7 Tips For Starting Yoga For The First-Timers
Understandably, yoga can be daunting. Yoga for beginners would seem somewhat overwhelming; many beginners have stopped doing yoga after a while. If you are in that rare group where you want to pursue yoga and keep on doing it no matter what, you’re at the right place! You can employ many tips and tricks for starting yoga smoothly; here are some of the benefits of yoga mentioned below.
1- Approach Yoga as a way of life:
Yoga is not just a form of exercise or a way to burn calories; it is a way of life. Experts usually describe it as the grand unification of body, mind and soul, where you are at peace with everything. If you approach practising yoga as just a set of asanas – much like exercise – then you might know the technicalities, but the true essence would be lost. On the other hand, if you view it not as a compulsion but as a desirable lifestyle, you’ll warm up to yoga in no time!
2- Learn at your own pace:
Yoga for beginners is simple enough, but it is easy to become greedy and want to get every pose correct right away when you start practising yoga. This mindset, sadly, hinders your progress and demotivates you, especially if you see others faring quite well. So I am here to inform you that you don’t have to nail every pose as fast as possible. Yoga practitioners advise you to take your time to understand and practice the poses till it’s comfortable and easy for you to do it.
3- Pay attention to your breathing:
One of the most important benefits of yoga is the breathing technique. The steady flow of breathing purifies the body and mind, enabling the yoga practitioner to understand yoga’s true essence. If you don’t breathe properly, you are likely to get injured while practising yoga. Therefore, yoga for beginners suggests breathing deeply and including breathing exercises in your regular yoga practice.
4- Get used to stillness:
Almost everyone is not used to being still – we fidget, pace around, tap our feet or shake our shoulders. Yoga, however, is all about being comfortable in stillness, i.e. not giving in to the distractions surrounding you. To achieve that, you can try to be present in the moment. Acknowledge the distraction instead of either suppressing it wholly or giving in to it immediately. Observing it would make you feel comfortable in stillness, which in turn develops your patience for yoga.
5- Maintain a regular yoga practice:
One can’t do yoga for two days and then take a week’s break. When it comes to yoga – or any other habits, for that matter – you have to practice and practice. As mentioned above, yoga for beginners can prove rather challenging. Only through willing dedication, patience, and continuous practice can you achieve the result you desire. If you keep practising without slacking, you’ll be working with the yoga asanas as if you’ve been doing yoga for years!
6- Cultivate good eating habits:
Even gym trainers recommend a healthy diet to accompany the training schedule – and this applies to yoga as well. A good nutritional diet and yoga go hand in hand in making your body the healthiest! As you start the journey of practising yoga, you can also begin adding more nutritious food to your meals. In addition, drinking enough water – a considerable time before and after yoga practice – would ensure that you stay hydrated. Such good eating and drinking habits would also make yoga for beginners easy!
7- Learn from an experienced, quality teacher:
Yoga can be learned all on our own, that’s for sure, but it’s more than possible that you practice yoga incorrectly. The solution? Finding yourself a yoga instructor! However, that’s not the only step – you’ve to ensure the instructor is not only qualified but also experienced. Such teachers have nuggets of wisdom and valuable guidance – which you can benefit from immensely. You might get your teacher right at the start, or it might take a while – in any case, keep practising!
With these tips for starting yoga, you are more than ready to embark on your journey to become a yoga practitioner and get the full benefits of doing yoga. Of course, there will be some challenges – sometimes, you might feel like you should quit– but these tips for starting yoga would help you persevere!
