After you’ve been practicing yoga for a while, it’s normal to feel a bit bored or uninspired — especially if you’ve been practicing in the same location, following the same sequences, and targeting the same parts of your body each time. After all, those of us with plantar fasciitis tend to focus on the poses that relieve pain in our feet, hamstrings, calves, and heels. We may also avoid certain poses and sequences for fear that they’ll worsen our plantar fasciitis pain.
Although it’s important to continue targeting the heels and legs while practicing yoga as someone with plantar fasciitis, there are so many other things you can do to upgrade each yoga session and rekindle your love for the ancient practice. Here are five ideas to get you started:
1. Get a Cell Phone Tripod for Online Yoga Classes
Unless you’re practicing yoga in a studio setting or using a larger television or laptop screen to follow along online, you’re probably using your smartphone to practice from your home or office. And while these apps make it easier than ever to switch up your daily yoga routine with new sequences, poses, and instructors, practicing with a cell phone has its disadvantages. It can be difficult to see the screen clearly when your phone is laying on the floor, for example, and there isn’t always a wall or object to prop the device up against while practicing at home.
This is where cell phone tripods come in. These compact accessories make it super easy to use your mobile device to stream online yoga videos, and they can also be used for other things such as taking hands-free photos and selfies. You can even use them to film yourself practicing yoga or teaching your own classes online.
Bluetooth speakers for improved sound quality, portable heaters for hot yoga health benefits, and mini fans for cooling down post-yoga can also help to elevate your home practice.
2. Take Mood-Boosting Yoga Breaks Throughout the Workday
Working from home can certainly lead to improved physical and mental health, but only if you maintain a healthy lifestyle and ensure you’re exercising, eating well, and keeping your stress levels in check. So if you’re lucky enough to work from home, simply practicing yoga throughout the workday could help to upgrade your daily routine and improve your overall health and well-being.
If you typically practice yoga in the evening, for instance, why not practice when you’d normally be driving to and from work or running errands over lunch? Some tension-relieving yoga poses — like neck rolls and seated spinal twists — can even be practiced while sitting at a desk or talking on the phone. Look for ways to incorporate yoga into your workday and you could experience benefits like improved concentration and productivity, reduced stress and anxiety, and a more positive mood.
3. Add in Tools and Equipment
Incorporating tools and equipment into your yoga practice can significantly enhance your experience and deepen the benefits of your poses. One of the most common tools is the yoga mat, which provides a non-slip surface and cushioning for comfort. For added support and to facilitate proper alignment, yoga blocks are invaluable. They can be used under the hands, feet, or spine to maintain balance and deepen stretches, especially in poses where flexibility may be limited. Yoga straps are another versatile tool, ideal for extending reach and holding poses longer, particularly for those with limited flexibility. They can be used to gently pull limbs closer in stretches or to maintain alignment in poses like shoulder stands.
Beyond these basics, there are several other tools that can enrich your practice. Bolsters provide additional support in restorative poses, allowing for deeper relaxation and release. For those looking to add a challenge to their practice, yoga sandbags and weighted balls can be used to increase strength and stability. These weights add resistance, making poses more challenging and helping to build muscle.
4. Pay for an Online Yoga Membership
While free online yoga classes are great, finding the motivation to practice isn’t always easy when you’re not paying for a membership or practicing outside of your home. As such, paying for an online membership could be highly motivating if you’ve fallen off the yoga wagon but wish to get back on. There are plenty of affordable online memberships to choose from, and knowing you’re paying for a subscription — even a cheap one — could motivate you to practice on a regular basis.
Several affordable online yoga class subscriptions are available through:
- DoYogaWithMe
- Yoga Download
- Gaia
- Glo
- YogiApproved
5. Incorporate Meditation Into Your Practice
Like yoga, there are numerous health benefits of practicing meditation. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH) says meditation and mindfulness can help with managing stress, anxiety, and depression; withdrawal-related symptoms; and pain (a plus for those with plantar fasciitis). Some studies suggest meditation could even help to improve sleep quality and promote a healthy weight. And while the risks of practicing meditation are rare, those with anxiety and depression may need to start slowly to see how their bodies respond.
Meditation and mindfulness can both be done on their own, but it’s also possible to incorporate meditation into your daily yoga practice for even more health benefits. To try it out for yourself, start by setting an intention for each yoga practice, focusing on your inhales and exhales, and paying attention to the physical sensations you’re experiencing as you transition between poses. You could also use an app like InsightTimer to listen to guided meditations while transitioning between yoga poses.
To learn more, Greatist offers some tips for meditating while practicing yoga.
Take Your Yoga Practice to the Next Level
The best thing about doing yoga (aside from the physical, mental, and emotional health benefits it offers) is that there’s no right or wrong way to practice. You can switch up your practice at any time, incorporate different tools and techniques into each class, and even practice throughout the workday to ease pain and anxiety while boosting your mood and focus.
There’s no reason to quit yoga if you’re bored with it or have fallen behind on your practice: there are so many different styles, poses, tools, and mobile apps to try!
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