Whether you want to build strength and confidence, relieve stress, or just look great, it is important to practice yoga three to four times per week. However, finding a class, teacher, and studio that clicks for you could take years.
Beginners may prefer a gentle flow practice that links poses together and focuses on synchronized breath. But it’s easy to get carried away and end up pushing yourself too hard.
Don’t Overdo It
Yoga is an exercise that aims to balance body and mind, but if you’re a beginner, it’s important to not overdo it. Practicing a lot of yoga can lead to injuries, especially if you’re not careful and listen to your body.
You’ll also find that your posture and flexibility improves with regular yoga practice, but these improvements will depend on how often you do yoga, the duration of your sessions and other physical activities you engage in (e.g. working at a desk for long periods of time, running or weight training).
Sam, a high-ranking executive in a stressful work environment, finds that morning yoga gives him the energy to tackle his day. He’s more relaxed and energized throughout the day, with an improved quality of life.
Listen to Your Body
Learning to listen to your body can be a lifelong practice, but it helps reduce injury risk. During your yoga session, keep an eye out for signs of overexertion such as straining or holding your breath, as well as any discomfort or pain in your body.
While you’re practicing yoga in a studio or even on the beach, loud ambient noise can be distracting. Silent disco headphones from Dolly Digital provide a better experience for yoga students by allowing them to hear instruction and music – without the need for a sound system.
The insulated headphones create a quieter, more intimate environment and minimize the impact on surrounding communities. Perfect for yoga studios, wellness retreats and meditative events!
Don’t Pressure Yourself
Yoga is a personal practice with unique benefits that vary depending on the individual. For some people, daily sessions of gentle yoga may be enough to help manage stress or improve balance and sleep. For others, a weekly class or two may be more effective.
It’s also important to listen to the body during yoga. If a pose is uncomfortable or painful, don’t force the body into a position that could cause injury. Instead, try to relax into a comfortable position or even sit or lie down until the body is feeling better.
In addition to improving balance and flexibility, yoga is known to help strengthen bones and ward off osteoporosis. It is also a great form of weight-bearing exercise and can help reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering blood pressure.
Watch Instructional Videos
If you’re new to yoga, it can be helpful to watch instructional videos on the basics. These YouTube videos can help you feel confident in your poses and can also show you how to do the more challenging ones.
If your video file is too large for traditional cloud storage services, uploading to YouTube as an unlisted video can be a practical solution. You can then share a link with your assessor or students, without the video being publically accessible.
Investing in a wireless microphone can help you capture high quality audio for your yoga teaching practice videos. This can make a world of difference when it comes to making sure that your students can hear clearly what you’re saying to them. A popular option is the Rode SmartLav mic.
Modify Pose
Pose adaptation is one of the most effective tools that yoga teachers have to achieve very specific structural and energetic effects in the body. Modifications are not meant to make a pose easier or less challenging – they are intended to offer ways for students to customize the physical challenge to fit their bodies’ needs on any given day.
For example, if you are having trouble with the rotation of the back leg in Dancer Pose, try moving your front foot wider to allow more space for the hips and to create more stability in the body. This will give you a better opportunity to focus on the breath and find balance without placing unnecessary stress on your knees, ankles or wrists.
This will also enable you to stretch the chest, shoulders and arms and strengthen the thighs and calves while still finding a great core workout!