One complaint many people have about their own personal practice is that they can't seem to get (or keep) it going. Real life, a busy schedule, kids, or lack of space becomes more pressing than the desire to have a practice. For other people, the intention is there, but the motivation seems to elude them. For some people, attending a yoga retreat can kick-start them into more personal practice, while others tend to just keep their yoga in the studio where they take classes.

If you desire to have a yoga practice, then know this: you can have a personal practice anywhere, anytime. You do not need an in-home studio, you don't need an hour of devoted time, and you certainly don't have to do the same thing every day. If you have five minutes upon rising in the morning do your sun salutations – this is your personal practice. If you find time on your lunch break to practice balancing in the park, then that's your yoga practice. Wherever you have the desire to do yoga, make it happen. If you find yourself on an airplane when the mood strikes you, then it may just be time to practice some mudras, locks, or seated meditation.

Instead of holding yourself up to an ideal where you have a yoga routine that you do daily in some sacred space, let your yoga happen wherever and however it does. If you fall out of the habit of doing yoga in your daily life, do not berate yourself or consider yourself a failure. Instead, stop and stand in tree pose, remembering that you carry your yoga practice within you. As this develops further, you may find that there is in fact a space in your home to devote to your practice, or a time of day that is more convenient than others. This is good and it will encourage continuing your practice. Don't get discouraged if there are a few breaks in between – all things will come in their own time.

Children are wonderfully suited to yoga practice and benefit from a routine yoga practice. Young children who are in preschool can usually stay focused on yoga for ten to fifteen minutes, while those in elementary school can stay present for twenty to thirty minutes of yoga. With children's yoga, a focus on light-hearted fun is usually the best approach. All those animal poses, like cat, cow, cobra, upwards and downwards dog, and fish pose are great places to start as the children can imitate the animals in both posture and noise.

The physical benefits of yoga for children should not be underestimated. They gain strength and flexibility all while learning that taking care of their bodies in a way that is fun and enjoyable. They learn to respect their bodies and be proud of what they can do. With each accomplishment, whether it is finally balancing in tree pose for a full ten breaths or being able to touch their nose to their knees, they gain self esteem. Learning that hard work and dedication are what lead them to success is best learned early, and will serve them well for the rest of their lives.

There is also an emotional component to what children learn from yoga that affects their ability to interface with the rest of the world in a more effective manner. They learn the skills of meditation and relaxation, and how to calm their minds and bodies. The teachings of yoga are easy for them to assimilate and begin to practice in their lives. Yoga allows children to express themselves creatively, to release tension, fear, or sadness they might feel, and welcome peace and joy into their lives. This can become their pattern, their learned behavior, and how to live their life.

Over the past decade, yoga has become a fitness craze. It is offered in many gyms and fitness centers alongside all the other exercise classes. Many look to yoga to help them lose weight, gain flexibility, and strengthen their body. This is all well and good, of course, because yoga does do all of these things. The true practice of yoga, however, as has been passed down for centuries through its teachers, is much deeper. A practice of yoga should bring one to a place of deep inner peace, a place of deep devotion.

In finding emotional balance in yoga, the trick is this: experience the yoga. Allow your entire experience to become the yoga. When you settle into your own stillness, you realize that this wonderful and peaceful place is always within you, that it IS you. With practice, you can return to this state of stillness at any time.

 Through the agility of the body, we may stretch and put ourselves into many positions, massage all of our internal organs, and amaze ourselves at the ability of our body, and at the end of the day we will find our true center.

Practitioners of yoga will tell you that the best way to increase balance is to practice balancing. For physical balance, one might start by balancing on two feet, then one foot, then perhaps on one's arms. These exercises will also transfer to emotional balance, especially if, as the physical balance is occurring, the mind practices stillness. If you are thinking wildly, you do not have mental or emotional balance, and your physical balance will suffer. If you can calm and center your mind, your emotions and thoughts will be still, and your physical balance improved.