A key part of yoga is being mindful, yet sometimes your practice environment can have a spectacular effect — for good or ill — on what you get out of it. Although you may not be able to sit in a beautiful forest every day, you can still create a calm and focused atmosphere in a corner of your home or yard. Doing so can mean the difference between successfully managing your health with mindful work and struggling to do so.
Here are three ways you can adapt almost any space into a sanctuary where you can feel safe to go away into your mind-body routine for 10, 20, or 30 minutes:
Find a place where you can focus. Focusing on yourself is hard enough without having a place to call your own. You don’t want to look at a cluttered desk, the kids’ toys, or piles of dishes or laundry when you try to do mind-body exercises.
Add items that help you forget distractions. Room dividers or screens can help you block out the family, the mess, or the chores you need to do. (And they can be really attractive, too.) Candles and lamps can also help set the stage or give you a light to focus on for any relaxation or meditation. Pillows can help you get into the safest and best positions for your body. A mat can make your bones more comfortable. And a soothing picture on the wall can help you feel as if you’re really on a true retreat.
Preserve your sanctuary. Even if this space can’t be permanent, look around for a corner and mentally claim it. You can then keep your “sanctuary supplies” in a drawer, on a closet shelf, or folded up under the bed. When you’re ready for your mind-body retreat, just pull out the dividers, candles, music, and incense, and set yourself up in a flash.
