Practicing at home allows for some unique distractions and temptations. The pile of laundry in the bedroom, the dust balls lurking in the corner (or is that just in my apartment?), or the stack of bills on your desk can have a bothersome way of calling to you the moment you step on the mat. Thinking about the dishes in your sink throughout your session will not get them washed any sooner, but it will make your practice less enjoyable. Let the to-do list go, and give yourself the gift of an hour just for you. Then, you’ll return to your tasks with greater focus and clarity.

2) Create a sacred space

Ah, the joys of New York City apartment living. The living room doubles as the bedroom, the dining room, the office and the closet. I used to live in place where my “kitchen” was actually the hallway between the multi-room and the bathroom. So, while we may not have the space for a special practice room, we can make a few gestures to prepare the space we have. Light a candle as you set an intention for your practice. Dim the lights a bit, or turn them up, based on the energy you are looking to create. Put a few drops of lavender oil in a shallow plate, and allow the scent to transform the room. This helps to distinguish your practice time as separate and unique.

3) Dress to de-stress

Comfortable clothes that are easy to move in are essential for your yoga practice. While some of the more pricey yoga tanks and pants promise perks like seem-free assembly and moisture wicking, you can practice just fine in a pair of comfortable cotton pants or shorts and a t-shirt. Close-fitting items like stretchy pants or tanks can offer the benefit of staying in place as you move (think t-shirt falling up your back in down dog), but the key to yoga gear is comfort. You don’t want to be bothered by a pinchy waistband or a stifling neckline while you are trying to move from pose to pose.

4) Go easy on the pancakes

There are few things more uncomfortable that trying to move through a Vinyasa flow while your stomach is churning through a short stack or a bacon double cheeseburger. Twisting, forward bending and transitions between poses will all be easier if you have a stomach on the empty side. A light, balanced snack at least 90 minutes before your session will give you the fuel you need to move through your practice without, well, tossing your cookies. Of course, check with your doctor if you have blood sugar issues, or other medical conditions that require a certain nutritional regimen.

5) Tell her about it, and make requests

Your private yoga teacher will ask you how you are feeling at the start of your session. Resist the urge to reflexively reply “fine” (another by-product of living in NYC, I think), and take a moment to scan your body. Do you notice tightness in your hamstrings or upper shoulders? An ache in your lower back? Or do you feel great, and ready for a new challenge? Sharing these insights with your teacher will help her design a practice to meet you where you are in that moment, which is what home practice is all about. And while your sharing with your teacher, be sure to tell her if you’d like to focus on a particular body part (e.g. hip opening) or energetic intention (e.g. heart opening) during your session.

6) Trust the process

If you are anything like me, about 20 minutes in to your practice your mind may start to ask, “Pardon me, but are we quite finished with this? My hips are tired and I could go for a snack. Shall we move on to something less…physical?” I truly believe these thoughts run through every yogi’s mind, novice and experience practitioner alike. It’s part of the human condition, to want to move away from something if it’s uncomfortable. Sticking with it, however, will lead to many rewards. Over time, you’ll find that poses which were difficult for you just a few weeks ago are now available to your body in a whole new way. Or you’ll feel a charge of energy in a pose that used to do nothing but drain you. Yoga is a process – the more you work at it, the more it will reveal to you.

7) Go inside

In yogic philosophy, we are encouraged to “withdraw our senses” – to descend inside ourselves and tune in to subtle sensations. By focusing on the rise and fall of our chest as we breathe, the gentle vibration of our beating heart, or the cool air around our nostrils as we inhale, we can escape the sensory overload that so often fills every moment of our day. Tuning in to these sensations not only helps you focus during your practice – it also teaches you to recognize physical signs of stress like shallow breathing or a racing heart, and gives you a chance to consciously modify them, both on and off the mat.

8 ) Be in it ‘till the end

Most yoga sessions end with a final relaxation, often in savasana (“corpse pose”). This period of letting go of all effort is critical if we are to, as world-renowned Ashtanga yogi David Swenson puts it, “assimilate the soothing benefits we have accrued during practice.” In a class setting, this moment of collective relaxation can be most powerful. However, in a private session, students report that savasana can be a bit…awkward. To quote one of my students, “I wondered if you were staring at me the whole time I was laying there.” Savasana is a critical part of your practice, and while your teacher may make a few adjustments to your body as you relax into the pose, or place a smudge of lavender oil on your temples to deepen your relaxation, he or she will generally back away from you and turn their attention inward, enjoying the peaceful vibe that fills the room. So feel free to sink in to your final relaxation – I promise I won’t stare!

9) Practice your practice

Meeting with your teacher once or twice a week is great, but if you truly want to experience the many benefits yoga, a daily or every-other-day practice is key. Practice the poses you have learned from your teacher, string them in to a flow, and watch your body and mind stretch and bend in ways you never imagined.

10) Practice your practice

Having said that, it’s also important to listen to your body, and practice based on what you need, rather than following a rote sequence. Any yoga teacher worth their salt will always encourage you to pay attention to signals from your body, and modify your practice accordingly. Practicing this way allows you to experience yoga the way it was meant to be – an intuitive flow that explores your strengths, respects your limits, and changes with you as your abilities evolve.

Thankfully, I’ve managed to push past these bullies enough to experience the joy and exhilaration of achieving things I never thought I could.  But…wouldn’t it be great if Carrie’s mom, and all the other naysayers that sit around the conference table of my mind,  took a permanent vacation?  How different would the creative process be if it wasn’t wrought with self-doubt?

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the wonderful Eat, Pray, Love, speaks to these questions, and the origins of creative inspiration, in a talk recently posted at ted.com.  Here’s the link:

http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

What do the naysayers around your mind’s conference table say?  What would you like to say to them, once and for all?  And what do you think about Gilbert’s take on inspiration?

Recently, I’ve been spending a lot of time on a new venture.  As has been the case with so many other projects in my life, it has completely take me in. I think about it when I’m sleeping. When I’m walking the dog.  When I’m with friends or family.  When I’m practicing yoga. All the time. Well, that’s good, right? Isn’t that what being driven is all about?

While I was on the mat this morning, however, a new thought occurred to me.  In living my life this way, with a single focus, what do I actually “abandon?”  Laziness, procrastination, and bad daytime TV? Definitely. But what about meaningful connections with others? Time out in the crisp February air? Enjoying a few chapters of a favorite book? Do I really want to abandon these things too?

Not a chance.

So, for today, I do not want to live my life with abandon.  I want to live it with balance. (Come on now – this is a yoga-based blog. You knew that was coming.) Today, I will be present for myself, my family and the world around me, as well as present in the new work that I love.

That’s a plan worth throwing myself in to.