Our Top Tips For Beginner Yogis
So you’ve made the leap and decided to start practicing yoga. Well done! Being a beginner at something isn’t always easy, but it’s something that we should get more comfortable with. We can’t just stay doing what we know forever, right? Being a beginner is EXCITING and means that you are ever evolving and growing.
Here at Hartig Yoga, we’ve come up with a list of 5 top tips for Beginner Yogis, to help you stay on track with your practice.
1) Take it slowly
Choose classes that are slower paced to start with. Perhaps a Hatha or Hatha Flow class might suit you better than a fast paced Vinyasa class. This will give you a chance to learn a few keys postures and breathing techniques that you can then take with you into faster paced classes in the future. It also gives you the chance to take more time and care with your practice, so you can get to know your body’s boundaries.
2) Remember to Breathe!
At most yoga classes, you will constantly be reminded to breathe! It is such an important aspect of the practice. In day to day life, our bodies take a breath automatically, whenever more oxygen is needed by the body.. On the mat we control our breathing the whole time, or at least when we remember to! Sometimes we will get drawn back into the monkey chatter of the mind, but then we remember that we need to BREATHE and we can come back to the present moment. Breathing properly reduces stress and helps us to stay in a space of peace and ease.
3) Let Go of Expectation
Let go of expectation and enjoy the process. Whilst you may wish you could go further into your forward bend, or fold into a lotus, or hold a handstand, you need to be patient with yourself. You might even find that with time, you let go of the need to ‘achieve’ in poses and just surrender to the feeling of building strength in your body and releasing tension from your body/mind from moment to moment, rather than striving to get somewhere.
4) Stop Comparing
Try to stay within the space of your mat and your body, without looking around and comparing too much. It’s the same on the mat as it is off the mat. We are all at different stages of our lives and our practices, and there really is no comparison. Stop wasting time comparing and start tuning in to your breath instead.
5) Ask Questions
If there are any questions that you have about any postures, breathing techniques or anything yoga, come and see your teacher after class. We are so happy to give you extra guidance and support.
We welcome beginners into our classes with open arms, and hope to see you on the mat at one of our Palm Cove Yoga Classes really soon.
