How to Create a Yoga Space at Home

Whatever your ability level with yoga is, sometimes we are too busy to head to the studio. Whether it's the day job, the children, or all the other things which preoccupy your life,  you may want to consider setting up a yoga space at home.

How to Identify a Good Yoga Space.

Below we’ve listed 6 of the most important aspects to consider when finding and creating your own yoga space at home.

Flooring:

First things first, balance. You simply cannot perform the majority of yoga poses on a slope or on uneven ground. Find somewhere flat and level. Tiles or hardwood is better than carpet, but if you do have carpets go for the least fluffy one you can fine. Of course, choosing the right yoga mat will help but starting with something solid is a great foundation. 

Privacy:

Privacy, or least respect for privacy will be needed, choose the quietest and least likely place to get distracted. Think bedrooms, garages, and attics. The buzzing kitchen or living area may not be ideal. Some people are more comfortable than others when it comes to yoga, if you don't mind people watching you practice, then you may have a few more room options. If you want privacy,  you might want to choose a room where you can close your blinds or curtains, and this brings us onto our next point, lighting.

Lighting:

In an ideal world we would always opt for natural lighting, if there is strong sunshine in your room, consider light curtains which still let light through, but reduce the intensity of sunlight. If it’s the evening or a dark day, consider candles or warm bulbs such as edison bulbs. The lighting in your space will be a huge factor when it comes to how you feel and everyone has their own preference, so play around with part.

Temperature:

You will need to be comfortable during yoga, of course, clothing can help with this but you won’t want to have to wear anything that restricts you. Either keep windows shut or use a small heater to keep your space warm. Remember being cold is more of an issue than being warm during yoga so choose a warm room if possible.

Sound and Smell:

A lot of sounds and smells are down to personal preference, firstly you want to neutralise any unwanted smells or sounds, use some air freshener a few hours before you begin and simply shut doors and windows while you do yoga to keep sound out. If you want anything additional, consider the use of a small CD player or bluetooth speaker, along with a diffuser, if you are not sure what to get, we like the Bramley Products and Muji diffusers. If you are opting for sounds or music, a decent speaker is well worth the investment, especially as most people prefer delicate sounds

Objects:

Now that we have identified our space,  the next thing to do is to de-clutter as much as we can. Being surrounded by clutter just isn't relaxing. As a general rule of thumb, remove anything that doesn't add to the design of your space, or serves no purpose. If you look around any yoga studio, you won’t see anything out of place. 

So now we’ve cleared our place out, it's time to start reintroducing objects to prepare your yoga room. If you are looking for ways to change the mood of your chosen space, we would start with plants, not only can they bring us closer to nature and create a tranquil environment, plants are excellent air purifiers. One of the fundamentals of yoga is breathing, so why not improve the quality of air. If you are unsure what to get we would recommend plants such as English Ivy, Spider Plants, and Aloe Vera as all 3 of these are easy to take care off and don't need sunlight all day -  a window sill will do. These plants don’t need much watering either. 

Other things to consider when creating a yoga space:

Children, animals, noises, postman.  We have to work with what we have with all the interruptions life throws at us.  Yoga is about stilling the fluctuations of the mind and rising above our daily stresses.  Don’t try to be perfect, it doesn't exist. The most important thing you can do today is take 3 deep breaths, this is yoga at its purest. 

Please see the below link to Rebecca, one of our lovely yogi Mum ambassador:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bym6-GOnudz/ and how she achieves downward dog with a toddler: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvd3OK2ln8b/

Hopefully, by following this guide you will be able to create a suitable space for yoga, somewhere you feel comfortable and safe. We would love to see how you have got on, tag us @mlifelondon on Instagram if you’ve managed to create a space that you’re proud of. Below is the space one our customers created, it looks great with the Mendhi mat!  We will send a free Mendhi Mat to the winning image.