2929: In Praise Of The Home Yoga Practice by Melani Schweder of A Brighter Wild on Working Out At Home

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[00:01:02] This is Optimal Living Daily Episode 2929 in praise of the home yoga practice by Melanie

[00:01:08] Schwader of AbrighterWild.com and I'm Justin Malik. This is a show where I usually read to you

[00:01:14] kind of like an audiobook but on Sundays I think it's nice to share an episode from

[00:01:19] another podcast where we read to you. Today's comes from my brother's show Optimal Health Daily.

[00:01:24] You can find it wherever you get your podcasts just search for Optimal Health Daily.

[00:01:29] So without further ado here's my brother Dr. Neal as we optimize your life.

[00:01:38] In praise of the home yoga practice by Melanie Schwader of AbrighterWild.com

[00:01:44] One of the toughest things I had to let go of when I got sick many years ago

[00:01:48] was my hardcore yoga practice. In the months before my illness hit I was practicing regularly

[00:01:54] attending advanced vinyasa classes and really feeling good about the poses I was mastering.

[00:02:00] However once I was struck down with mysterious symptoms I could barely muster the energy to

[00:02:05] take a shower much less devote an hour or more a day to strenuous practice. I distinctly

[00:02:10] remember the first time I attempted yoga after my forced hiatus. It was a five minute

[00:02:16] chair yoga sequence I found online. As I sat in my chair in my living room I found myself frustrated

[00:02:22] and on the verge of tears as I got out of breath muscles shaking after only 90 seconds. It was just

[00:02:29] one of many moments of grieving during that period and the years to follow it. However

[00:02:33] I've never given up on my yoga practice. Today looking back I am thoroughly convinced that

[00:02:39] yoga saved my life. Having something to come back to a way of moving my body especially

[00:02:45] on the days I spent eight or more hours in bed and a method to connect with my breath again

[00:02:50] was such sacred medicine. No for the first several months my practice wasn't impressive.

[00:02:56] It was nowhere near what I used to do. There were no handstands, no chaturangas,

[00:03:00] no difficult poses at all but this was really where I found what true yoga was.

[00:03:06] When I was young and healthy I took a very western secular view of yoga. It was a way

[00:03:11] to stretch, to sweat and to cross train for my running and cycling events. Now I have such a rich

[00:03:17] deep understanding of yoga and how it can change your life and I wouldn't trade that for anything.

[00:03:22] I've learned that yoga is not just asana. It is breath, it is intention, it is compassion

[00:03:28] and motion and that it doesn't have to be difficult to count. Anyone can do yoga regardless

[00:03:34] of body shape or size, of ability or disability, of spiritual leaning or non.

[00:03:40] These days I'm back to practicing on a regular basis but now with a temperance and self-inquiry

[00:03:46] that I didn't have before and I've come to really see the value in a home-based practice.

[00:03:50] At first I was hesitant to practice at home. It didn't feel real to me. I wasn't surrounded

[00:03:56] by people in a big fancy studio wearing my nicest spandex, I roll I know. Honestly

[00:04:02] I think it was the fear of being at home alone with my thoughts that was underpinning this resistance.

[00:04:08] The fear of truly seeing myself acknowledging my body's limitations and showing up over and

[00:04:13] over brokenhearted on the mat but it was those moments that truly transformed me.

[00:04:19] I confess I haven't been to a yoga studio in several years. It honestly doesn't appeal to

[00:04:24] me much anymore. I've gotten to the point where I'm so accustomed to my body, my space

[00:04:29] and my pace that it doesn't seem worth it to pay lots of money and drive a long way to show up

[00:04:34] and not even know if I'll like the class or be able to follow the poses.

[00:04:39] I'm sure I will find a home studio again one day but in the meantime I am relishing my own

[00:04:44] home practice. I've come to enjoy the benefits of home-based yoga which include 1. Temperature

[00:04:51] control. Most yoga studios feel too hot for me and tend to exacerbate my symptoms.

