Yoga for beginners: Finding Wholeness in Yoga

Yoga is an exercise that harmonizes an individual’s mind and body. Practicing yoga on a regular basis allows you to enjoy better health levels while keeping stress out of your life. Yoga introduces you to various postures designed to strengthen your body while teaching you meditation techniques by which you can attain a balanced approach to every aspect of your life. The postures or asanas, as they are technically referred, are all slow and steady. Getting the best benefits from yoga requires that you devote at least 15 minutes of your time to asanas on a daily basis. So what do you need to know before starting? If you are just getting started with yoga, you will learn some basic steps by which your physical and emotional wellness are enhanced. Here are a few things you need to know before starting out. • Early morning hours are the best for yoga exercises • Put on loose, comfortable outfits during your yoga sessions so you can perform your movements with ease • Concentration is key. As such, ensure that your surrounding is calm and free of disturbances. • Have your yoga mat or carpet below the area where you are practicing • Avoid hot or spicy foods before your yoga sessions • Avoid yoga immediately after a meal. • Avoid yoga during pregnancy or periods Getting started with yoga: The basics The first, and most important, thing you need to know about yoga is how to breathe. It is important that you breathe according to techniques instructed by your teacher. As a beginner, you need to start off by mastering the easy poses. Avoid poses that strain your body during your early days. Instead, opt for light postures to help you get into a relaxed situation. Some meditation is essential to bring focus into your mind. During your beginner’s classes, you will be introduced to the following sequence: warm up session, standing poses, sitting poses, twists, supine poses, balance poses, backbends, and finishing poses. Yoga and stress relief You have probably heard that this exercise can help you cope with stressful situations in your life. Well, there are tons of benefits that come with practicing yoga as a form of stress management. These include reduced worry and anxiety as well as slowed respiration and heart rates. Also, yoga can help soothe tension related eyestrains and headaches. Hatha yoga: Best yoga for stress relief “Ha” means “sun” while “tha” means “moon.” Get them together, and you get a yoga style that helps you focus on balancing the entire body’s energy as well as strengthening the mind-body connection while stretching tight muscle. This exercise starts with a seated meditation before proceeding into a slow, restorative and relaxing flow that includes floor and standing poses. During these poses, you will be using the classic “uijay” breathing and props. Yoga for weight loss Yoga is one of the most holistic approaches to weight loss. Yoga helps users manage weight by combining physical postures, breathing exercises, distinct philosophy and meditation. Bikram yoga: The best yoga for weight loss Holding a pose for a length of time can help you burn calories and lose weight. Additionally, bikram yoga ads the bonus of helping you shed off extra water weight. Bikram yoga sessions are held in rooms heated up to 105 degrees with 40 percent humidity. You will be taken through two sessions each with 26 poses. During the first session, you will hold for one and a half minutes for each pose. The second session will require you to hold for 30 seconds per pose. You can alternate bikram yoga with ashtanga yoga for fast weight loss. A basic knowledge of yoga etiquette is crucial for every beginner. You can tap your teacher to introduce you to the basics of some simple yoga postures. As a beginner, you could start with simple postures like sitting or standing postures, supine, twist, prone or balance postures. It is important to let your teacher know that you are new to yoga and ask for special guide during your early days.