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Tip: Where to Practice
You can practice yoga anywhere, indoors or outdoors. All you need is a good flat surface and space to move without obstruction. A rug or yoga mat is helpful in providing a non-slip surface, but not absolutely necessary.
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Tip: Avoiding Injury
There are two important aspects of any yoga practice that will help you avoid injury. First, remember to stretch gently before and during postures. Do NOT stretch too quickly or overextend yourself. Second, remember that, whenever possible, you should do pose/counterpose (for example, a backward bend followed by a forward bend). This will help stretch and balance muscles.
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Tip: Time Required
Yoga does NOT require a great time commitment. You can practice for short periods (15-20 minutes) daily (or on most days); or you can limit your practice to once or twice a week for longer periods (45 minutes to 1.5 hours).
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Tip: Concentration
Practicing yoga improves concentration by helping you learn to focus your mind. This is a great benefit in our daily lives. Better concentration means - we can work more efficiently; students get get better grades; athletes (even weekend athletes) perform better at their sport. So take the concentration skill you learn in yoga practice and apply it to your every day activities.
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Tip: Benefits
Did you know that meditation can help lower blood pressure? It can. In fact, practicing meditation can also help you manage stress. A great thing to do when you’re feeling stressed (and maybe that blood pressure rising) is to stop, go someplace quiet, take a few deep breaths, and meditate. It will do wonders for you. You’ll feel relaxed and refreshed.
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Tip: Relax
Believe it or not, you already know how to relax your neck to get ready to do yoga. You’ve probably done it thousands of times. Simply move your head as if you were slowly saying yes, no and maybe. Do each three or four times slowly. Yup, that’s all there is too it. The key here is to do it SLOWLY – all you want to do is to gently stretch the muscles in your neck to prepare it for the work ahead.
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Tip: Food Choices
First, to answer the question most people ask – No, you don’t have to become a vegetarian to practice yoga. You don’t have to follow any special diet. One thing you may find though is that you will become more conscious of your food choices. As you get more in tune with your body and what it needs, you may find you’re choosing more healthful foods.
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Tip: Patience
Some yoga positions appear deceivingly simple. They are not. So be patient with yourself. Over time your flexibility and balance will improve. With constant practice, you’ll be doing positions effortlessly. Begin with simple poses and work your way up to the more advanced. |
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