Beginner’s Guide to Yoga
Yoga for Beginners!
While starting yoga, a person may feel it intimidating and difficult as they are not able to figure out from where they should start and how to proceed further. This article would help beginners to gain tremendous knowledge (guidelines, tips as well as recommendations) to start yoga practice.
For most of the people, yoga is a way to get in shape and fit. Regardless of the fact that yoga (yoga postures) have various undeniable physical benefits, there are much deeper impact on one’s soul and mind.
Yoga
Yoga is a collection of spiritual techniques entangled with physical postures and breathing techniques for relaxation. Most of the people, after hearing the word “Yoga”, think of complicated, difficult and almost impossible physical postures. This make us further think that “I can not even touch my toes with hands, how am I supposed to do all these tough postures”. To clarify this, Yoga is not about touching toes or bending/ stretching at different angles but is a simple activity of uniting with yourself with the help of mind, body and breath.
According to the ancient philosophy related to Yoga, there are six different branches that represents different set of characteristics and focus. Following table illustrates six branches of yoga:
| Hatha Yoga | Physical and mental branch which is aimed at calming body and mind. |
| Raja Yoga | A method that involve strict adherence to disciplinary steps (eight limbs of yoga). |
| Karma Yoga | This branch is a service aiming to create future that is free of selfishness and negativity. |
| Bhakti Yoga | As the name suggests, it is a branch that aims to the path of devotion and introduce tolerance as well as acceptance. |
| Jnana Yoga | This branch is all about gaining wisdom. |
| Tantra Yoga | This helps an individual to gain deep understanding of yourself and to accept that self. |
Best practices for Beginners!
For beginners, it has been recommended that start with gentle practice to gain strength and flexibility so as to perform more challenging sequences. More precisely, one who is extremely inflexible and out of shape, should prefer following basic steps whereas one who is relatively flexible and fit can start with hatha yoga regularly.
Yoga is practiced on sticky mat and require clothes that could help in easy stretching with your body. As most of the people today are health conscious, market include various styles of yoga suits. Other than this, one can wear anything comfortable from their wardrobe for performing yoga successfully. Also, there are some additional props such as blankets, straps, bolsters and blocks for performing Exercise but for beginners it is beneficial to not to purchase these items right away.
Initially, this should be performed more than 3 times a week for 25 – 45 minutes which could be further increased to a total of 3 – 4 hours.
Benefits of Yoga!
Practicing yoga provides various benefits that lead to better and long life. Some of the benefits are illustrated as follows:
- Promotes relaxation and reduces stress.
- Helps to keep the body in shape by initiating weight loss.
- Allow to keep mind strong and healthy.
- Practicing yoga daily boosts immune system.
- Common aches such as back pain are healed.
- Provides better sleep at night.
- Improves strength, stamina, balance, flexibility, health of organs, muscles as well as joints.
- Reduce depression by increasing happiness.
- Builds health virtues such as devotion, honesty, self-inquiry, discipline and mindfulness.
- Helps in improving mental clarity and sharpens concentration.
Flexibility
Keeping the body flexible can be a challenge as we get older. A research on older woman, aged 50 to 79, found that hatha yoga increases the flexibility in our hamstrings and spine. The study participants did one 90-minute exercise session a week.