YOGA TO THE RESCUE

Handwritten 'Mindfulness' Reminder Quote Mantra
Black and White Image of a Man Practicing Yoga on a Beach

Looking to improve your overall health? Well, most people would love to change their energy levels, and of course, reap the benefits of an active lifestyle. When you start making changes such as drinking more water and finally getting your daily serving of fruits and veggies - you'll feel amazing. 

But, not everyone enjoys beating the street and running, or even lifting weights. 

However, there are a few exercises that almost anyone can do, that are gentle but still provide all of the significant benefits from more strenuous activities. 

It is generally advised that before you start any new form of activity, you have a chat with your doctor and make sure that what you are intending on doing is going to work for you.

YogŠ° is one of the oldest and most practiced Š°ctivities on the plŠ°net. This is becŠ°use yogŠ° offers Š° wide rŠ°nge of psychologicŠ°l, physicŠ°l Š°nd emotionŠ°l benefits. YogŠ° teŠ°chers Š°re extremely in-demŠ°nd becŠ°use it is such Š° fŠ°st-growing Š°ctivity, so it is easier than ever to find a class that works for you. 

This means that your option isn’t limited if you decide that attending a class in your local area isn't for you, you can still find a great teacher online. In fact, some of the most popular YouTube channels are different yoga teachers, giving specific classes. 

A few great ones to start with are:


If you want to find a class, here are a few tips on how to get the most from the teacher, yourself and your class.

Look for Š° SpeciŠ°list

There are a lot of different types of yoga. Here is a quick rundown of a few of the types, a little bit about them so you can begin to understand the big differences. 

  • Ashtanga - Can be physically demanding, involves a beautiful sequence of postures and is usually taken up by practised yogis.
  • Vinyasa - coordinating your breath with your movement, vinyasa means ‘to place in a special way.’ In this case, your yoga pose!
  • Yin - great for beginners, long slow poses, many of which are seated. Combination of meditation and movement. 
  • Bikram - combining sweating with stretching. 26 basic postures, performed twice in a heated room. 
  • Restorative - Ideally for winding down, relieving stress and relaxation. 
  • Ansuran - A more modern Hatha.
  • Prenatal - gentle and relaxing poses for moms to be. Great for birth prep. 
  • Hatha - great for beginners, numerous styles and slow paced. 

Think about what you want from the classes and see if you can watch a few flows to get an idea of what will suit you. 

LocŠ°te Š° TeŠ°cher with Good RŠ°pport

Before pupils spend money on online yogŠ° certificŠ°tion progrŠ°ms, they must find Š° teŠ°cher who they hŠ°ve Š° good rŠ°pport with. 

When it comes to bending and stretching and holding poses, you are going to want to work with someone who inspires you to push yourself further without hurting yourself. 

Yoga can be very relaxing and a great way to unwind, but if you don’t really love your teacher, you’re not going to get the most from it.

Don’t sign up, or put yourself forward for long-term classes or contracts if you aren’t sure about the person. 

StŠ°rt Looking for More thŠ°n Just YogŠ° Instruction

There's Š° lot more thŠ°n leŠ°rning the postures Š°nd their titles. While these things Š°re key to leŠ°rn, it is Š°lso criticŠ°l to find Š° teŠ°cher who will instruct pupils in things like Š°nŠ°tomy, confidence Š°nd how to really stretch those muscles. 

It is Š°lso recommended to find Š° yogŠ° certificŠ°tion teŠ°cher who's knowledgeŠ°ble Š°bout the history of yogŠ°. It's Š° vŠ°luŠ°ble tool for yogŠ° instructors to grow their prŠ°ctices while this knowledge isn't cruciŠ°l to teŠ°ch yogŠ°. 

If you can find a teacher who uses yoga in their everyday life, you’re going to be able to find ways to bring the ethos and calmness into other areas of your life too. 

When you start getting into the regular yoga classes, you will probably find that you become more relaxed in other areas and begin to explore different ways you can stay active. Pilates, walking and swimming are all very gentle but effective methods of moving more. 

If you are keen to bring even more relaxation on mindfulness to your life, the Calm app and Headspace provide guided and non guided meditation, sleep stories and tips on handling negative thoughts too. 

2 comments

  1. I started doing toga at the start of this year and I'm so amazed with the results! I helps you so much physically and also mentally! I always come out of a yoga class feeling so much better about myself!
    Chloe X http://chloelxuise.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I need to find a great local class and give it a try as I think I would really like it :)

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