Yoga is gaining more and more popularity these days. For many people, it has become a part of life, and some walk around it with mistrust or fear, because they are not sure what it is actually about and whether they are suitable adepts for practicing yoga.
Yoga is absolutely for everyone who breathes.
Every yoga instructor was also once a beginner and I know very well what it's like not to know the concepts and styles of yoga that are more than blessed today. That is why we have prepared this summary for you of everything that you, as a beginner in yoga, may encounter or create questions in your head.
What is yoga and where does it come from?
This question is more complex than it seems. Yoga is whatever you allow it to be for yourself. Today's modern Western yoga is also referred to in professional circles as modern postural yoga. This means that her gro consists of physical exercises and the emphasis is placed on the position of the body and spine, and that is how many people perceive her. Like stretching on a mat, in shapely leggings. But yoga is much more than that. In addition to physical movement, it is mainly about conscious movement and the rediscovery of your natural breath, as well as facilitating physical and energetic movement in the body.
Our ancestors already said: in a healthy body, a healthy mind. And it applies one hundred percent! If we were to go back in time to times long past, we would find that yoga was once mainly about long meditations and various other techniques that were supposed to bring a person to altered states of consciousness, thereby expanding it and finally reaching a state called enlightenment. And the yogis knew that if they wanted to manage all this, their body had to be clean, strong and resilient from the inside.
Practicing yoga once meant giving up worldly life, leaving the family, living with a teacher in an ashram or in a cave, practicing meditation, pranayama for long hours a day, fasting regularly, doing cleansing techniques and working to achieve a state of total detachment from everything material and worldly. . However, sometime at the beginning of the 20th century, the yoga teachers of that time understood that they could not expect such determination and dedication from a modern person and slowly but surely began to adjust yoga for people living in cities, with families and jobs. They simply started looking for ways to make the wonderful effects of yoga available to people in cities, whose goal was not to leave their previous life, but to live it more consciously and healthily.
Who is yoga for?
Anyone who breathes can practice yoga. As in everything, there are certain stereotypes in yoga that people unfortunately confuse with reality. Today's age of social networks and the desire for perfection often gives us the image that only young, good-looking, flexible and slim people practice yoga. And there is no bigger mistake!
The beauty of yoga is that it can be practiced in as many ways as we humans are. Yoga can be strengthening, cardio, relaxing and stretching, calm and explosive. In it, we can learn to stand on our hands and head, but also practice on a chair or with aids. There are also therapeutic styles of yoga for people after injury, surgery, the elderly or people with certain diagnoses (high blood pressure, diabetes, digestive disorders, hormonal system disorders, depression, panic attacks, post-traumatic syndrome, etc.). If you have found yourself in any of the diagnoses, please note that not every yoga lesson will be suitable for you. If you have current health problems that require a more professional and individual approach, do not hesitate to look for real professionals with experience and expertise.
How often to practice yoga?
We should exercise every day. Especially if we have a sedentary job. Exercise does not have to last 60 or 90 minutes every time. Just 15-20 minutes a day will benefit our body a lot. Also, we don't have to imagine the movement as something extremely demanding while we sweat our shirts off (although that's not bad either). The intensity of yoga practice can be easily regulated. If we practice an hour of power or vinyasa yoga one day, we will probably feel our body the next day, so it is okay to practice a slower type of yoga for 20-30 minutes, such as yin or hatha yoga. If we don't have time to exercise at all, we can still practice short breathing exercises, meditation or relaxation.
The answer to the question of how often to practice yoga is very individual - it depends on how much and in what way you move during a normal day, or what your goal is (to get rid of pain, lose weight, calm down, etc.). You can exercise every day, but don't forget that in order to see results, to be healthy and in balance, you need to allow yourself a different range of movement as well as sufficient regeneration and rest.
Breathing is important in yoga
As long as we live, we breathe. As long as we breathe, we live. One of the most common things that you will definitely hear in a yoga class is that the breath is the most important thing in yoga. What is meant by this instruction? The way we breathe is an indicator of our mental or physical state. If we are stressed, restless or nervous, our breath will have a different quality than when we are in a calm and relaxed state. And since the purpose of yoga is to induce a feeling of well-being and relaxation, our breath should be calm, smooth and deep in movement. We will pause for a moment at the depth of the breath and explain that deep breathing does not mean forcefully inhaling more air than usual. A deep breath reflects which muscles in the body are engaged during breathing and whether our diaphragm is able to move without obstacles and restrictions downward during inhalation and upward during exhalation. In order for the diaphragm to move in this way, it is necessary that our breath goes to the lower ribs. The exhalation part should be slightly longer than the inhalation part.
Try this short exercise:
Stop for a moment and notice your breath. Gradually start lengthening the inhalation to 4 seconds and the exhalation to 6 seconds. Direct the breath into the abdomen and ribs, which should open to the sides. Such breathing should relax and calm us even in moments of stress and discomfort.
Another very well-known and often used technique is the ujjayi (read ujjayi) breath. In this way of breathing, we direct inhalation and exhalation through the glottis, which creates a sound like the murmur of the sea. Imagine that you want to fog the mirror and you breathe out the sound HÁ through your mouth. Now do the same, but keep your mouth closed and try to breathe in this way as well. This way of breathing warms us from the inside and supports our body even during more demanding exercises.
What are the basic yoga exercises?
