Yoga is a popular form of exercise that combines movement, meditation and breathing. Research shows that yoga can help to manage stress, reduce anxiety and depression, enhance sleep quality and improve overall mood. Also, yoga has been proved to increase balance, flexibility, coordination, strength and reduce pain.
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So, taking your first yoga session may seem to be quite overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be intimidating when you know what to expect. A yoga class is of 45 to 90 minutes and starts with breathing exercises called as a warm-up and moves onto poses and ends with meditation to cool down.
Yoga for Beginners
As a novice, we often equate yoga with tough poses and postures. You are also concerned that you may not be able to touch your toes or stand on your head. Well, yoga is not about just all this or stretching at 90 degrees or something. It is a process that unites your whole self- using your mind, body and soul. The best part is that it is simple and effortless.
So, don’t mind if you are not stretchable or flexible, or are getting into yoga for losing those love handles- forget of all these myths before you get to know the quick ways to learn yoga. The only one looking at you is yourself- so relax and have a great time. The journey will bring more happiness and relaxation to you than anything else.
Yoga Terms you must know
Yoga’s vocabulary is derived from Indian origin as much of its poses are names in Sanskrit. Learning new words can be a little confusing at the beginning, but they are a part of the powerful mystique of yoga. As a beginner, learning the terms is a part of all the fun. These are a few yoga terms that you will encounter as you start your journey:
Asana- These are the physical postures or poses you make and are the foundation of a yoga class.
Pranayama- It is the breathing technique that is one of the main components of yoga.
Savasana- It is also called the corpse pose where you lie in a state of relaxation.
Om- This is the elemental chant which helps to center and focus the mind.
Namaste- It is the honourable salutation that is said when the class ends.
Child pose- This is an asana that you will learn at the beginner class. It is a kind of safe place when you feel the need to rest, pause or breathe in between the workout.
Now that you are aware of the most basic terms let’s get started with knowing yoga in deep and learn the different types of yoga you can indulge in.
Types of Yoga
Classes are there specialising in different yoga styles. It is thus good to read class details at the yoga studio to enroll in the right class. Some common types are:
Hatha yoga- These classes are especially for the beginners as the poses involved are slow-moving.
Kundalini yoga- It is used as a healing form of yoga, and the class may include chanting, meditation and spiritual components.
Iyengar yoga- This has a focus on right alignment and uses props to help you perfect the form.
Hot Yoga- This type of yoga is done in a hot environment, reaching even up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. A lot of people love to do this yoga, but those who are sensitive to heat may find this a bit uncomfortable.
Vinyasa, power and ashtanga yoga- Classes of this type are more challenging and are dependent on the instruction from the teacher.
Importance of breathing in yoga
Yoga puts a strong focus on your breathing. Yoga is all about the breath. So if you can master breathing techniques, you are doing yoga the right way. The breath is the Prana or the vital force. Our bodies require pranic energy or oxygen, and so during yoga practice, more oxygen is required. For proper mental and physical functioning, breath is crucial. In yoga, the focus is paid on breath during the slow movements and while maintaining the yoga poses or asanas.
Be regular
Though it is good to practice yoga in the morning, if you don’t get time, then any time of the day is fine. The main thing is to be regular with your practice. If you observe that you do not get time in the morning, don’t ever let it be an excuse to skip practising yoga.
What to wear for your yoga class
It is important to choose stretchy, comfortable shorts or pants and a close-fitting top that doesn’t go over your head during an inversion pose. You can even wear a pair of good yoga socks with grips to keep the feet from sliding around on the mat.
Gentle warm-up or sukshma vyayam helps to loosen your body and prepares it for asanas. Here are some warm-up exercises you can do:
- Rotate the neck, clockwise as well as anti-clockwise to relieve stiffness.
- Massage the brows, head, cheeks and nose.
- Pump the shoulders and shake hands to shrug off lethargy and tiredness.
Before you start learning yoga, it is important to know that this form of exercise is a personal practice. What is effective and good for one person might not be effective for the other. While most of the yoga poses are safe to do, it is important that you listen to your own body and then set your limits accordingly.
For example, if you have lower back pain, you may ask your teacher to modify the poses for you like the plow pose or the standing forward fold. Also, if you are starting with the home-based yoga, you must brush up on the poses that are riskiest for the beginners so that you do not try them till the time you are not ready.
