Do you find the practice of yoga appealing but don't know where to start? Here is an article focused on yoga for beginners.
Yoga is a fundamental routine for thousands of people around the world. If you are a beginner, this article contains the basics you need to know to become familiar with the subject and take your first steps, or rather, your first asanas.
What is yoga?
Originally, it emerged as an oriental discipline of spirituality and meditation, but later it evolved as a discipline of mastery and strengthening of the body through asanas or special postures. The latter is the most widespread approach to yoga in the West.
One of the fundamentals of yoga is the coordination of deep, controlled breathing along with a series of movements that can challenge strength, flexibility and balance, forcing the mind to become fully aware of the body in the here and now.
Benefits of Yoga
Yoga is a low-impact exercise, which does not mean that it is easy, but that the movements and postures performed, if done correctly, do not endanger the joints or tendons, unlike other activities such as running or contact sports.
Yoga is also an ideal option for those who want to relax and focus the mind at the same time as exercising. Among the main benefits of yoga we can mention:
- Helps strengthen muscles and gain flexibility
- Promotes targeted fat burning
- Combats depression and irritability
- Improves sleep and regulates appetite
- Counteracts stress and anxiety
What kind of yoga is better?
There are two main types of yoga as a fitness discipline:
Hatha Yoga: Ideal for beginners and the most common. It focuses on creating chains of postures or asanas in a slow and controlled manner.
Vinyasa Yoga: It is a practice very similar to hatha yoga, only the movements are more dynamic, the postures are held less time and it is closer to cardiovascular exercise. It is a great option for people who are already in good physical condition and have little patience.
What do I need to start practicing yoga?
The basic indications and requirements for any yoga practice are the following:
- An anti-slip mat with good density to protect the joints. The thicker (not padded) and more slip-resistant, the better, as these are two qualities that prevent accidents and injuries. There are many implements for the practice of yoga, but in reality this is the only indispensable one.
- Wear comfortable clothes. It doesn't have to be specialized sports clothing for yoga, it just has to allow for free and ample movement of the extremities, and not to squeeze from anywhere.
- Hydrate properly: drink at least one glass of water before starting the practice, and one after.
- A quiet space with enough space for your mat to be separated at least half a meter from each side of the walls or furniture.
- Optionally, you can play soft instrumental music or relaxation sounds.
1.- Look for a suitable guide
These days, you don't necessarily have to go to a yoga teacher for live classes: there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube to get you started. But consider that this support class works in yoga for beginners, but not necessarily for intermediate and advanced levels.
Here is an example of a special video for beginners with all the instructions to get started.
2.- Relax before and after
One of the fundamentals of yoga is relaxation and conscious breathing before and after the practice. This is a step that we should never skip, as it helps us to reach a level of breathing and a posture suitable for both starting with physical effort and allowing the muscles to rest.
3.- Don't overexert yourself
Yoga should never hurt, it is not normal to feel any kind of discomfort or unpleasantness. While it is true that this practice involves a considerable amount of effort, discipline and will, it is also true that there is a clear difference between a muscle that is working, and one that is hurting. For some this line can be very subtle, so we should always start from less to more, and above all, listen carefully and focus on what our body wants to tell us.
4.- Be patient
The results of yoga should be obtained little by little through constancy. It is preferable to practice a position briefly for five or six weeks, than to try to achieve it through intensive practice in one or two weeks.
5.- Be disciplined
Whether you do yoga at home, in a specialized center, or even if you take a break from work to do yoga in the office, the basics are that to get the benefits of this practice, you have to be really disciplined.
All you have to do is practice for half an hour four or five days a week. You can even alternate your practice with other sports -such as swimming or zumba- but always giving yourself time to invest in yourself, your health and your physical and mental peace.
Contraindications of Yoga
As a controlled low-impact exercise, yoga has almost no contraindications beyond the limitations of certain injuries or particular conditions. For example, several of the postures or asanas are not recommended for people with sciatica or disc herniation. If you have any condition, preferably consult your doctor before starting yoga.
In Zen to Go we want to help you to have a healthy lifestyle, full of well-being and always taking care of the most important thing: you.
