How Long Can We Take A Yoga Session At Home

It isn’t very easy to answer this question in the absence of certain specifics such as your age, gender and health condition. And yet, all said and done, if any individual were to practice holistic yoga consisting of Yogasanas (poses), pranayamas (breathing exercises) and meditation, he or she would have to devote at least an hour a day to see desired results. This is considered the basic minimum. Of course, this doesn’t go to say that if on account of time constraints or added responsibilities you aren’t able to devote an hour, you shouldn’t practice yoga at all. But, generally, it takes around an hour’s dedicated, uninterrupted practice on a regular, diurnal basis to reap the optimum benefits of yoga.

Yoga being a science and art of living, the ultimate aim of the practitioner is to reach a stage where he or she is able to “live” Yoga, in simple language, make it a way of life. For this it would certainly take a certain amount of time to practice the following, to start with:

• Yogasanas (exercises and poses)

• Pranayama (breathing exercises)

• Dhyana (meditation) and

• Kriyas (cleansing techniques)

Notwithstanding individual intents and motives, Yoga expects the best for its followers and practitioners. An hour a day would be required to start inculcating good habits of right posture, right breathing, concentration and one-pointedness that will serve you a good deal throughout the day of rigors, stress and tensions. In addition to Yoga, we recommend you do some lifestyle changes, for more benefit.

1.  Swadhyaya (reading Yogic texts + self-study or introspection)
2.  Yogic Diet

While the former will give you good, positive insights into life, help you do a SWOT analysis of your life and broaden your range of vision, the latter will help keep you healthy and happy. This is why we prescribe a yogic diet. In Yoga this diet is called a Sattvic diet (pure and simple vegetarian food), Rajasik (overambitious, overenthusiastic and over energetic) or Tamasik (dull and lethargic). Only sincere Swadhyaya (introspection) will reveal to you what sort of personality you are. And diet will, in a great way help you make the intended shift.

Yoga teaches us that Rajas (the over energizing aspect) and Tamas (the apathetic, laggardly attitude) contribute to unhappiness and the many negative emotions that humankind is suffering from. That is why Yoga prescribes Sattva (purity) in thought, word and action, in exercise, posture, breathing, standing, sitting, walking, talking and eating. Whatever you do, let your endeavor be to move toward Sattva and we are sure your Yoga practices – with a little bit of devotion and determination from your end – will surely help.