Three yoga exercises to practice at home

Want to turn your living room into an improvised yoga class? Here’s how.

Unlike other disciplines, yoga can be practised anytime, anywhere. Not only that, but you don’t need any kind of equipment. Another advantage is that it is a completely customisable activity and can be adapted to all ages and physical conditions. Because the secret of yoga lies in synchronising movement with breathing, which is the bridge that connects the body with the mind, allowing us to focus our attention on the present and be fully aware of the here and now. This is possible whether we are lying on our backs in the living room or taking a walk in the countryside, through breathing, meditation and mindfulness.

During quarantine, unable to go to their usual centre, many people started practising yoga in their own homes, transforming their living rooms into true spaces for self-care. Whether you belong to this group or you want to start practising this ancient discipline, Rachel Rose, Mind & Body expert at SHA Wellness Clinic, explains three simple exercises to do at home that will have a highly positive impact on your physical, mental and spiritual health. “One of my favourite moves, which brings together many of yoga’s most outstanding qualities, is performed standing, feet apart and aligned with the hips. On the in-breath, stand on tiptoe and raise your arms above your head, and on the out-breath, lower both arms and heels. It’s a symmetrical and balanced stretch synchronised with the breath and everyone can do it. Another simple and very beneficial pose is to lie on your back, on the bed or on the floor, with your legs up and against the wall, making an ‘L’ shape with your body. If you suffer from back pain or lumbar hernia, you will be more comfortable with a cushion under your sacrum. Finally, I recommend practising alternate breathing, which in Sanskrit is called nadi shodhana, and which cleanses and balances the energy channels. With your thumb, plug your right nostril and breathe through your left nostril. Then plug the left nostril and breathe through the right nostril. Repeat 12 times, six times on each side”, concludes the expert.

But it’s important to create the right environment before you start practicing yoga at home: light a stick of incense or a scented candle, dim the lights, put your mobile phone on silent and start concentrating on your breathing.