Yoga is an ancient practice designed to increase mindfulness and peace. It can provide physical activity, provide relaxation after an exhausting day and build connections with our surroundings.
Home yoga studios can help create the feeling of peace and serenity – even if it’s just an area in your living room or bedroom!
Make It Your Own
Your space for yoga should be both relaxing and inspiring, whether that means dedicating an entire room or simply a corner. Add elements that reflect your spirituality and yoga vibe – including soothing decor, indoor plants, soothing wall colors and relaxation elements such as an essential oil diffuser. Lighting also plays an important role: according to research at University of Greenwich’s Lighting Labs, blue-enriched bulbs help users feel happier by decreasing melatonin levels within their bodies and thus keeping you alerter.
If your home yoga studio is near a window, open the blinds or let in sunlight to set the scene for an enjoyable session. Alternatively, try lighting your space softly using lamps and pendants with lower wattages than regular lamps – something like David Hunt’s Chester Adjustable Floor Lamp has an low wattage but sleek and minimalist design to fit in seamlessly with any decor style.
Hang a full-size mirror in your yoga space so you can check and adjust your alignment during your practice. A full-length mirror will allow you to see more clearly than ever, helping you attain better alignment for poses while feeling secure on the mat.
Use a large mirror when testing out new poses or variations on existing ones, whether as a beginner seeking correct postures or an experienced yogi seeking ways to enhance their postures. It will especially come in handy for beginners just starting out or experienced yogis seeking ways to perfect their pose.
Apart from mirrors, essential yoga studio components include blocks and bolsters. These items provide additional support during poses by lifting up muscles for stability or helping with more challenging poses that require balance and strength.
Create a Space
Create an atmosphere of peace and welcomeness when designing your yoga space, whether that means an entire studio or just a corner in your living room. Your five senses provide guidance when creating this peaceful yet welcoming area; but more than anything, how you feel matters the most – decorate with elements such as plants, candles, incense or music to help ground and connect you to earthly elements like yoga mats, incense or music for optimal yoga workout results.
Lighting plays a pivotal role in your yoga practice. Pick a light that makes you feel relaxed and energised, then adjust as needed throughout the day to meet your mood and achieve optimal practice conditions. Soft natural lights work best when practicing poses that relax both body and mind.
When selecting colors for your yoga room, choose earth tones that reflect your intentions for practice. Cooler shades such as blues and greens evoke relaxation while warmer hues reminiscent of sunlight encourage an active, energetic mindset. Natural wood furniture will bring an inviting ambience into the space.
Add houseplants to your yoga space for a fresh, natural ambience. Woven baskets can hold your mat and towel for easy transport while hanging hooks allow you to store all sorts of yoga straps and accessories.
Add an element of nature into your home yoga studio by installing a water feature. Not only will this add soothing, natural sounds but it can also make the experience of practicing more relaxing during and post workout sessions.
Make sure to add visuals that inspire you in your yoga room – whether that means including deities, inspiring quotes, salt lamps or photos of loved ones as an added boost of motivation during your workouts. Visual cues like deities, inspirational quotes or photos can provide just enough distraction during practice to keep you focused while maintaining focus.
Once your space is designed, it’s time to get organized! A clutter-free space invites clarity of thought; start by eliminating clutter. Choose furniture with built-in storage options like ottomans to save floor space, and wall shelves or stacked shelving units as storage for yoga books, props and blankets needed for savasana.
Get Organized
Recreate the studio experience at home by setting aside an area for meditation or yoga practice in any part of your bedroom, living room or outdoor space – then add soothing decor, indoor plants and relaxing colors for a zen environment that’s ideal for rejuvenating.
An unclean or disorganized yoga space can interfere with your practice and lead to cluttering of mind, so it’s essential that excess clutter be eliminated in order to keep your practice space tidy. Shelving and baskets can help organize all your supplies such as mats, blocks and towels; hooks allow easy access and organization of props for easy storage.
An effective yoga space requires both an excellent yoga mat and dedicated space within your home for practice. Be sure to include a full-sized mirror so you can assess yourself regularly to identify areas for growth.
Keep your yoga and breathing exercises cool and breathable by adding fans, curtains or even ductless portable air conditioning units into your practice space. Doing this will allow you to stay focused on yoga poses and breathing exercises without distraction from hot temperatures in your practice space.
Lighting can add another calming element to your home yoga studio. Choose natural or dimmable bulbs with low VOC emissions that are eco-friendly. Try to time your practice around natural daylight hours; red and orange lights may help motivate intense workouts while blue-enriched bulbs support focus and alertness.
Use wall hangings or art to personalize your practice space and inspire you to hit the mat. Ideas can be found on Pinterest and Instagram; or use an empty wall to display photos and objects you cherish.
Decorate
No matter if it is a room dedicated to yoga or just a quiet corner of the living area, when creating an inviting yoga practice space in your home or zen space in an adjacent living area it should reflect both your yoga practice and intentions. Natural lighting and inviting scents will help create an environment where each time you step onto your mat is welcoming.
Home yoga studios should ideally be situated near windows or skylights for maximum natural lighting benefits that help elevate serotonin levels and induce feelings of relaxation and empowerment. If this is not feasible, consider smart bulbs which allow you to control brightness and color of lighting to match any mood – orange and red lights work great for increasing energy levels, while blue and green hues promote focus and relaxation.
A large mirror is essential in a yoga space to check alignment and ensure proper form. A patterned backdrop can add visual interest while streaming devices containing guided meditations or yoga classes can support your practice by keeping you focused on breathing and movement.
To create a peaceful and relaxing space, try setting up a scented oil diffuser filled with essential oils such as lavender or peppermint and lighting some incense or scented candles to set the atmosphere while you move through your poses and breathing exercises. The smells stimulate the amygdala in the brain and have an enormously positive impact on emotions and behavior.
Plants and flowers add beauty and improve air quality in yoga rooms by filtering pollutants out and providing fresh oxygen. If a large plant isn’t possible in your space, try hanging some greenery such as cacti or succulent wall art, or line shelves with terrariums filled with golden pathos vines and moss for some shelf-liner fun!
Clutter can be disruptive to both mind and body, so make sure your home yoga studio remains clean and uncluttered. Use wall racks or shelves to store equipment and props to save floor space; hanging hooks also serve this purpose while adding an attractive way of displaying yoga straps and accessories.