1. Start on the main branch (usually called master or main). Check it with git branch, the main branch will be marked with an *.

   

2. Create a new branch called "feature" - git branch feature

3. Switch to the feature branch - git checkout feature

   

4. Make some commits on the feature branch to change files, for example:

    # Add a new file 
    vim newfile.txt
    git add newfile.txt
    git commit -m "Add newfile in feature branch"
   

   

    # Edit existing file
    echo "Some feature code" >> README.md 
    git commit -am "Update README for new feature"
   

   

5. Switch back to main - git checkout master

   

6. Merge the feature branch into main - git merge feature

   This will create a new commit on main with all the changes from feature.

   

7. Check that main contains the changes with git log

   

8. Delete the feature branch since the changes are integrated - git branch

   -d feature

   

Overall, using a local Git repository provides flexibility and speed benefits compared to only using a remote repo. The local repo is the main development hub. Remotes like GitHub enable collaboration, visibility and backup of commits.