Yoga is a science, thousands of years old. There are no fitness programs, exercise routines or medical breakthroughs that can match the power of yoga. Practicing Yoga requires only an open mind and a desire to improve. While it is highly recommended to practice with a teacher, real Yoga can only be practiced alone. The real Yoga teacher is inside. The perfect practice includes communication with a teacher and constant self-exercise that builds confidence, discipline and facilitates advancement.

Practicing Yoga at home has numerous benefits, but how do you approach this without a teacher?
Until your mastery of Yoga routines allows you to perform asanas without referencing others there are some tools that may help in establishing a successful home practice.

Yoga DVDs
When selecting a yoga program, pay attention to the quality of the product. Make sure your DVDs do not make any empty promises, or offer instant cures for weight loss, stress relief etc. Remember, all this must come from the inside, naturally. A great Yoga DVD must be hosted by a real instructor with a goal to spread knowledge and not to sell as many discs as possible. Also, pay attention to the structure of the DVD’s menu, ideally it must allow to build a personalized routine, with different lengths of practice as options. See my selection of the best Yoga DVDs available today - http://yogamatreview.org/yoga-dvds/. A guided meditation at the end of practice is a very important feature of any good Yoga DVD.

Yoga Books
My suggestion is to read the essential books on Yoga philosophy on a regular basis. These books, like the Bible, are fountains of wisdom, knowledge and answers to all questions. Continue reading The Yoga Sutras, The Bhagavad Gita and The Heart of Yoga throughout your entire life and gradually peace of mind will come and certain realizations will change you forever.  These books will help your Yoga practice tremendously.

Music
Most music played today is commercial, created to capitalize on our weaknesses and generate as much profit as possible. This kind of music requires high volume, as it is incapable of reaching us on subtle levels. We must be deafened, destroyed and overpowered before we surrender to pop, mostly against our natural desires. Spiritual, natural, real music on the other hand has amazing powers and may benefit your Yoga practice as much as performing asanas. Artists such as Krishna Das, Jai Uttal and Deva Premal create beautiful music that reaches deeps inside and purifies our minds and bodies.

Practicing Yoga at the comfort of your own home has great benefits and should become a part of your daily routine if you are serious about self-improvement.