Yoga comes from the word that means "together" in Sanskrit. This word perfectly characterizes the meaning of one of the oldest practices, the purpose of which is the harmony between your mental and physical states.
Info for beginners before talking up yoga:
Yoga doesn’t equal stretching
Don't expect any quick results! Yoga classes are a specially selected set of exercises aimed at relaxing and strengthening muscles. For those whose goal is to lose a great amount of weight in two weeks, yoga is not an option. Go for stretching instead.
All yoga exercises are aimed at purifying your consciousness. Flexibility, stretching and good physical shape are just additional bonuses. It's great to have them, but that's not the purpose of yoga. If you need biceps and abs, you need to choose some other workouts.
Meditation is a must
Meditation is an essential element of yoga training. If there is no meditation in the lesson plan, then this is not yoga, but just ordinary Pilates. Therefore, the question of where to start independent yoga classes begins here.
Meditation is the next step after mastering asanas. First, you need to learn how to control your body and breathing. Meditation is a thought-free state. If you try to write down what you are thinking about, it will look like a chaotic set of information: go to the store, call your mom, go to work tomorrow. Such thinking has a very low efficiency. And meditation allows you to stop this chaotic process for a while, and when the noise of thoughts subsides, you can finally hear and understand what is really important.
Three steps to Harmony
Yoga is divided into three parts. First, everyone must free their consciousness, trying not to think about anything, empty your mindset. Then breathing exercises, accompanied by simple poses. The training ends with working out the main groups of muscles (usually in a kneeling position).
Doing yoga is mainly beneficial to ligaments and tendons
One of the most distinctive feature of yoga is its effect on the ligaments and tendons. It is very good for our body. A pumped-up body looks aesthetically attractive, but does not actually give anything in terms of health. Endurance and strong immune system are like this because of exercise. When practicing yoga, you work on deep muscles, and I have already mentioned breathing and the peacefulness of consciousness a little earlier. "
Do outfits matter?
There is an opinion that special clothes are a must for classes: many sports brands have entire lines designed specifically for yoga. But Yaroslav believes that it is possible to just workout in a T-shirt and leggings.
"I don't think that special clothes are needed for yoga," says Yaroslav. - I remember how one coach, gathering students for his training, said that it would be difficult there, so we need to be in a good shape. And one of the potential participants asked: is Nike allowed?
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The least amount of food
Three hours before the start of classes, do not eat heavy food. The maximum is a banana or any small fruit. Otherwise, inverted poses can lead to problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Drinking water during yoga classes is also not recommended.
"I recommend doing yoga without eating before that. It seems that you should have already eaten something, but you are not very hungry yet. As for the last meal before training, it all depends on the metabolic rate. On average, it takes about 5 hours to digest a big meal. After eating two bananas or a light salad, you can start training in two hours.
Speak up, you can't be silent
Before training, always warn about the injuries (even if they are old). Perhaps some asanas are simply dangerous for your health.
"An absolutely sound piece of advice. In any yoga studio, before starting a workout, you should be asked about your injuries, - says Yaroslav. "If a person has problems, they should come up to the coach and tell about that themselves."
Distant approach
If you are a beginner, stay behind the class, take a place in the last row. This will help you follow the experienced members of the group and understand the techniques better. In any case, the teacher will personally monitor the performance of asanas, but if this is not an individual training, they will not be able to pay attention only to you.
You can always stop
Yoga is not a competitive sport. If you feel tired, stop and rest. You do not need to force yourself to do exercises, so you will definitely not be able to achieve harmony. If you are in pain, stop and do not hesitate to ask the teacher to help you and consult you.
The first rule of yoga: if it hurts too much, it means that a person has overestimated their level. It will be hard anyways, but there is a pleasant feeling, and there is the other one that causes severe discomfort, you should not tolerate it. A person must learn to assess their condition adequately and control the pains.
General terminology
How to start yoga classes and not feel that you are being spoken to in "Chinese" during training? That's right, learn the terminology. Here is a short mandatory dictionary. Asanas are postures. Shavasana is a pose that is taken during rest. Balasana is the pose of a child (sitting on his heels, bending one’s body forward and touching the ground with your chest, hips and forehead). Tadasana is the "mountain" pose (standing on your feet, spreading your toes in different directions, hands along your body, palms up). Namaste is a word that means "peace be upon you" (said at the end of the lesson).
During pregnancy and periods
A standard yoga course is not suitable for pregnant ladies. Some poses can harm the baby. During periods, experts also recommend giving up classes so as not to provoke possible muscle spasm. If you have high blood pressure, it is better to do static poses with a low intensity of load.
This is a special direction in yoga. Pregnant women are to do certain exercises in the pelvic area, which will subsequently facilitate the delivery process. But at the same time they must be able to count correctly. Yoga classes during pregnancy involve the exclusion of any pressure on the abdomen and the location of the fetus. Choose an instructor who is a woman which gave birth herself and trained during pregnancy. They know all the nuances.