As Pinterest and Instagram are being flooded with photos of expert yogis doing scorpion pose on a beach in Bali, a majority of us beginners are usually thinking, “Okay, that’s impressive and all, but how do I get to that level?” While there is an abundance of these aesthetically pleasing photos scattered across social media, there aren’t as many places for beginners to get started on the same path.
If you’re a beginner yogi dreaming of that Bali yoga retreat, or you just want to improve your flexibility and mental health, here are our 10 yoga tips for all the beginners out there.
This is likely one of the most important yoga tips you’ll hear and something that is preached upon in every yoga class you’ll ever attend. Your breathing will not only improve your stability in difficult yoga poses by centring your mind and body, but it will also keep you calm and focused throughout each yoga practise.
There isn’t a particularly good breathing pattern to follow, so I would recommend getting on YouTube and finding a breathing pattern that feels the best for you. Along with yoga, you can also carry this with you when meditating, calming anxiety, and falling asleep, benefitting your mind, body, and spirit!
Just as you may set daily intentions, like knowing which errands you have to run or what work you need to accomplish, it is important to know your intentions when beginning your yoga journey. This is one of the most important yoga tips because it will set you on a particular path that may differ from the person next to you in class.
Are you practising yoga to improve your mental health? Is your aim to lose weight? Do you just want to be more flexible? Any of these intentions are valid, but each will generate different type of yoga poses and practises, so make sure you are conscious of your central intention for getting into yoga.
Whether you’re taking yoga classes or just following yogis on Instagram, we will often subconsciously compare our progress in yoga to those around us. However, yoga is not a sport, and you should never start getting competitive on your own yoga journey!
We all have different bodies, different flexibility, different physical health, and different life experience, and it is counterproductive to start comparing yourself to others, especially with aspects so trivial like who can hold a pose the longest or who can stretch down the furthest. Especially if your yoga journey revolves around improving your mental health, this is one of the yoga tips you should be sure to follow.
Instead of comparing yourself to others, keep the focus on your personal progress. Everyone is at a different point in their yoga, fitness, and mental health journeys, so instead, track your own status.
Could you hold that pose longer than you did last week? Was touching your toes easier than the last yoga session? Is it getting easier to focus on your breathing? That’s great! Be cognisant of these improvements so you can set new goals for yourself and keep improving.
Part of the beauty of yoga is that, for however long you practise, your mind escapes any current burdens, stresses, and worries, and instead puts all its focus on your breathing and physical movements. Try to avoid letting your mind wander during your yoga practise, and you will notice a difference in your mental clarity and physical progress.
This is among the yoga tips which you may not hear often, but it is crucial to ensure you’re comfortable when doing yoga in order to set your mind on the right path for meditation and to allow your body to relax into each pose.
Whether this means you don’t wear socks, wear a sweater to stay warm, tie your hair up, practise yoga on a mat, or go outside, find what makes you comfortable and develop a personal yoga routine.
Yoga tips 6 and 7 could merge into one, but music is of such importance during yoga that it deserves to be separate. Just as many people use music to stay motivated and positive during an intense workout, music can be key for happiness and endurance in yoga.
The next time you practise yoga, find a yoga playlist that works best for you, whether that’s EDM or more calming music. Similarly, try yoga without music and see if that benefits you more.
If you’re a beginner yogi, there’s no better way to improve your skills and learn more about yoga than by taking classes! As much as the Internet and YouTube can help for solo yoga practise, taking a class with clear instructions and even personalised notes will help you tremendously in improving your technique.
This can also be a great way to stay accountable and ensure you’re regularly practising yoga as, just like most everything in life, practise makes perfect in yoga. Most universities will have a yoga society on campus or yoga classes at the Sports Centre, and if you’re not in university, explore your local community for a yoga studio!
None of these yoga tips are quite as valid if you don’t develop a proper yoga routine. Not only that, but your mind will also thank you for doing yoga daily as yoga is a form of meditation, and meditation has been proven to improve your mental health.
You don’t have to attend an hour-long class every day to be able to have a routine. Instead, I would recommend doing some light stretching in the morning as you wake up, and then a quick yoga session before you start or end your day. If you end up doing a class later in the day, that’s great, but don’t pressure yourself to completely uproot your life just for yoga. Slowly incorporate it into your daily routine, even just for five minutes a day, and it will pay off physically and mentally.
Just as the previous yoga tips have mentioned, yoga is not a sport. There is no need to be competitive or push yourself too hard as you’re on your own journey. In fact, just the fact you’re getting into yoga at all is something to be proud of!
Whenever you do five minutes of yoga, finish a class, feel your body becoming more flexible, or make any kind of progress, be thankful towards yourself. You took the effort to get to this place, and that is more than most people do.
You should also express gratitude in each yoga practise you do. When you’re starting or ending your yoga practise particularly, think about the things in your life or day that you are grateful for. This positivity in such a meditative state will extend past your yoga and into other aspects of your life.
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