Home Yoga for Beginners: 4 Tips to Optimize Your Progress
And how to get out of a progress plateau.
When I started practicing yoga in the early days of the pandemic, I didn’t have a yoga teacher or much knowledge to go on, so I made a lot of mistakes and hit a plateau early on. My progress was slow for the first year, but I learned some valuable lessons along the way. I’m excited to share them with you today!
If you’re new to yoga or if you’ve been practicing at home but you’ve hit a plateau with your progress, this article is for you.
1. Push Yourself, but Not Too Hard
I know it’s tempting, but don’t jump right into those intimidating, ultra bendy poses that require a lot of strength and balance — trying those too early can be discouraging.
Instead, focus on learning the basic poses. If you’re still new to yoga and trying it out mostly at home, I recommend the app Down Dog Yoga. You can start off at the beginner level and customize everything from the type of practice to the pace to the amount of instruction.
In the first couple of months, don’t worry so much about progress and instead get the hang of all the facets of yoga. Work on breathing, poses, flexibility, strength, and mental fortitude. You’ll know when you’re ready to step it up to the next level, and your body and mind will be much more receptive if you’ve eased into it.
If a pose hurts your joints or strains your muscles in a way that doesn’t feel good, you shouldn’t push it. Try doing a similar pose that’s more comfortable or fall back into the old standby, Child’s Pose.
Some poses will feel difficult or impossible depending on your flexibility and balance, but remember that you’re awesome and you can get there with more practice.
If you’re struggling with a pose, it’s important to make sure your form is correct. Here’s a great resource for many beginner poses:
If you’re still not sure about a pose or have concerns about something else that comes up during practice, consult a yoga professional.
2. Stretch Before Starting Your Practice
My progress exploded once I started stretching for just five minutes before doing yoga.
That’s because, prior to implementing pre-yoga stretching, I spent the first ten minutes of every yoga session just getting loosened up. Instead of fully melting into the first few Down Dogs and Forward Folds, I was still in the warm-up phase. As a result, my best work didn’t start until I was 20-30% of the way through my practice.
Once I started stretching for five minutes before practice, focusing primarily on my legs, the first few stretches during yoga were deeper and more comfortable. My muscles weren't screaming in pain, so I could focus on my breathing and form. Within a month, I was hitting milestones, like touching my toes for the first time. I strained fewer muscles and practice was more enjoyable.
The more stretching you do, the more flexibility you’ll cultivate, and the easier yoga will become.
This is one tip that I know from experience can help get you off of that plateau and have you back on track.
3. Make it a Daily Habit
If you’re practicing a few times a week but your flexibility, strength, and balance haven’t improved much, you’re not alone.
Early in my yoga journey, I hit the plateau hard. I had seen no change in my skill level or flexibility for months. I thought my body just couldn’t get any more bendy, so I got discouraged and convinced myself I’d never be able to touch my toes or do a split (I’m still miles from splitville, but making progress).
If this sounds like you, I challenge you to practice yoga every single day. Even if it’s just for fifteen minutes, daily practice is a great way to build your confidence, reinforce the skills you’re learning, and improve your flexibility and balance. Set fifteen minutes (or more if possible) as your minimum every day and go longer if you feel up to it. If you’re anything like me, after a couple of weeks, you’ll notice improvement in your skill level.
If you can’t carve out fifteen minutes every day, try static stretching daily for at least five minutes to help support your flexibility during yoga sessions.
Last month, I tried practicing yoga every day before work for two weeks — you can read about how that went here:
4. Make the Most of Savasana
The mind-body connection that you cultivate during Savasana can keep you motivated to show up to practice, help you push your limits and level up faster.
Please, do not skip this pose! Once you learn to embrace it, it can be the most beneficial pose in your practice because it ties the entire session together.
If you don’t feel like Savasana is doing much for you, there are a few things you can try before giving up.
First, think about the length of your normal Savasana and how it serves you. Three minutes is usually a nice length for me. If it’s longer, I get antsy. Experiment with the length of your Savasana to find what makes you feel the best.
As you settle into the final pose, focus on how your body feels. Enjoy the endorphins and take a few deep breaths. Scan your body and note how you feel physically and emotionally.
Take a moment to practice gratitude for your body — a body that just carried you through a great yoga session, that’s getting stronger every day.
Think about what you accomplished during practice. Did you feel more flexible than last time? Did you finally keep your balance during Warrior III?
If you were sore, note the poses that didn’t feel so great. Next time you might skip those poses or do some extra stretching before practice.
Remember to honor your body and keep yourself safe while also pushing your limits.
The information you gather during Savasana, and with reflection afterwards, is data that will help guide your next session.
Think of Savasana as a mini meditation. It supports your progress by reinforcing the benefits of yoga and building that mind-body connection.
In Conclusion
Remember, your body is capable of incredible things. Be patient and persevere, and you’ll bust through that plateau to do things you never thought possible.
For body positive yoga content every week, follow Savasana Today.
Disclaimer: This article features my experience and opinions. I am not a yoga teacher or a trained professional. I’m simply a yoga lover sharing what I’ve learned.
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