At the end of every day, it is necessary to unwind and indulge in a little self-care. Whether you are an experienced yogi or beginner, evening yoga can not only help you get a good night’s sleep, it can also boost your overall happiness. Practicing evening yoga is a great way to tune into your personal space, unwind, and wake up refreshed and ready to tackle the next day. We’ll help you get started with these useful tips.
Create a Relaxing Space
The wonderful thing about yoga is that you can practice it anywhere, at any time—so why not in your own home? When it isn’t possible to attend a studio yoga class due to budgets or family, save time and money by making a mini-studio at home. You don’t need a lot of extra space to get started, just enough room for your yoga mat and a water bottle.
Choose the place in your home that brings you the most joy, perhaps next to a window that offers a sunset view or outdoor scenery. Enhance the space with your favorite candles for mood lighting. Then, add your favorite background or meditation playlist, as it will help you get focused.
Since posture is an important element of proper yoga training, place a mirror next to your mat to keep track of your poses and form, if possible. Before you know it, you’ll have created the perfect practice space in the comfort of your home.
Take Your Practice Outside
What if you have a full house with children playing or a lot of background television noise?
Take advantage of the beautiful scenery around you and by practicing outside. In fact, studies have shown that exposure to nature improves your immune system and boosts your overall happiness. If weather permits, enjoy a beautiful sunset outdoors in your patio or indulge with evening views at a local park or beach. If you live in a rural area with little or no smog, the clear night sky can provide the most heavenly backdrop for your practice.
When choosing an outdoor space, make sure that it is safe and doesn’t have a high volume of traffic. Go through your poses for about 20 minutes, making sure to absorb the sounds of nature surrounding you.
Anchor the Present
We go through so many daily interactions and connections, that taking a moment to be present with ourselves isn’t always easy—make yoga your personal time to be present with yourself. This skilled practice is also referred to as anchoring in the yoga world.
In order to reap the vast benefits of anchoring, you’ll need to incorporate a sensation that will elicit moments of calm and happiness at later times.
There is a variety of hair and body care anchoring products that provide pleasing, aromatic scents such as sweet almond, jojoba, and sage. Make sure to select a anchoring product that you can incorporate in your daily routine, such as lotions, mists, or hair products. The beneficial property of scents is that they create memories, thus anchoring you in specific moments that will recall happy times. Whenever you find yourself stressed out, dab a little product on your wrist, or spray lightly, to anchor yourself in your moment of happiness and calm.
Establish a Routine
In order to make your evening yoga practice efficient, consider establishing a routine to ensure consistency. Choose from a variety of relaxing poses such as child’s pose, hero pose, lotus pose, and tree pose. Establish good happiness boosting habits by practicing daily for the same amount of time, perhaps in 20-30 minute sessions to prepare your body for relaxing sleep. However, since this is an evening practice, feel free to omit the sun salutation and add one of your personal favorites, instead.
Practice Gratitude
Lastly, use this personal time to reflect upon all of the positive things in your life. It may often be overwhelming to interchange the many hats we wear in our personal and professional lives, but taking the time to express gratitude is one of the major keys to happiness.
The evening provides an ideal time for reflection, since you are now transitioning from the day time to your personal, sleep time. As you’re going from one pose to the next, reflect upon the good things that have happened to you that day, and appreciate yourself for what you have done well. If you’ve had a particularly rough day, express gratitude for that as well by using the curveballs as learning experiences for future growth.
By combining these happiness-boosting tips with your evening yoga practice, you will notice the positive difference. Remember that anchoring is useful in stressful times of need, and with by using anchoring products, you’ll have a rich reservoir of happiness to draw from.