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Introduction
Yoga, it’s the magic word, which has guided humans all over the
world towards better health, peace of mind and even prosperity.
Yoga has the power to transform one’s life and takes the person to
an amazing feeling of serenity and calmness. Not many are aware
of the powers of yoga and the asana recommended by this unique
therapeutic science.
There are also many who don’t even know what yoga is and have
their own notions about it based on what they have heard or seen.
Before you start practicing yoga, it’s important to understand what
it means and its basic facts. This will make sure you imbibe the
goodness of yoga into your soul and are able to practice this science
in the perfect way so as to gain maximum benefits.
What comes to your
mind when you hear
the word “Yoga”? Well,
you may think of some
images of women in a
few seemingly
impossible poses. If Page | 2
this is what you think yoga is all about, then you may just have an
inkling of this amazing science. And yes, that's it - just inkling. You
got to go a long way before fully understanding Yoga.
This book will focus on the following:
- Reasons you should practice yoga
- Benefits derived
- Yoga poses and the mistakes to avoid
It’s my firm belief that it will provide you with all the answers to
your questions.
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Yoga and Your Life
There are seven primary forms of yoga: Hatha, Vinyasa, Power,
Ashtanga, Bikram, and Iyengar yoga. Hatha is the most common
and easiest form of yoga. It combines breathing techniques and
basic movements. Vinyasa yoga combines multiple poses that
smoothly transition into one another.
Power yoga is an intense form, designed to build muscles quickly.
Ashtanga is similar to Vinyasa yoga in that it combines multiple
poses that smoothly transition into one another; it is unique in that
the poses include special breathing techniques. Bikram is a
collection of 26 yoga poses designed to be performed in very hot
temperatures. Finally, Iyengar yoga utilizes objects like blocks or
chairs to align the body in the proper position. In this book, we will
focus primarily on the first form, Hatha Yoga.
If you are already a committed practitioner of yoga, you probably
will use established routines and will have successfully worked
yoga into your life.
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Yoga For Any Lifestyle
Is yoga the right type of workout for you? I would assert that yoga
can accommodate any lifestyle. There are aspects of yoga that can
be implemented in the office, on a plane, at your desk, pretty much
anywhere. Because yoga doesn’t require special equipment, it is
easy to maintain your daily yoga practice when you travel. Even if
your life is hectic, you can (and should) introduce yoga into your
daily routine, if only for five minutes at a time.
If you already have a solid workout routine, all the better; Yoga can
easily be tacked on to either end of your workout. You can regularly
practice yoga whether you have a set schedule or one that varies
wildly. It makes no difference whether you live in the mountains,
on the beachfront, or in between. Whether you live in a studio
apartment or a 20-bedroom mansion, you can still find space for
yoga! In other words, there’s really no excuse not to include yoga
as part of your life. It’s so beneficial, why not give it a shot?
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When and Where
If you already have a regular workout routine, you can easily
introduce a single yoga position into your cool-down. Use a single
pose for several days, before moving on to anything else. This gives
your body time to adjust to the new positioning and truly learn its
process, which can be more challenging than it appears on the
surface.
The “when” and “where” of yoga don’t matter as long as it’s
consistent. The consistent practice of yoga is what makes it
effective. Many people find that waking up a half-hour earlier than
usual to incorporate a yoga routine into their lives produces
noticeable results.
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Yoga is a great way to get your day started. Other people rely on
yoga in the evening, claiming it helps them fall asleep easier. Don’t
have time to wake up a half hour early? You can also practice yoga
at work if your environment allows. Many of the poses can be
performed while sitting on a chair. You can execute others while
standing or waiting in line. The only restriction: do not practice
yoga within a couple hours of eating.
To make it easier to practice yoga whenever and wherever
opportunity presents itself, I recommend keeping a yoga mat and a Page | 7
set of comfortable workout clothes in your car. You never know
when it’ll come in handy.
Even though you can do yoga everywhere and anywhere, I
recommend that you set aside a comfortable space in your home
just for yoga. One of my friends was fortunate enough to have an
extra room in her home that she set apart for yoga. Dubbed “The
Yoga Room”, it was carpeted, the walls were uncluttered, and the
room contained only the items she needed for her yoga work. I
found it clean, open, refreshing, and relaxing – the perfect place for
yoga. If you don’t have the space to devote a whole room to yoga,
you can at least clear a portion of a room – preferably with a wall,
as it will come in handy for occasional support.
Your Yoga Plan
The next step is to establish a plan. If you are just beginning to
explore yoga, it is important that you enter the practice gently.
Your body needs time to ease into the changes you are introducing
to it. At the same time, your body needs to experience yoga on a Page | 8
regular basis, so you can begin to discover its benefits in your body,
your mind, and your spirit.
A gentle introduction to yoga would be to give yourself five minutes
a day to enter into one or two of the poses. Yes, five minutes is all
you need at first. Tack it onto one of your existing routines. For
example, if you have a set routine you follow for the start of your
day, five minutes of yoga added on can help you clear your mind
and rev up your body, preparing for action. On the other hand, if
you have a series of activities you normally follow before you go to
bed (and if you do not, I highly recommend you start), five minutes
of yoga can help you relax and can prepare your mind and body for
a good night’s rest.
Start with one or two poses that work for you. After a couple weeks,
try out another pose or two. As you begin to notice the benefits in
the form of greater alertness and flexibility, etc., feel free to expand
your yoga time to 10 minutes a day or longer.
