How to start practicing yoga?

Casandra Greer
It takes approx. 3 minutes to read this article

It is best to start practicing yoga at home with the simplest relaxation and stretching asanas, which are not technically complicated and therefore suitable for beginners.

Yoga is an unusual type of activity, because it has a positive effect not only on physical but also mental condition. Anyone can practice it, regardless of age, general fitness or previous experience in sports. The most important are regularity and engagement during exercises. Yoga, although it may seem difficult at first, should give pleasure, relax and calm down internally.

Regular practice of yoga has a number of health-promoting benefits. First of all, it can help to regain mental balance, increase immunity, and stretch and strengthen muscles. Proper exercise can help reduce headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, back pain, knee pain, and menstrual pain. It is also important to note that yoga is effective in reducing stress levels and teaches you to control your emotions and reactions to them. How do you start practicing yoga so you don’t hurt yourself and enjoy the positive benefits? Check out our tips!

Find the right place

To practice yoga, we need a space where we can move freely without worrying about hurting ourselves. While practicing, you can open a window to allow your body to get more oxygen. A good investment will be to buy a good quality yoga mat so that we do not slip, and special blocks and straps to facilitate stretching and especially useful in the early stages of yoga.

Wear comfortable clothes

It is best to practice yoga in clothes that adhere to the body, but do not restrict movement. Choose clothes made of airy materials, in which you feel comfortable. Yoga is practiced barefoot, without shoes, or you can wear socks.

Learn to breathe

In yoga, proper breathing is as important as performing asanas. In everyday life we do not pay attention to our breathing, we spend a lot of time sitting with our back bent, which makes our breathing very shallow. When we practice, we should take deep air through the nose, until our belly rises. Then slowly let the air out. The breaths should be smooth, with no pauses between inhalation and exhalation, and importantly, we should not hold our breaths. Deep breathing facilitates stretching, helps relax a tense body, and relieves stress.

Start with basic asanas

Let’s start practicing yoga with simple postures that are not demanding and do not pose a risk of injury. For beginners it is recommended to perform such asanas as:

  • upward position (tadasana),
  • cat pose (marjaryasana),
  • downward dog (adha mukha),
  • dead man’s pose (savasana),
  • half sternum (chatushpadasana),
  • svastikasana,
  • camel pose (ustrasana).

Although the above positions are considered the simplest, they effectively engage the whole body, helping to stretch all the muscles. While performing the exercises we can support ourselves with yoga accessories, for example, blocks or straps. The best results will be obtained if we train regularly, at least every other day and for at least fifteen minutes. With time we move to more difficult asanas.

main photo: pixabay.com/Peggy_Marco

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