Further, just because the yoga poses like crows and handstands are popular, that doesn’t mean that you can do them on your own. A lot of poses require complete balance and a lot of strength. So start by developing basic practice routine and give yourself time to move further and master the difficult postures.
What toeat before your class?
All the yogis we know recommend you to eat light before practising yoga. A full belly can make you uncomfortable during the posture twists and turns. So you must give yourself an hour or two so that the food can easily digest before you start your class.
Yoga Asanas
Remember- every asana is unique. Wherever you stand, be satisfied with yourself and don’t try to compare with others in the yoga class. Every body type is different and unique, and people are at different levels of mastery. Some may perform an asana easily while others may need more time to practice. Thus, don’t ever feel pressurised and don’t exert yourself. Your efficiency and flexibility to do yoga will improve with practice and consistent efforts.
Also, don’t get alarmed if you face any soreness of the muscles during the first few days of your yoga class. But if you see that the pain persists, just inform the instructor. The main point here is to be regular with the practice and have some patience. Just like other disciplines, it will take time for your body to get used to the asanas too. Well, you will experience deeper and subtler benefits of yoga with time only when you stay regular with the practice. In short, yoga includes yoga asanas, pranayamas, meditations and ancient philosophy that take you to an entirely new level of spiritual experience.
Yoga benefits
Practising yoga has a lot of benefits- it creates a toned, flexible and strong body and enhances energy, metabolism and breathing. It further improves cardiac and circulatory health and posture. Yoga has benefits on your mental health too, thus making you happy, balanced and emotionally stable. It even helps you to relax so that you can handle stress in a better way. Well, it also encourages your self-confidence and lets you focus your energy. The spiritual advantages of yoga are also important as it teaches you to know what is going on inside and outside your body. It teaches you to be active and present in your surroundings and be more mindful.
The best part is that you will feel benefits almost immediately like the release of tension, opening up of the body, muscle strengthening and more. The feel-good factor is something that keeps people attached to yoga. Some other benefits depend on the way you practice yoga every day. A lot of people feel positive after a few weeks only.
Trying some easy yoga poses
Mountain pose
You can do the mountain pose by standing with arms above your head. This pose is considered to be one of the simplest poses in yoga and is a great way to start practising as a beginner. Just stand at the edge of the mat with feet shoulder wide apart and raise the arms over your head. Stretch the arms out and stand tall. Then breathe in the position and let the arms come back slowly to the sides. Hold your body in this position for as long as you feel comfortable.
Warrior pose
Step a little forward and spread the arms wide to get in this pose. From the mountain pose, now you can take a step further say around 2 to 3 feet and get in the warrior pose. Step out as if you are making a lunge and spread the arms to the sides, having one in front of you and the other behind you. Look straight and hold the position. Stay in the warrior pose for about 10-60 seconds and return the mountain pose.
Chair pose
Another easy pose that you can go into from the mountain pose is the chair pose. Bend your kneed and get ready. To get in this pose, start with the mountain pose and bend the knees as if you are sitting in a chair. Go as low as possible and keep the arms raised above your head. You need to hold the pose and stand up back. Always remember to breathe when you are holding the pose.
Cobra pose
Lie on the stomach and raise the upper body, slowly lower the body down towards the ground so that you are on the stomach. Have your palms on the floor just next to your chest. Push the upper body up and keep your legs and hips on the ground. Just lift the body as far as you can. Look straight or look up if you are comfortable. Breathe and hold in the position.
Cow pose
For this, you have to get on your knees and hands and look up straight for cow pose. Slowly change from standing pose and get on your knees and hands. Ensure that the hips are above knees and shoulders are above wrists. Plant the palms firmly on the ground and ensure that the top of the feet and shins are on the ground. Lift your head up and look straight. If you think this is hard for you, just lift the head as much as you are comfortable doing. You need to hold this position and breathe slowly. So these are a few simple poses that you can learn as a beginner. Always remember that you need to give yourself some time and be really patient to see results. This will make you all the more healthy, flexible, efficient and calm. Keep practising, keep learning and you will see that your body and mind gets better with time. Yoga is something that helps you know your true self. If you have anything else to share with us that can help our readers, do comment and let us know some more ways to learn yoga quick. We hope this guide would have helped you know the quick ways to learn yoga and how to get started.
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