The most widespread set is clearly Sun Salutation, which you can read about here. All positions contained in the given assembly are considered to be one of the basic ones. Other common exercises that you will certainly encounter in most of the classes are Cat-Cow, Child (Balasana), Bridge (Setu bandasana), Butterfly (Badakonasana), Plank (Palakhasana), Warrior 1 and 2 (Virabhadhrasana), Tongs (Paschimotanasana ), Tree (Vrkshasana), Triangle (Trikonasana).
There are so many yoga poses today, and it's common for different teachers to use different names for some of them. Each of the positions can also be practiced in different variations depending on the advanced level of the practitioner.
Watch out for the most common mistakes of beginners
The most common mistakes of beginners are mostly connected with an insufficiently developed ability to perceive one's body and comparing oneself with others. If yoga is completely new to you, don't expect miracles from yourself right from the start. Moving is like anything else - it takes time. When we learn a new language, we also don't expect to be able to hold an advanced conversation or read a newspaper in that language after 3 lessons. And this also applies if you are used to working out in the gym, running, cycling - simply, it also applies to those who are in relatively good shape and start yoga as a supplementary activity. What is new for the brain will not work for us at first. It is, on the other hand, a wonderful opportunity to learn patience, to recognize our limits and weaknesses that we can work on, and last but not least, to learn to be kind to ourselves.
Where you can practice yoga
In every big and small city, you can find yoga centers or at least yoga teachers who rent premises for lessons. And you can start exercising at home in your living room! Of course, online lessons or videos never convey the experience of exercising in direct contact with other people and the instructor, and even the instructor cannot check whether you are exercising correctly. However, exercising according to a video or live stream is always better than no exercise at all.
When to practice yoga? In the morning or before bed?
Tradition says that we should practice yoga and practice meditation at a time when the energy is calmest and purest. And that's at sunrise and sunset. However, the life of an ordinary Western person is significantly different from the times when yoga was created, and therefore it is okay to practice yoga at a different time of the day. However, it should be noted that our practice will vary depending on the time of day. In the morning, even before breakfast, we can practice a more brisk and warming set, which will wake us up and start the new day. In the evening, we can treat ourselves to more peaceful and relaxing yoga, which will relieve us of the stress and rush of the past day and prepare us for sleep. Whatever time you exercise, follow the principle of exercising on a relatively empty stomach. It is recommended not to eat for at least 2-3 hours before exercise, and if so, then only something light. Learn more about this topic in this article.
10 concepts you will encounter in yoga classes
Asana
Originally, the term referred to a sitting position used for meditation. Later, the term was expanded to include the physical practice of all positions.
Bandha (Mula bandha, Udijana bandha, Jalandara bandha)
It means a lock and it is an energy lock that prevents energy leakage. Mula Bandha or root lock is practiced by gently lifting the perineum and pelvic floor upwards. Udijana bandha is practiced by pulling the abdomen up under the ribs after exhaling and holding the breath until the body asks for a breath again. At Jalandare bandh again we bring the chin to the chest (mostly practiced together with Udijana bandha). Activation of all three closures at once is also called Maha Bandha or Great Bandha. We recommend waiting for an experienced teacher to practice bands.
Chakra
Translated as a wheel. It is an energy vortex or a place of culmination of energy. Yoga and other Eastern views of man are based on the assumption that man is more than just the physical body and mind and speak of an energetic or astral body. There are various theories and views on the chakra system, the most widespread is that we have seven main chakras - each associated with a specific body location, sound, mantra, color, element and other attributes.
Mantra (Ohm)
A sacred word or sound repeated by spoken word or chant as a way of concentrating the mind and invoking a certain quality. Most mantras are in Sanskrit, but it is also possible to create your own mantra in your native language (e.g. I am calm, I am happy, etc.). Most often in yoga classes you will encounter the Ohm mantra, which is chanted at the beginning and/or end of the class and is considered to be the primordial sound, the vibration that existed at the beginning of the creation of the universe.
Mudra
It means lock, sign, signal, gesture. Some mudras involve the whole body, but most only the hands or fingers. Each mudra has its own special meaning and they are mostly used in meditation and pranayama as a way of directing energy and attention. You will most often encounter the Anjali mudra (Namaste or prayer) - joined palms in front of the heart.
Nadis
Energy channels in which energy (prana) flows. Some theories state that there are as many as 72,000. There are three main ones, namely Shušumna (leads through the spine), Ida and Pingala, which wrap around each other and Shušumna and open in the nostrils (Ida in the left and Pingala in the right). .
Full yoga breath
It is a breath in which we inhale from the abdomen upwards towards the collarbones and exhale in the same or opposite direction.
Prana
The word prana refers to life energy, or the life force that flows through all living things. It also denotes life and breath.
Pranayama
A collection of techniques and methods for working with breath and energy.
Ujjayi breath
Breathing through the vocal folds, typical of stronger and more dynamic styles of yoga (vinyasa flow, power, ashtanga).
A few final tips on how to practice yoga correctly
As mentioned above, be patient, kind and curious in your yoga practice. Yoga is an amazing journey of self-discovery through the experience of the physical body, breath and mind.
Don't compare yourself. Every single person is unique, everyone has different body proportions, assumptions and also givens. We all have a different movement history and health status. All this will influence our practice. There is no destination station in yoga, it is a never-ending journey of discovery and exploration, one can always go deeper. Your practice will change, one day you'll be happy with yourself and the next day you'll be frustrated, and that's perfectly fine.
There are a lot of yoga equipment and clothes on the market today, don't give in to the pressure of the environment. You don't have to own the best and most expensive right from the start. Start with what you have and you will gradually find out what you need for a better and more pleasant practice.
