When starting your yoga practice at home one question you might have is: how long should each yoga pose be held and how long should the yoga session last?

Such a great question with not an exact answer. I warn this up front because there is no real right or wrong answer.

Each yoga practice is as unique as each student that steps on the mat and it varies day to day.  The one main goal for any asana practice is to be able to finish in savasana and have your final mediation. The asanas leading up to savasana are meant to push out the need to keep shifting in the body so you can be still and allow the mind to settle.

With that in mind you can move into each yoga session with this as the main goal. That might mean you need a full 60-90 minutes just to move and breathe so you can eventually be still. Or, it might mean you only need 15-30 minutes.

First, listen to your body and ask yourself these questions:

1. Am I tired?

2. Am I restless and full of energy?

3. Is my mind already full of thoughts jumping around and around?

4. Do I feel like I could jump right into meditation?

5. Do I have an injury I need to work around?

6. Do I already know how to do a lot of poses?

If you are already tired or have an injury there is no real reason you absolutely have to do a full 60 minutes. Bringing the flow down to 30 minutes tops could be just as beneficial. With in this 30 minutes take each pose one breath at a time. See what each pose feels like after 3 or 4 breaths. Then, switch to another. Maybe, even repeat the same pose as before but hold longer or move deeper into it. Even if you only do 5-10 poses, I promise it still “counts” as yoga.

On the other hand, if you fell restless, full of energy, had a busy day going from task to task or your thoughts are all over the place a longer, flow might be helpful. Again, you can start with 3-4 breaths per pose and see how you feel and then move to the next. In this situation there might be enough energy “fire” to move in and out of poses at a quicker pace. But, again, you can repeat the same poses in one flow. Actually, I always recommend some sort of repeats. It helps the body to build muscle memory and move from pose to pose in a safer manner.

There is no specific amount of time or number of poses you have to do in order for it to count as yoga. That’s what I love about it.

So, how long should your yoga practice be? That depends.

I hope this helps 😉