Yoga for Beginners: Easy Does It-Is Key
It’s important with yoga for beginner to adopt an: “easy-does-it” philosophy when they first come to yoga. Leave any preconceived ideas about being able to lift your leg behind your left ear, or other feats of “contortionism” behind. Such ‘flexibility’ may come in time, and then again it might not. Turning one’s self into a “human pretzel” isn’t required in yoga, despite the carefully staged poses seen in many of the photos gracing the covers of many magazines and books on the subject of yoga might suggest.
It’s unfortunate that some media and individuals choose to portray yoga in such a manner because that only causes ‘intimidation’ and ‘discouragement for the beginner to yoga. Such misleading information may also keep those ‘unfamiliar’ with the concepts of yoga from taking up yoga in the first place.
In reality, yoga is all about the complete health of the mind body and spirit. It’s not about comparing yourself to others, who can lift their legs the highest, do the most reps, or break into the biggest sweat. Yoga is truly an ‘individual’ journey and that should be the focus for the beginner to yoga.
Yoga consists of three main phases to help you attain overall well-being and health. The first phase consists of learning to ‘control’ your breathing so that you’re breathing more efficiently. That may surprise a lot of people, but it’s a fact that increasing the amount of oxygen getting into the body gives vital organs the oxygen they need for optimum functioning, and more oxygen in the body also increases energy, boosts moods, and offers a sense of well-being. This is an especially important phase for the beginner to yoga because teaching your body to ‘breathe’ with ‘control’ plays an essential role in the other aspects of yoga and also your success in reaching your goals of complete emotional, physical, and spiritual health.
The second phase involves learning how to quiet your mind in order to become aware of your inner-self. This means learning how to clear your mind of thoughts about all of the tasks, and obligations in your life for a period of time. For the beginner to yoga its important to note that being able to make your mind go ‘blank’ doesn’t come naturally to most of us because of the hectic, fast-paced society we live in today: but it can be learned.
The third phase of yoga consists of ‘postures’ and ‘stretches’ intended to align the spinal cord, head, and neck correctly, and for added flexibility of joints and muscles. Most of don’t practice good posture which often leads to back, neck, and other aches and pains. These can often be eliminated or significantly reduced with proper posture. For the beginner to yoga it’s important not to physically push your body beyond its limits. Start slow and give your body time to become more flexible.
Yoga is perfect for the total health of your mind, body and spirit. Pop a relaxing music CD in the player with your yoga video, find your ‘center’ and breathe! For more on yoga visit www.YogaPlunge.com.