Once you reach the point that you are expanding your yoga practice
to 20 or 30 minutes at a time, you should consider giving yoga a
timeslot of its own. Sure, you can keep yoga for the start or end of
your day, but if you find it is cramping your mornings or evenings,
feel free to experiment with other times of day. I suggest you Page | 9
continue using one or two yoga positions to help you wake up and
to prepare you for sleep; at the same time, give yourself at least
three set blocks of time a week to devote to more extended yoga
practice.
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Mistakes To Avoid As A Beginner
Yoga can provide you all sorts of benefits including physical and
mental stress relief, slowing the aging process, mood improvement,
along with relaxation and peace. However, beginners, usually out
of overenthusiasm, often make some mistakes at understanding
and practicing yoga and try the poses without proper guidance. Not
just the beginners; but some experienced yogis also make some
mistakes while practicing the yoga postures. They can surely
benefit from some fine-tuning and by knowing the common yoga
mistakes.
1. Pushing too hard
It has been noted that most people know when they are trying to
push themselves too hard; but they like doing it. This is so because
when we think of exercise, we have one common theory and that’s
“No pain no gain”. Even when we exercise in a gym, we do not feel
satisfied with the workout unless our muscles start to cry uncle.
But, yoga is the exact opposite. If your muscles are cringing with
pain, then it's a sign that you're on the fast track to injury and Page | 11
muscle strains. Yoga asanas should never cause pain. Yoga is about
awareness. It’s about listening to the subtle signals your body sends
you and you have to respond accordingly. So, if it starts to get
painful, you must back off.
2. Comparing yourself to others
When you start yoga at home or in a class, you will find some super-
flexible yogis or their pictures that seem to master every move
effortlessly. You are bound to feel intimated by their flexibility and
would love to reach that stage. However, it doesn’t come easily. It
needs years of practicing. Comparing yourself with others will only
cause a lot of frustration and you may end up convincing yourself
that yoga is not for you. Hence, you must fight the urge to compare
yourself with the experienced yogis and get down on yourself.
3. Picking up a wrong spot to practice
If you are planning to attend yoga classes, which place you think
would be the best? Of course, you would like to be in the front!
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muscle strains. Yoga asanas should never cause pain. Yoga is about
awareness. It’s about listening to the subtle signals your body sends
you and you have to respond accordingly. So, if it starts to get
painful, you must back off.
2. Comparing yourself to others
When you start yoga at home or in a class, you will find some super-
flexible yogis or their pictures that seem to master every move
effortlessly. You are bound to feel intimated by their flexibility and
would love to reach that stage. However, it doesn’t come easily. It
needs years of practicing. Comparing yourself with others will only
cause a lot of frustration and you may end up convincing yourself
that yoga is not for you. Hence, you must fight the urge to compare
yourself with the experienced yogis and get down on yourself.
3. Picking up a wrong spot to practice
If you are planning to attend yoga classes, which place you think
would be the best? Of course, you would like to be in the front!
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Right? Wrong! If you want to place your mat wisely, then go to the
back of the class. You do not need to be in the front to see the
instructor because most of the times he or she will be moving
around and helping people correct their pose. You can also try the
row previous-to-the-last. Some moves may require you to face the
back of the room. So being in the last-but-one row will guarantee
that you always have someone to follow without disturbing your
form to look over to the side.
4. Practicing asanas with a full stomach
You should never practice yoga poses on a full stomach. When you
have a full stomach, the poses can get uncomfortable. Besides, the
blood supply that is funneled to your digestive organs can leave
your muscles shortchanged on the energy needed for a successful
practice. Well, we agree that food is like fuel for our body. But, the
key to benefitting from this fuel is to eat about an hour before your
session and to keep the portion size down. This will make sure the
blood has enough time to digest the food, pick up the energizing
nutrients and pass them to the muscles before your first pose.
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5. Practicing asanas every day
Yoga is a strength-building activity. But, you have to give your
muscles some time to recuperate from the micro-tears that occur
with each workout, especially in the beginning. Hence, you are
advised to practice yoga every other day when you are just starting
out; otherwise your muscles will be exhausted.
6. Not warming up properly
Time crunch is an unavoidable part of our routine. This time
crunch may tempt you to skip the warm-up moves and go into a
complicated posture directly. But this is sure to increase your risk
of injury. You must do some stretching for at least 5 minutes to
warm up your body to the point where it can go into the serious
poses more easily.
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7. Not cooling down after workouts
Just as you need to warm up before each yoga session, you also
need to cool down after the session. A cool-down for at least 10
minutes is essential to help your muscles and ligaments to repair
and recover before your next workout. This will also help you to
avoid fainting or dizziness that may occur due to the pooling of too
much of blood in the legs during standing postures.
Yoga is an everyman’s activity; not just because it can be practiced
by anyone with a mat; but because it can be practiced from
anywhere and even by the elderly people, pregnant women and
those with physical restrictions. However, just because you can
bust some of the yoga moves doesn't mean you're doing it the right
way or getting the most out of your efforts and the time spent.
When you practice yoga, it is important to look at your mistakes
and work to correct them to make sure your awareness and form
do not suffer.
Avoiding these common beginners’ mistakes will help maximize
your benefits and reduce your risk of injury. And remember, yoga
is a continuous practice and your goal should be to improve
constantly to achieve perfection.
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