[00:04:56] 2. No dress code. I've practiced many times in my pajamas or even in my underwear,

[00:05:02] something that's definitely frowned upon in public.

[00:05:04] 3. Flexible start times. My energy levels tend to fluctuate during the day

[00:05:09] so I have the freedom to practice exactly when I feel ready.

[00:05:13] 4. Personalized level and or theme. I love being able to choose exactly what I want to

[00:05:19] work on with the theme and difficulty level of each practice. I can find a yoga class to

[00:05:24] perfectly match my mood and my energy every day. 5. Freedom to stop or rewind.

[00:05:32] Yoga is so much nicer when I can click a button to pause or rewind a practice. Perfect for those of

[00:05:37] us with nervous bladders, blood sugar issues or distractible minds. 6. For me and me alone.

[00:05:45] Practicing at home releases me from having to worry about anyone else,

[00:05:48] infringing on anyone's space or being self-conscious of how I look.

[00:05:53] 7. Saving money. I won't lie, yoga studios can be expensive

[00:05:58] and I'd rather spend my money elsewhere most of the time. There are tons of videos for free or

[00:06:03] for only a few bucks a month. Obviously the benefits of practicing yoga at home go beyond

[00:06:08] this list and can be deeply personal. Maybe you have struggled with a disability for a while

[00:06:13] and you only feel comfortable doing yoga in your own living room.

[00:06:17] Or perhaps being in a studio brings out your competitive side,

[00:06:20] causing you to lose touch with your body in an attempt to excel. Maybe you don't have the typical

[00:06:25] yoga body and you feel intensely ashamed or judged when you practice outside of your home.

[00:06:30] Perhaps money is really tight and at home yoga is one of the ways you can afford yourself care.

[00:06:35] No matter what you're dealing with, there is something sacred about practicing yoga at

[00:06:39] home fully present, in tune with your breath and not worried about what anybody else is doing.

[00:06:45] It can be incredibly freeing and empowering to build your practice in the spaciousness

[00:06:50] of your own habitat. Ever those with chronic illness, this can be such a healing investment,

[00:06:56] even if it comes in just 5 or 10 minute increments. I have never once regretted rolling out my mat

[00:07:01] in my tiny living room and I have a feeling that you won't either, once you really feel

[00:07:05] the benefits of a fully autonomous, personalized yoga practice. You just listened to the

[00:07:15] post titled, In Praise of the Home Yoga Practice by Melanie Schwader of AbrighterWild.com.

[00:07:22] Dr. Neal here for my commentary. I want to thank Melanie again for this post and for sharing her

[00:07:27] personal story about her struggles with her illness. I could relate. I remember days when,

[00:07:32] because of my chronic disease, I felt so miserable it was difficult to muster up any motivation

[00:07:37] to get out of bed, let alone do anything else. But like Melanie after much resistance,

[00:07:42] I finally tried yoga. I started by taking a class actually at a local community college

[00:07:47] after work. This is because I knew I needed structure, otherwise I wouldn't have the motivation

[00:07:52] to learn yoga on my own. And community college classes felt like a comfortable place for me

[00:07:57] at the time. Plus, I knew how strict colleges are when it comes to hiring folks that have the

[00:08:02] right knowledge and experiences instructors. So I was confident that I would be learning

[00:08:06] proper techniques. And I was so glad I did it. I would actually look forward to those

[00:08:10] evenings. I actually ended up taking the class two more times. And once I felt comfortable in my

[00:08:15] knowledge and abilities, I began to perform yoga at home on my own. Now I incorporate it almost

[00:08:21] every day as part of my cool down and stretch routine. And just as Melanie said, even if you

[00:08:26] can afford just five to 10 minutes of it, it's so worth it. All right, that should do it.

[00:08:31] Thank you so much for listening today and every day. I'll be back here tomorrow as usual.

[00:08:36] So I'll see you there. We're Optimal Life awaits.