How to Start a Home Yoga Practice

Discover how healthy and practical it can be to learn yoga at home.

When you become a Gaiam Yoga Studio member, you have immediate access to instruction from Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman specially designed to help you develop your own home yoga practice!

As a member, you:

• Start each week with an online video where Rodney and Colleen guide you step by step through the week's yoga poses
• Dive deeper into the yoga poses through downloadable practice podcasts and pose guides
• Learn three versions (beginner, intermediate and advanced) of over 75 yoga poses
• Check in with Rodney and Colleen via online chats with questions about your home yoga practice or a particular yoga pose
• Repeat previous lessons if you wish and review poses from the online videos
• Create a profile and join teams to add a sense of community to your Gaiam Yoga Studio experience
• Use all of these tools to further your personal yoga development and start creating a specialized home yoga practice today!

Home Yoga Practice FAQ

Q: Why should I practice yoga on my own at home?
A: Creating a home yoga practice means discovering and expanding your understanding of yoga and yourself. In addition, in our busy lives it is hard (and expensive) to visit a studio. Creating your own home yoga practice offers you the freedom to explore yoga on your schedule in the privacy of your own home.

Q: Will this program still benefit me if I am an experienced yoga student?
A: Yes! Often times in our busy schedules, it is hard to get to the yoga studio, or maintain a fulfilling home yoga practice. In this program, Rodney and Colleen demonstrate three versions -- from beginning to advanced -- of over 75 poses. The "easier" versions of poses often are valuable in reinforcing what the full expression of the pose feels like. As Rodney says, "As we mature in our practice, we realize that it is not so much about doing more difficult poses but about finding the delicate balance within each pose".

Q: Will this program replace my yoga class?
A: The Gaiam Online Yoga Studio was created to help you get even more out of class and develop a deeper, more personal understanding of yoga.

Q: What if I don't have time every day to practice?
A: Because of the self-paced nature of this program, you decide when you want to practice. There is no pressure to complete the pre-designed week's poses in one week. By the end of the program, though, we hope that the Gaiam Yoga Studio will encourage and help you sustain a regular yoga practice.

Q: How can audio-only instructions help my practice?
A: Audio gives you the opportunity to dive in to your personal home yoga practice. Following verbal instruction allows you to focus on the poses. The audio is available for download, so you can load the files on to your MP3 player. This gives you the flexibility to listen to the yoga and meditation audio when and where you want. Some of our customers like to practice at the beach, in the park, or in the garden.

Q: What type of media player is being used?
A: We use Flash media player technology from Irdeto to stream the videos. The player is compatible with both PCs and Macs.

Q: After I finish the initial 13 weeks for the Gaiam Yoga Studio, is there a completely new program available?
A: The program doesn't start over. By continuing the subscription, you will always have access to the exclusive Gaiam Yoga Studio features -- monthly access to Rodney and Colleen through online chats, their motivating blogs and a supportive online community. In addition, you can always go back and repeat previous weeks to continue working on your home yoga practice.

Q: Where can I purchase yoga props and necessities?
A: Of course we recommend that you shop at Gaiam.com for your yoga props at Gaiam.com or you can get a catalog sent to you by signing up online - Gaiam catalog request or call toll-free: 1-877-989-6321