Whenever you try something new, or add someone new to your life (cat, dog, kid, lover), it/they come with a whole WORLD of stuff that you didn’t realize existed before. When I had my baby, I felt almost shocked by all the things you needed to keep the baby happy and alive. Same with getting a dog or cat. But it’s the same with my new-ish yoga practice. I didn’t know there were corners and rooms that people dedicate to yoga at home and it comes with it’s own aesthetic and product universe.
Curious to create a yoga and mediation space in my home, I googled and swiped around Insta and Pinterest which became a two hour rabbit hole that I willingly fell into. I found photo after photo of this whole at-home yoga girl power vibe filled with fantastic products, wall prints, dried flowers and plants, oils, ceramics, natural wood, neutral colors, crystals, Tarot cards, beads, meditation pillows… I mean, wow. I had no idea.
I’ve been practicing yoga weekly since March, so I’m ready to create a yoga and meditation space in my three season porch (referred to as wintergarten here in Germany) that is attached to my bedroom and faces the forest. I think I’ve done it long enough to know I’ll keep it up. Plus, my wintergarten is heated so I can use it year-round as my little escape, my vacay at home, a zen little yogagarten.
What do you put in a space like this? I’m thinking to add a potted tree like a ficus fig and some succulents and maybe a few other plants along with (of course) yoga things and a big, cozy chair for those moments when I’m using my Calm app, reading a book, listening to podcasts, or writing in my journal.
I have a pale pink yoga mat, two cork bricks, a pack of lovely illustrated yoga cards with various poses and routines, a pink kettle-bell (not yoga, I know) and some exercise bands. I have hand weights. I also have all kinds of incense, natural candles, a BoPlay for music and a few pretty crystals because hey, crystals are part of the vibe, friends. All I need next is a meditation pillow, a yoga print with poses to remember them all, a blanket for my savasana, and a calming yoga playlist.
This is beginning to sound nice… Like a gift to myself. I imagine it sorta coming together like this image below from Coco + Kelly…
I want to show you more of the sorta yoga aesthetic I’m talking about so I’ll include some photos below but first, I’m also curious - do you do yoga at home? Do you meditate? My friend Paris got me into the Calm app. Do you use it too?
Now it’s time for a little back story. There’s always a back story, right? Well in this case, it’s a hip story. ha ha.
I now have a right hip problem from the birth of my son that was never fully corrected and now, it’s an issue that seems to have long-term consequences. My orthopedist encouraged me back in March to start yoga and I immediately signed up with a personal yoga trainer and now its mid November and the progress I’ve made physically and even mentally from yoga is totally inspiring to me. I also lost 20 lbs. I’m more flexible and went from only walking 3,000 steps a day in total pain to walking 12,000 steps a day with substantially less pain (though some days, it’s still not great). I take less pain killers - for a few months, I was popping a ibuprofen every day just to get through the day so I can manage my life, my child, my career. I now go to physical therapy too - twice a week - and next I want to try Pilates and add more stretching to my routine. I joined a gym and started doing eFit, which is like a computerized weight training circuit. I go biking. I went from feeling (and moving) like I was 85 years old to being 40 years younger again. But I still worry about this hip and what the future holds so I have to create this at-home space for yoga and exercise so I’ll be encouraged to continue working on myself day by day.
I also have a private instructor for yoga, her name is Maggie. We both have young kids and a full life so we started meeting once a week in March/April of this year and I’ve stuck by her ever since and have purchased 3 packs of 10 sessions with her so far and plan to buy more after these sessions end. It’s worth the investment - I’m happy to meet her weekly in-studio yet after so many months of guided in-studio yoga, I’ve learned enough to do my practice on my own so I’ll add more days each week alone at home in my new yogagarten. So that’s the back story as to why I feel ready to create this space. I’ll still have Maggie at the studio each week but I can do my own thing at home each morning before I shower or before bed at night and that will be truly wonderful.
Aren’t those photos so serene? Here is my lovely YOGA AESTHETIC AT HOME Pinterest board too that I’ve created for you in case you’d like to see the design direction I’m taking for my yoga space. You may be inspired to create your own corner or room too, and if so, let me know.
Lots of these images above come from Mala Collective, I wish they shipped to Germany, I’d own the whole shop.
So tell me, do you have a space for yoga or meditation (or both) at home? Or a dedicated room? What is in the space? Tell me more!
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Have a lovely day everyone. Thank you for being here!
Yours,
Holly
(Click on any photo to be brought to its source).
We have a really small home, so my yoga setup fits into a large tote bag that I pull out for virtual classes on weekends. It still feels like a great setup for our space though, I'm always happy and excited when I can transform a section of the bedroom into a "studio".
I loved reading this Holly and you've inspired me to see how I can create a space for myself too. A few years ago I got really into yoga, doing classes daily and I looked and felt considerably better. You've inspired me to find that joy again!