10 Yoga Tips For Beginners

1.You Do Not Have To Be Flexible To Do Yoga.

Many of us are doing yoga because we want to get more flexible, not because we are already flexible! If you have never done yoga before, we recommend using either a yoga block or a hard surface such as a textbook along with our videos. We’ll use those tools to show you modifications for those who can’t touch their toes . . . by bringing the ground up to you! Note that some of the postures are going to feel weird because they involve movements that your body may not be used to. Fear not. If you feel any soreness the day after your first session, it’s your body signaling that it’s adapting to new movements and becoming stronger!

2. Control Your Breath, Control Your Body.

What separates yoga from other forms of exercises is that it strengthens and stretches your body at the same time. For some beginners, the stretching aspect can be pretty intimidating. One of the ways to allow yourself to go deeper into the exercises, even when they seem like they might be painful or strenuous, is to breathe and relax. When the going gets tough, whether it’s at work, at a race, or on the mat, your instinct might be to hold your breath. Holding your breath in yoga will actually tense up your muscles and make the stretches more difficult. Ever hear someone tell you to just take a deep breath when you are stressed out? There is definitely something to that. Breathing lowers our stress levels and releases tension in your muscles, allowing you to go deeper into your stretches and exercises.

3. Breath Through Your Nose.

Yoga helps train your mind to stay cool, calm, and collected. Especially under duress. It does that by teaching you to breath through your nose in slow, controlled breaths. To breath correctly, avoid breathing with your mouth. Instead, link your movements with your breath by inhaling and exhaling long, slow, breaths during each movement. Breathing controls the natural rise and fall of your body. Inhaling lifts your body, while exhaling lengthens and releases your body. Breathing also controls how you let stress affect you, and science has shown that slow, methodical deep breathing can reduce stress. Focus on your breath, and the control of your body will follow.

4. Treat the stretches like you would any other strength-building exercise.

Yoga is different than your typical gym workouts because it strengthens and lengthens your body at the same time. Some of the exercises that you’ll find in our workouts appear to be breaks from poses that require more strength or endurance. But what’s awesome about yoga is that even the resting poses are working your body in ways that traditional exercise often do not.

Even when you are just “stretching,” make sure you push yourself and use your whole body, just as if it was a regular resistance exercise. Why is all this stretching good for you? Increasing your flexibility increases your range of motion, which increases your mobility and your power. It can also reduce the risk of injury and speed up muscle recovery. It makes you better at whatever you physically do, regardless of whether you’re an athlete or a desk jockey. Your strength not only depends on your flexibility; it is determined by it.

5. There’s no such thing as a perfect pose.

Focus on sensation; not on depth. It isn’t important how flexible or how deep you can get into a posture. Pushing yourself beyond a level of flexibility that your body isn’t ready for is a great way to get injured – so let’s avoid that. Instead, focus on achieving the correct sensation in your body; the effect that the posture has on stretching certain muscles and tightening other ones.

You’ll notice that the workouts in our programs are heavily focused on your technique, but you should know that there is no such thing as the perfect posture. Everybody is different, and what works for one person might not work for another.

6. You may not be that good at it. At least in the beginning.

Many people can bust out a few push-ups or run a mile without training for it, but yoga is another beast entirely. Flexibility is a strength that you actively have to work on in order to improve. If you haven’t been doing any flexibility training, then yoga going to be a challenge – regardless of whether or not you can run a mile in 7 minutes or win a push-up contest among your friends. My advice is time and effort. Apply yourself and you’ll get better – sooner than you think 🙂

7. Know the difference between discomfort and pain.

Contrary to what your high school gym coach said, pain is NOT weakness leaving the body. However, pain IS a message your body is trying to send you. Use pain as feedback. Pain is commonly an indicator of overuse, weakness, or inflexibility. Pain is sharp and intense. It differs from person to person, but the important thing to know here is that pain is your body telling you that something is wrong. If it hurts, don’t do it!

Discomfort, on the other hand, is different. Discomfort could be your body getting used to something, your body stretching in an unfamiliar way, or muscles being utilized in a way they’re not used to. Use your intuition, and pay attention to what the instructor is saying if you are unsure of how you are supposed to be feeling in a particular pose.

8. Protect your lower back by engaging your core

One of the most common reasons people practice yoga is for back care. Please consult your doctor to make sure that yoga can help alleviate your lower back pain, and not add to it! Lower back pain is often a symptom of tight hamstrings and a weak core. Make sure to engage your core throughout every routine, which helps stabilize your lower body, and helps prevent you from over arching your lower back.

We’ll make sure you to give you these cues throughout our lessons as well, but whether you are practicing yoga with us, or on your own, remember to move in and out of every pose with slow, methodical, one-vertebrate-at-a-time movements, while keeping your core engaged!

9. Try not to second-guess yourself [too much].

It is natural to wonder whether or not what you are doing is correct when you first start doing yoga. But the only thing worse than doing it incorrectly is constantly worrying about whether or not you’re doing it correctly. It’s okay to second guess yourself sometimes, but try not to make a constant habit out of it, or you’ll never feel quite comfortable in any of the postures – and that’s definitely not right!

10. Focus on yourself; not on other people.

Everyone has different bodies, with varying strength, flexibility, and control. Mirroring what other people do instead of focusing on the posture in a way that works for your body and your fitness level could mean you aren’t getting the benefits of the pose. At worst, it means you are hurting yourself.

Bonus Tip 1 – Build a body-mind connection.

One aspect of yoga that makes it unique when compared to other forms of physical fitness is the slow nature of the exercises involved. This allows you to slow down, check in with your body, and understand the slight changes in movement necessary to correct or improve postures. This intense focus on subtle movements such as your own breath, hip rotation, or muscle tightness, allows you to build and strengthen the connection between your body and your mind – which improves motor control, heightens body awareness, and even increases mental performance. Focus on the present. You don’t have to bat your thoughts away. Acknowledge them. Then come back to them later. This is your time. Start off each workout asking yourself what you would like to accomplish. Visualize it. And get ready to work!

Bonus Tip 2 – It takes more than one workout for results, but improved feeling is instantaneous.

You already know that it takes more than one workout to start seeing changes in your body when you start a workout program, but the unique thing about yoga is that you’ll feel better immediately during and after you do it. Your body ENJOYS stretching; it helps to relieve tension in your spine and joints, and reduces the inflammation that causes your body pain. Whichever workout you choose to do first with us, you’ll notice your body changing after just the first 20 minutes!

Bonus Tip 3 – Stay consistent, both with frequency and with effort.

You may notice results with just one workout, but the only way to maintain those results is by practicing with regular frequency, and with consistently high effort. Our suggestion is to do at least 3 workouts per week (about once every other day). If you are feeling like a yoga beast, do one every day. The more you do, the better you’ll feel, and the more significant your results will be! Over time, the daily aches and pains that annoy you should become a nuisance of the past, and you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner!

Thanks for reading! We know that with a little hard work and dedication, you will be able to achieve all of your health and fitness goals!

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Please consult your physician, assess your fitness level, and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program, nutrition plan, and/or using any equipment.

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