Home Gym Hack: Add a Yoga Room to Your House

A yoga room is the perfect home gym solution when you’re tight on space. Image: Home Ingredients

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It’s the age-old question: What do we have to do to actually get ourselves to work out? Do we get a fitness buddy who hassles us when we skip a day? Do we join the gym that’s closest to home? Or do we avoid the trouble of leaving the home at all and add a workout space to our houses? The last option is ideal. That is, it’s ideal if you’ve got the space and money. Traditional home gyms require an upfront investment in equipment and open space, which a lot of people simply don’t have. Before you give up on the idea of creating a workout space at home, though, consider a yoga room.

Yoga’s gaining in popularity for a reason. It’s adjustable depending on the intensity of workout you want. It helps you get stronger and more limber. It’s ideal for just about every body type and age group. And it doesn’t require much to get started. Roll out a mat on your living room floor, queue up a YouTube video (we love Yoga with Adriene) and you’re ready to go. If you want to create a home gym without the hassle and cost of creating a home gym, try a yoga room. Here are just a few reasons to designate a space for your practice.

Your yoga space can fit in any unused corner of your home or apartment. Image: Suzette Sherman Design

It’s easy (and cheap) to set up

As we mentioned before, setting up a home gym requires an initial investment. Even a simple weight set doesn’t run cheap, and how long is that weight set going to hold your interest, really? You want equipment that will keep you engaged, and that often means shelling out for pricey additions like a Bowflex or Peleton.

A yoga space, on the other hand, doesn’t require much. Buy a mat, and you’re basically ready to get started. Sure, you might want to add some blocks or straps down the road, but those are both affordable and they take up very little space. While the Bowflex is a pain to maneuver into your workout space and set up, yoga equipment is lightweight and packs away easily. That means you don’t necessarily need to clear out an entire room. Just set aside an area that can accommodate your mat and is free from visual clutter, and you’re ready to begin.

With a more mellow style, your home gym may actually get used even on days when you don’t feel like working out. Image: Ryan Associates

Yoga is the perfect anytime workout

How many home gyms sit vacant day after day? While you’d think that having a workout space just steps away makes it easier to go exercise, the fact is that sometimes (okay, maybe a lot of the time) we just don’t feel like it. If you want to create a workout area that gets used on a regular basis, a yoga room is a solid option. Most workouts are high intensity. Sure, you can do fewer reps or take things down a peg, but you still have to be in the headspace where you’re willing to grind.

Yoga is different. There are definitely types of yoga that get your blood pumping (looking at you, vinyasa), but others are more mellow. A yin-type yoga flow is the ideal physical activity for when you don’t really feel like doing any physical activity. You won’t burn as many calories, but you’ll be focusing on your breath and your body’s alignment. As a result, you still get physical benefits from your time in your home gym. And because you showed up – even for a mellower flow – you’re more likely to do so again tomorrow. And the next day.

Tuck away a yoga room in your attic to create a zen retreat. Image: Candelaria Design Associates

A yoga room can be a zen space in your home

When you set aside a space for yoga, you set aside a space to be mindful of your physical body. You create an area for self-care, and it can be used for that even when you’re not working out. A yoga space can be a retreat you use to read, meditate or catch a quiet moment to yourself. If you think of this as your chill lounge or meditation room, you’ll get more use out of the space.

If you’re looking for a great workout, look no further than yoga. Image: Blansfield Builders

Yoga packs a powerful punch

We’re not just touting yoga because it’s easy to set up in your home (although we won’t lie, that’s a big draw). It’s a great workout. There’s a reason people have been doing yoga for centuries, after all. You can tailor your yoga practice to your fitness goals. People tend to assume yoga is for flexible people who want to become more flexible. In reality, it’s a way to engage your body exactly as it is now. You don’t need to do any training to get into yoga – you can just start. You can pick poses and sequences (often called flows) that work for you and help you achieve your fitness goals. And you’ll be helping your mental health along the way, too.

Do you have a yoga room in your house, or do you plan to add one? Do you have any additional tips for getting into your practice?

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