- Allow yourself time to chill out and relax before a class. If you are attending a class at a studio allow yourself enough time to get there. If you arrive stressed out because you had to speed the whole way there you will need the whole class to calm back down. Instead leave 5 or 10 minutes early, enough time to drive there relaxed, not running every orange light, so that you can really benefit the deeply relaxing effects of the class. Then you won’t have to spend the whole class undoing all the stress you had put yourself through to get there on time.
- Enjoy your yoga session. There is no rush. Take time between each pose to feel the sensations in your body. Feel, for example, how your back is warm after a twist, you have just squeezed extra blood flow to all the muscles in your back.
- Don’t forget to ………. Breathe. How many of us forget to breathe until the instructor says ‘now count five more deep breaths’ or ‘make sure you are breathing deep into your abdomen’. Once you get into a pose, work on your breath. Give each stretch at least five good breaths.
- In a class if you finish a pose early, try not to get distracted by the chatter of your mind. Instead just rest and enjoy focussing on your breathing.
- In between each pose, rest and focus on the breath. Give your body this important time to recover from the work that it has just done. Feel your body assimilating all the hard work. Don’t rest too long though, your body will cool down.
- Yoga is non competitive. Often after engaging in competitive sports most of our lives we bring a competitive attitude to our yoga asana practice. When we begin to compete in a yoga class we are losing the bodily awareness that we are trying to cultivate. So next time you find yourself comparing yourself with the person on the next mat, how far they are lunging or how you are so much more flexible than them in the Camel Pose, draw your awareness back to your own practice. This way you will get more from the class. You will be less likely to overstretch and injure your muscles. You can work with your breath more, moving deeper into the poses. Nothing is gained by comparing yourself to others. Yoga asana practice helps us to develop humility, patience, tolerance and respect.
- Just stick at a level that suits you. Don’t feel pressured to move into a pose that you feel uncomfortable in. Instead gradually and safely lengthen and tone your muscles.
- Keep your mind engaged. Use your mind in your practice. Instead of thinking about what you want for breakfast when you finish or how much work you have to do, just lend yourself this time and relax. Keep you mind focussed on your breath, the sensations in your body, your alignment and relaxing.
- You can try counting your breath to stay focused. Remember to hold each pose for at least five deep breaths. So in your mind you can count each breath. If you are familiar with the poses, don’t let your mind wander. Even experienced practitioners can count the breath.
- In each pose, no matter how basic, work on complete yoga breathing. I love this saying and try to remember it in my own practice and remind my students each class, ‘deep breathing and space creation’. Complete yoga breathing encourages your body to relax more into each pose. The more that you can deep breathe the more you will get from the class.
- Take five minutes to rest for every half an hour of yoga that you practice. The Corpse Pose, one of the hardest poses of all. Our bodies need this time to assimilate all the work that they have just done. You may feel a little frazzlled if you get straight from you mat and back to your everyday duties. Often what stops us from relaxing is our mind. You can practice some pranay ama breathing or Gauranga Breathing Meditation to finish you session. This gives the mind something to focus on so that you don’t fall asleep or get easily distracted. Twenty minutes of meditation and relaxation is more rejuvenating that four hours of sleep.
- If you are just beginning your yoga journey, you probably have experienced that there is a lot to focus on at once. Just focus on your alignment and practicing safely. Breathe normally and frequently. With practice you will be able to breathe deeper and in time with your body.
- When working with your breath allow it to radiate throughout your entire body. Breathe through your Tantien (the area below your navel) and on the inhalation feel your entire body opening up and the feel the exhalation relaxing your muscles. Keep your abdomen soft and breath slow and deep.
- In yoga we breathe in and out through the nose. A few reasons for this is that nostril breathing cleanses the air before it enters the lungs and breathing out through the nostrils slows the exhalation with helps us to feel more relaxed.
- The general rule for each pose is relax and breathe. Relax the parts of your body that you are not using. Try not to block areas of your body with tension. Keep your body open and long. Monitor that you are relaxing your face, neck, shoulders, back, hips, knees and feet.
Even after practicing yoga for more that 8 years I often forget many of these. It is wonderful to have an instructor who has an appreciation for these basic essential of hatha yoga and can remind you when she or he sees you not breathing or tensing your shoulders. Develop your own bodily awareness in conjunction with this so in your own home practice you have a sense of how you are carrying your body. I hope that you can integrate these tips into ones you already use in your practice.
Each Sunday, The Australian School of Meditation and Yoga runs ‘An Introduction to Yoga’ session at Burleigh Heads. Margaret, our head yoga instructor introduces participants to yoga in a very down to earth, easy to follow manner that will give you a very solid yoga foundation. Perfect for beginners or more advanced practitioners. Everybody is welcome.
Enjoy your asanas,
Amara
Instructor
Australian School of Meditation and Yoga
