For the Beginner Yogi- Where to start and what to know in Yoga

Yoga is the practice of breathing control, meditation, and body control.

Over all empowering yourself, relaxing yourself, and growing within yourself while you increase your flexibility and physical strength. I began my Yoga practice without an instructor or DVD. It’s easy to do Yoga at home at your pace your own way, you just have to know where to begin. Knowing the basic rules is the first place to start when you’re ready to begin practicing Yoga. Here are some things I’ve learned in my time doing Yoga.

• Watch Your Hands

It can be really easy to end up with a sore wrist if you aren’t careful. When you’re balancing on your hands, try to keep your weight off your wrist, and out of the palm of your hand. Instead, shift your weight more on your fingers and knuckles. Doing this will relieve your wrist, and help you learn balance while building more muscle.

• Breathing Control

Breathing control is the key to successful Yoga practice. Keeping your body steady and calm, and helping you get a deeper stretch. Doing this is harder than it sounds, especially when you’re doing a challenging pose. Begin your sequence in the Sukhansa pose, with your legs crossed and your neck and back straight. Focus on your breathing, making it steady and deep.

• Keep It Slow, And Start Simple

Moving through poses you aren’t a master at yet too fast is an easy way to hurt yourself. Get in your pose, breathe, and just relax. This is one reason why I’ve never enjoyed DVD’s, they make it so much of a workout it isn’t very relaxing. When you’re coming out of a pose, it’s important to come out of it slowly and carefully. This should always be a comfortable movement. At the beginning of your sequence, start with easier poses before doing more challenging ones. So you should start with things like the butterfly pose, working your way up to things like the Downward Facing Dog.

• The One Month Rule

You can’t expect to see changes immediately, so don’t keep looking for them every day. When it comes to flexibility, you’ll notice a change in about one month. Do your sequence every day, and it will pay off. You won’t have a big change in only a month, but you will see a difference. Pick one pose of out your sequence, and watch yourself progress through that pose as you get better at it. This is a practice that takes time and dedication, but has many rewards. If you want to watch your progress throughout the month, watch your breathing during the pose. If it’s a harder position, keeping calm breathing will be difficult. While you get better, your breathing will slowly improve.

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