If you’re serious about learning how to get good at yoga, it is something that you will need to invest considerable time, effort, and dedication into in order to see significant improvements. In fact, the most common mistake that people, when they begin practicing yoga is overestimating their level of strength, flexibility, and balance.
Understanding the limitations of your body will give you valuable insights into how you can improve your yoga practice. It takes a certain level of self-realization and mindfulness to be able to step back and objectively assess your proper yoga level. Aside from being able to correctly identify your yoga level, being able to assess your physical limitations will help prevent injuries when you perform the different yoga poses.
Is There a Certain Type of Yoga That’s Best for Beginners?
There is no one “best” type of yoga that will fit everyone’s needs and goals. However, if you’re having trouble trying to choose which type of yoga to try first, a good school of yoga to try is vinyasa yoga. Vinyasa yoga is a “fundamental” type of yoga that allows you understand and perfect the principles of yoga and put yourself in a better position to move on to more advanced poses.
Once you have become comfortable with the basic principles and poses that you can find in vinyasa yoga, you can move on and try other types of yoga to see which best fits your needs. Here are some of most the popular yoga schools that you can try:
- Ashtanga Yoga – Athletic type of yoga that focuses on high-intensity and complex poses.
- Hot Yoga – Also known as Bikram Yoga, this type of yoga is performed inside a sauna-like room.
- Restorative Yoga – Best for people who are recovering from injuries or looking for a natural way to relieve stress and anxiety.
Build a Mindset Where You Enjoy Your Yoga
Your mindset towards yoga is just as important as your clothes, time commitment, and effort. If you look at going to yoga classes as a chore, it won’t be long before you start dreading going to yoga classes and making excuses not to go. Therefore, it’s important to find a style of yoga that best fits your lifestyle needs; it makes it easier and more enjoyable to integrate it into your usual routine!
If you’re not comfortable finding a yoga class to join yet, that’s okay. You can still find ways to make yoga at home fun and exciting. Pick out music that you enjoy AND complements your yoga session. If you have a fast-moving yoga routine, upbeat dance music can help put you in the mood. If you have a slow and relaxing routine, spa or nature music is a great choice.
Not a fan of music? That’s okay too. Some people find that their best headspace for yoga comes in total silence and tranquility. Find a cool and quiet corner of your home and make it your “exclusive yoga spot” where you can practice and improve your poses.
Another way to build a yoga mindset is by creating a yoga ritual that you will follow before and after your yoga classes. This routine should help you get into the type of mood that’s conducive to your yoga session. If you have a calm and gentle yoga session, for example, taking a hot shower and lighting up some essential oil in a diffuser beforehand to put you in a relaxed mindset.
Here are some yoga equipment to help you practice:
You’re Going to Fail…and That’s Okay
In the beginning, you’re probably going to faceplant into your yoga mat more times than you perform a certain pose successfully. That’s fine. Every yoga master who can hold a difficult pose perfectly started out in the exact same place: falling over repeatedly into their yoga mat. The yoga mat is there to soften your fall; it’s up to you to get back up, dust yourself off, and try again.
One way to be able to perfect a certain pose is by setting up milestones for it. Let’s take the boat pose or the Paripurna Navasana. This is an intermediate pose where you balance on your sitting bone and tailbone while your legs and arms are help up straight in the air.
The first time that you perform this pose, chances are that you’re going to fall on your back or you’re not going to be able to hold the pose with your arms and legs straight out. In order to make the perfecting the pose easier, break it down into goals! Your first goal is to be able to balance on your sitting bones and tailbone, don’t mind the orientation of your arms and legs. In fact, you’re probably going to need your arms behind you to prop you up once you start leaning backward.
Once you’ve mastered the balancing, you can then start straightening your arms and legs forward while you balance. It will be difficult at first, but over time, you’ll find that you’ll master this pose.
The key to getting good at yoga is consistency, practice, and the willingness to perform a pose over and over without giving up or looking for shortcuts.
Every Person’s Journey is Different
It can be difficult to not get frustrated at your pace especially when you look over to other fellow practitioners during a yoga class and feel like you’re the least practiced in your group. However, this kind of mindset is not healthy, and it certainly won’t help you get good at yoga. If anything, it might even be the reason why you quit!
Don’t compare yourself with other people, especially those that you see on social media! Those people have probably fallen over and over off camera, and it’s only their final triumph that they’re choosing to share online.
It’s what makes you feel good that’s important. Learn more tips about yoga practices.
>>Related articles that you may like:
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- How To Get Started With Yoga: Yoga For Beginners
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- How Often Should You Do Yoga As A Beginner?
- How To Improve Balance In Yoga: A Beginner’s Guide
Conclusion
Here’s a simple truth: the only thing that you should remember on how to get good at yoga is by not giving up. Yes, it’s that simple. Yoga is a one of those things where the amount of time and effort that you put will invest will result into something that you can be proud of! Whether you’re going into yoga to have a stronger body, reduce stress, or establish a deeper balance between your mind and body, you will see the fruits of your labor.