Starting a yoga practice
21 Oct 2021 10:43AM
by
Char - Yoga Activist
If you’ve practiced Yoga before, then you’ll have heard about its healing benefits for your body and mind. A regular practice of Yoga can help your joints and muscles stay supple and strong so you can enjoy a broader range of movement in your next workout and for longer in later life. ‘Diaphragmatic breathing’ and intentional, controlled movements also help you to stay calm and focused and build an awareness unlike any other exercise.
If you’ve never given Yoga a go or are looking to become more regular in your practice, why not start today? Here’s Char’s top tips for starting Yoga.
Begin with the basics
Like everything, the more you’re prepared for Yoga, the more you’ll understand. Yoga doesn’t have to be a complex activity but you might find yourself in poses that you haven’t tried before, with names you might not recognise. Find Yoga Foundation videos on our App to help you get started with breath work, foundation poses and commonly used terms, words and phrases.
Respect your body’s limits
If you’re new to the practice, your body is still learning. Listen for when it tells you to stop and try to resist the urge to over-do it. The more often you come back to a pose, the more you’ll become familiar with it. This familiarity will start to become second nature and you’ll find it easier to understand the sensations created while performing these shapes. Start to listen to your body’s responses and understand the difference between discomfort and pain. (Yoga should never be painful.)
Go slow
It might be tempting to test your arm balances and headstands early on, but Yoga is so much more than that and it takes time build up this level of awareness and strength. Starting slowly and learning each movement correctly will help you to sustain a longer practice without injury. You’ll find our Align and Calm classes will help you get there. Try out a class in club or at home with our App.
Keep it regular
The more you practice Yoga, the easier the poses will come to you and the stronger and more mobile you will become -not to mention more present and less stressed! When you can’t make it to club, our App has all the workouts to help you keep a regular practice.
Try these steps out and we know your body and mind will notice a shift. Join Char and Evelyn over on our App or in a class. We look forward to seeing you there too!
