Tara Yoga

Yoga For Beginners Guide

When and how long to practice yoga

Just as with any form of exercise yoga should be built up slowly starting with the easier poses and building up to the harder ones gradually. There is no special time to do yoga because there are advantages to doing yoga anytime of the day, for instance doing your yoga routine first thing in the morning is an excellent way to revitalise both the mind and body ready for the day ahead.

Practicing the yogic breathing and meditation exercises last thing at night will aid in promoting restful sleep. Whatever time you choose to do yoga it is important that you do not strain yourself and always stop if you feel tired, resting in between poses is also beneficial. A session of yoga doesn’t have to be lengthy but should be done everyday even for as little as 15 minutes.

What to wear for practicing yoga

You don’t need any special equipment and yoga can be practiced anywhere and by people of all ages, when you are thinking where to practice yoga try and find somewhere where there won’t be many distractions. You can use a mat, blanket or towel on which to do your poses and while this isn’t particularly necessary it will give you support and comfort for the sitting and lying poses.

It is better if you wear loose or stretch clothing for doing yoga as this won’t hinder you when doing some of the more strenuous poses. Shorts, leotards or sweat suits are all ideal clothing, barefoot is also better for doing yoga though soft slipper type foot wear can be worn.

It is always advisable when doing any form of exercise to wait at least an hour after eating and yoga is no exception to this rule when doing the poses, though light meals eaten just before meditating generally don’t cause a problem.

Props used in yoga

You don’t need any special equipment for doing yoga but there are several props that can help you, these can help you achieve proper balance, alignment and help make the poses a little easier. The use of props can also ease the strain on muscles and support them; yoga props can also help people with medical problems and help the elderly to overcome problems with some of the harder poses.

A basic yoga session

• Warm up exercises – warm up exercises help to loosen the muscles and get the body ready for the more strenuous poses to follow, yoga warm up exercises work on the shoulder muscles, spine, hips, lower back and groin areas.
• Standing poses – this set of exercises help to align the feet, body and spine, they also add strength to the spine and increase movement. Standing poses help with the digestive system, blood circulation and are excellent for those wanting to lose weight.
• Sitting poses – this set of poses will help to revitalise you and contribute to shaping your buttocks and legs, they also help to keep the spine supple.
• Twists – twist exercises relieve backache and tension from within the spine, they will also help to make your shoulders more supple and flexible and helps with circulation of the blood.
• Supine and prone poses – this set of poses will relieve tension in your abdomen and increase suppleness of the spine; they also help gain strength in the arms, back and legs.
• Inverted and balance poses – this set of poses help with coordination and increase the stamina and strength, the poses will also help improve the poise and agility and help improve concentration.
• Backbends – backbends are beneficial to the adrenal glands and kidneys, they also help relieve tension in the front of the body and in the pelvic girdle and improves flexibility in the spine.
• Finishing poses - these poses are the cooling down poses to end your yoga session and leave you feeling relaxed and enhancing your overall sense of well being.