I’m an avid Yogi and I have been for at least 4 years. Yoga fell into my life at a time where I really needed it and I’ve never looked back since! Yoga is a huge part of my day to day life and honestly, I don’t know where I’d be without it! For anyone looking for get into the practice and want to know how to start Yoga, today I want to share 7 really important tips and things that all beginners should know!
I’ve spoken about Yoga on my blog before and also mentioned it a fair few times on Twitter but each time Yoga is brought up, I always see comments from people saying they want give it a try but don’t know how to start Yoga. Or that they’ve tried it in the past but didn’t know what to do.
Related read: Yoga Essentials for Beginners: 6 Things To Start Your Journey
I understand different types of exercise benefit different people and I try to not ram Yoga down everyone’s throats if someone genuinely doesn’t enjoy it but… if you’re one of those people that like the sound of it and thinks it will benefit you but just don’t know where to start or what to think about it, this post is for you!
Today I want to share how to start Yoga and 7 important things to remember when you do!
1. You don’t have to go to a class: there are many fabulous Yoga DVD’s on Amazon also free Yoga on YouTube. If you’re not comfortable going to a class then that’s absolutely not the only way to do Yoga! If you’ve been around here for long enough, you’ll know how much I adore Yoga With Adriene, so if you fancy checking out some of my favourite videos of hers, here are 32 Yoga With Adriene Practices for Every Mood!
2. Yoga isn’t a competition and it’s crucial you work at your own pace and do what feels good for you: this is the key to Yoga, it’s all about you, you, you. There’s no right or wrong way to practice – as long as you’re sensible with the stretches and don’t hurt yourself then you have free reign to do you! Yoga is never a competition and anyone who makes it so clearly doesn’t understand the concept of Yoga!
3. You don’t have to get hot and sweaty: I know Hot Yoga is a huge “thing” right now but I wouldn’t be seen dead doing that! You can tailor your practices to how you’re feeling, if you don’t wanna get hot and sweaty that day, you don’t have to. I’m not a fan of getting too hot anyway, so the idea of hot Yoga really isn’t for me!
4. It’s brilliant for relaxation: Not only does Yoga focus heavily on your breath and breathing exercises, the act of taking the time to stretch is so beneficial for relaxation. You’ll stretch parts of your body you never ever knew you had! Some of my favourite practices are the slow and stretchy ones that really tend to the breath and allow your mind and body to relax.
5. Don’t take it too seriously: Yoga isn’t like running where you may want to hit a certain number of kilometers or weights where you want to hit a certain weight. Yoga teaches you to be present and focus on how you’re feeling right now. So relax with it, don’t push yourself into that pose if you can’t do it yet. Move around your mat. Flow. Have fun.
6. Yoga can be fun: And speaking of fun! There’s no doubt some Yoga classes out there which are super duper serious but if you’re a newbie, you want to enjoy it. I’d highly recommend trying Yoga With Adriene if that’s the case for you because she chats to you like a friend during the work out and you’ll finish it feeling super energized.
7. Sensation over shape: Can’t touch your toes? Who cares. Can’t get into that pose? Who cares. Do what you can do and that’s the importance of sensation over shape. Yoga literally emphasizes your pleasure – why wouldn’t you want to do a work out which feels good but is also healthy? This is the main reason why I don’t understand why people are so adamant not to try it. Why wouldn’t you want to do something that FEELS GOOD?
Do you practice yoga? What tips would you add to this list?
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