- Understand the essence of Yoga – Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices that originated in ancient India. There is a broad variety of yoga schools and practices propagated by many learned teachers. As Yoga is a philosophy, everyone has created their own version of it. It is up-to you to learn and adopt the style that suits you best.
In the western world the term “Yoga” often denotes a modern form of Hatha Yoga or yoga as an exercise, meant for physical fitness and relaxation.
- Learn to accept – Yoga teaches techniques to unify mind and body. It is a totalitarian system of activities a human being should do to achieve peace, happiness and a state of union. Hence the first step towards learning Yoga is to accept.
Accept your strengths, flaws, past, present and everything around you. When you accept, you start moving towards a state where you are at peace with everything. Objects that caused you suffering lose their identity, because you understand that everything that happened or is happening, is an outcome of your own actions.
Practicing acceptance will open new networks in your brain for new skills and learnings.
- Start to notice your breathe – breathing is a simple process, but when you start developing awareness in this process, you develop control. The connection between breath, human anatomy and brain is one of the most beneficial aspects of Yoga.
Mindfulness in breathing can reap you benefits like good sleep, reduced stress and mental clarity.
Whether you are a beginner or an expert in Yoga Asanas, start noticing your breath and the profound benefits attached with it. Every asana has a breath attached to it, when you match your body movement with the inflow or outflow of air, you will see profound changes in your flexibility, reach and practice.
- Learn from an experienced and qualified teacher – Yoga is a philosophy, everyone has their own style, format and technique to impart the knowledge. This being said different people come to learn yoga for different purposes, someone may be suffering from a back pain, someone may want to reduce stress and someone may want to explore the mystical dimension of Yoga. So, a Yoga teacher is a nurturer of life. Hence spend some time in finding the right guru.
It is best to start learning Yoga under the guidance of a qualified yoga teacher. It is important to learn the correct techniques of each asanas, as wrong postures can lead to severe injuries.
- Be regular – practice maketh a man perfect. Every skill needs time, patience and dedicated routine. Yoga can be challenging and frustrating in the beginning, as you may not be able to get into all postures. But Rome was not built in a day.
Regular practice and dedication to Yoga will give you profound benefits, not only to your physical health but also to your mental well-being.
There will be philosophies and techniques you may not resonate to, but keep an open mind and you will see a positive overhaul in all aspects of your life.
- Eat right and stay light – yoga is most effective empty stomach, early morning, ‘The Golden Hour’. However, Yoga can be practiced anytime of the day, hence keep at least 2-3 hours gap between your practice and the meal.
Along with good quality food, eaten at the right time, in right quantity, you should also consume at least 3-4 liters of waters. This will help you remove the toxins created during the Yoga practice. Water also helps in multiple other ways that will keep you active and light throughout the day.
- Warm-up every time, every day – a good practice is only as efficient as a good warm up. A lot of people think, Yoga needs no preparation, all the asanas are only stretching exercises. Unfortunately, this is a wrong notion. Yoga can be as strenuous as lifting heavy weights in a gym. Hence it becomes extremely essential to warm up your body before starting any Yoga practice.
While warming up concentrate on the parts that’ll be used or put under strain during the Yoga routine.
- Enjoy stillness – Yoga is not always about movement, it is also about holding a posture and just watching the movement of your breath.
Most of us find it challenging to sit still. We would rather move our body, watch a TV screen or just browse brainless content on internet.
Just to give yourself a taste of Yoga, try sitting still at any comfortable place, close your eyes and just watch the movement of your breath. See how long you can hold yourself from jumping back into action.
- Keep challenging your self – Yoga is a progressive journey. There are no shortcuts to becoming good in it and there is no end date to Yoga. If you want to be in unison with your mind and body, enjoy the blissful experience of practicing Yoga, you have to keep practicing it daily.
There would be some asanas or postures that you will be able to get into immediately. However, there will be some asanas which you will think are beyond your bodily capabilities. And this is where you have to challenge yourself, because this is Yoga. As per Yoga gurus there is no asana beyond anyone’s reach, you may not be able to stretch or twist like others, but you will be able to move as per your body type.
Yoga is a journey that teaches you to create unhindered control over your body and mind. And this can be achieved only when you challenge yourself gradually.
Keep practicing and keep moving your bar higher.
- You are unique – Wherever you stand in your yoga practice, be happy with it. Don’t compare yourself to anybody. Remember that each body type is unique and different people are at different levels of expertise. Some might easily perform a particular asana, while others may need a little more time and practice to get there. Therefore, don’t feel pressurised and over-exert yourself. Your flexibility and efficiency in doing yoga postures will improve with regular practice.
Do not be alarmed if you experience some soreness in the muscles during the initial days of the practice. The crux here is to be regular with your yoga practice and have patience. Just like any other discipline, it will take some time for the body to get used to the yoga asanas.
You will be able to experience the subtler and deeper benefits of yoga in due time only if you stay regular with your practice. Yoga encompasses yoga asanas, timeless ancient philosophy pranayama (breathing techniques) and meditation. All these techniques and practices will take you beyond the body level, offering a deeper spiritual experience.
Book a session with us today and give yourself the much needed boost, for your physical and mental health.
