Note: The following post is sponsored by Chesapeake Bay Candle, but the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

There’s something a little magical about candles. Maybe it’s simply the warm glow and ambient flicker of the flames. Maybe it’s the tradition–candles have been used in religious ceremonies for hundreds of years as a symbol for life, purity, and goodness. Or maybe people just like candles because we associate them with happy times–there are candles on birthday cakes after all, and who doesn’t love a birthday party?!

(Confession: As a parent, I go to many kid birthday parties that I do NOT love. But my memories of attending birthday parties as a kid are EPIC!)

Whatever the reason, if you want to make your home yoga practice a little more special, taking a few seconds to light a candle is a great way to do it.

3 Ways to Use Candles for Yoga

1 – Create an altar with candles.

If your yoga practice is your also your time to connect to your spirituality–whatever that means for you–lighting a candle to represent your divine light, bringing in a small plant to represent nature, and including a photo of a teacher or loved one is a great way to add more meaning to your home practice space. (I also have a couple of beautiful crystals that are special to me.) An altar adds a little more beauty to your practice space, and if you put it somewhere you see it often it can serve as a reminder of your commitment to the practice every time you see it throughout your day.

2 – Meditate on the candle flame.

Most of the time when I meditate, I sit quietly with my eyes closed. There are times, though, that that just doesn’t work for me. Sometimes it’s really hard to settle into what I’m doing. I feel antsy or my mind feels too busy to close my eyes. In those times, I find other techniques to help me focus. I might use a mantra, find my mala beads, or go get a candle. The meditation technique of gazing at a candle flame is called trataka. Basically, it helps to focus your mind by giving your eyes something to do. There’s a great explanation of how to do it here.

3 – Appeal to all your senses.

Think about where your mind goes when you’re really in the zone during your yoga practice. Likely, you’re focusing on the body–the breath moving in, filling your lungs, and going back out. You probably spend some time feeling the mat under your feet or the air circulate around your skin.You listen to your breathing or maybe soft music and your teacher’s voice.

One of the senses you don’t think about too often in yoga classes is your sense of smell (unless, of course, it’s a bad smell–if you know what I mean!). There are LOTS of choices for scents and aromatherapy. There’s everything from old school, smokey incense to costly essential oils.

I’ll be honest: I love essential oils, but sometimes it’s all I can do to unroll my mat in the first place. I just don’t have it in me to pull out a diffuser, a recipe book, and 6 different bottles of oils (I never have all the right ones!) to make a concoction to meet my needs for that day.

That’s why I’m loving the Chesapeake Bay Mind & Body scented candle collection–they’re scented with essential oils and each one is clearly marked with what the aromatherapy benefit of the candle is. Easy peasy.

I am SO in love with the strength + energy pineapple coconut candle for my morning vinyasa practice and the balance + harmony water lily pear scent or peace + tranquility cashmere jasmine for when I need more calming and grounding in the evenings. I really like reflection + clarity because of its beachy seasalt sage scent, which is also pretty calming for a chill out practice or evening bath time.

Confidence + freedom oak moss amber is a stronger scent, but I like it for more active practices like arm balances or inversions, or even when I just need to do something challenging like write a blog post that isn’t flowing.

These candles are beautiful enough to be a part of an altar and everything about them just makes me happy. (It really is the little things.)

Keep it Simple + Make It Special, Too

If you’re a long-time reader of this blog, you know that I’m a big advocate of keeping home practice time simple. Sometimes the fewer bells and whistles, the better.

In fact, my advice to mamas who want to practice yoga on their own is to start with basic poses—the same sequence or yoga videos everyday, at the same time to create a ritual that helps you clear your head and connect with your true essence.

But I also know that the more enjoyable your yoga home practice is, the more likely you are to do it on a consistent basis. And that means you’ll see more of the benefits more quickly.

Something as simple as lighting a candle that offers a little ambiance and aromatherapy is a quick-and-easy way to set your environment up, give yourself something lovely to focus on, help you connect more deeply to yourself and the world around you, and remind you of why you’re practicing in the first place.

Do you ever use candles in your yoga practice? How do you make your yoga practice space more special? Please share your tips in the comments section below!