room or outside or in a crate? Can you ask your spouse or partner to take over some childcare responsibilities during this time? Are there times in the day where the distractions are less that might work better for practice/exercise? You might also come to realize some of what you have been labeling as a distraction that makes it hard to practice at home is really just an easy excuse….
Maybe you can also re-frame your experience. Maybe the dog will be in the room and take up part of your mat, and maybe that makes the practice different than in the studio but still meaningful and fulfilling in a different way. Maybe the kids will be running around, in and out, but maybe that leads to them practicing some with you and the practice developing a new meaning. Maybe the noisy neighbor who likes to mow the lawn when you like to meditate is really just giving you practice at acknowledging distractions and refocusing.
You may always find that the studio classes are an important element to your yoga practice. A home practice doesn’t have to be the same. You might like it better in some ways and less in others. The home practice and the studio practice aren’t meant to be the same. Knowing that and accepting that and embracing that is an important step. You aren’t “doing something wrong” if you feel that difference of the home practice to your studio experience.
If you are working to develop that perfect place at home, make sure to sign up for my free five-day email challenge to Make Space for Zen at Home. Each day you receive an email with video content and bonuses to help you visualize, create, and enjoy a space at home that works for you. Make sure to tag me, as well, of any posts related to your home space. I love seeing where people are practicing with me.
