From the mat: How to yoga solo
Photo by Walsh Millette
What’s the first thing you’re going to do after finals? Hit the bars? Party? Netflix from sunup to sundown? Blanket burritos until your skin becomes one with all things quilt? (Hint: if you don’t know what a blanket burrito is click here.)
Or what about drive/fly home and weep the whole way there because you won’t see your friends for six solid weeks? That’ll be me. The only thing waiting for me at home — besides my dog and a few high school buds and, you know, my family — is my yoga studio. It’s small, warm and bright, just like SCAD Studio here in Savannah. It’s got plants and mats and tea and yoga magazines — everything I need to distract me from my seasonal depression.
But for those of you who don’t have a studio at home and lack any yogi friends with whom you might casually discuss kundalini shakti or the Lotus Suta: have faith. This final fall quarter post is all about teaching you how to practice solo, because you can’t expect to stay all flexible and zen if you come back in January not having touched a mat since Thanksgiving.
The first two things you’ll need to practice are confidence and determination. You’re going to feel awkward at first. That’s just how it is. Stuck in downward dog on your mat, you’ll think to yourself, “No, I can’t be that weird cousin that comes back from art school with a chakra tattoo and a degree in Sanskrit.”
Oh, but yes you can. You have to be that weird cousin. Or at least some less hardcore version of him/her. You need that weird cousin’s confidence. You need to know that yoga works for you and nobody’s judgment is going to change that.
Then comes the determination. It’s going to be a lot harder to make yourself practice without a whole class moving along beside you. You have to push on. It’s the only way to get better. Take advantage of the solo sessions to really work on those inversion poses. Many students feel intimidated practicing crow or a full dolphin headstand in class, because — let’s face it — there’s always someone better than you. Get upside down (safely) and rock it. Then come back in the winter and show up everyone in the studio.
Once you’re motivated and confident, move online. Yoga Journal and Yoga.com both offer video and photo walkthroughs of different poses and sometimes entire yoga classes. Yoga.com offers a selection of free classes that changes every day, so be sure to check back regularly. The iPhone app Simply Yoga offers 20 minute, 40 minute and hour-long video sessions. While the free version unlocks only a few basic flow classes, they’ll do in a bind, as will some YouTube videos. Be sure to do a little background research on the YouTube video’s maker first, as well as on the instructor, and only perform poses your body is comfortable with.
Finding a space to practice in is the easiest, and finding the right supplies is also simple. If you don’t have a mat, just use a towel. If you don’t have a bustle, use a heavier pillow. These and other props can also be found online or at an athletics store. TJ Maxx usually has a whole fitness section, too, where quality mats can be bought for cheap.
Unroll your mat—or towel—and go from there. I’ve compiled a list below of some songs that should get you in the yoga mood. All can be found on Spotify or iTunes.
For powering through your sun salutations:
“Makyen Ghrir Allah” by EarthRise SoundSystem
“Exodus from Sonapur” by Tal M. Klein
“Om Nama Shivaya” by SonicJoy
“Tabla Toy” by Beats Antique
“Aqueous Transmission” by Incubus
For flow:
“Bhavani” by EarthRise SoundSystem
“Chandni Chowk” by Midival Punditz
“Goddess Invocation” by Go-Ray & Duke
“Tebwe Mikana – Path of Truth” by Flying Down Thunder
“The Mountain” by Trevor Hall
For shavasana:
“Om Namah Shivaya Savasana” by Wah!
“Om Zone 2.0 – X” by Steven Halpern
“Tibetan Gold” by Steven Halpern
“Sarangi (Dawn Raga)” by Paul Winter Consort
“Shanti” by MC Yogi
“Entering Muladhara” by Rick Batyr
For when you’re tired of Tibetan bells and sitars:
“The Lime Tree” by Trevor Hall
“The Long Road” by Eddie Vedder and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
“Just a Memory” by Dirty Art Club
“For What it’s Worth (India Dub)” by DJ Drez and Joey Lugassy
“You are the Ocean” by Phantogram
“As Far as I Can See” by Phantogram
