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Yoga is noncompetitive and can be practiced by anyone of any age or level of fitness. It does not require special equipment and can be practiced anywhere. You can find the ground and focus your breath under any circumstances. Your yoga practice is always with you.
General Guidelines to Keep in Mind
- Practice on an empty or nearly empty stomach.
- Wear loose, comfortable clothing.
You should be barefoot for the active poses (standing poses, back-bends, inversions). If you are at the office, take off your shoes and loosen your clothing as much as possible.
- Take time to breathe.
Awareness of the breath is at the core of yoga and meditation. If you don’t have time to do anything else, take a few minutes (sitting or lying down) to focus your attention on your breathing.
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- Practice regularly.
It is better to do small amounts often than occasional intensive bursts.
- Pay attention to your body.
Do not force or push your body into a pose. You will know when you have had enough or when you are ready to move on.
- Start with the poses that you like the most.
Your practice will be enjoyable and beneficial. If you enjoy your practice, you are more likely to continue practicing regularly. As your repertoire of poses increases, you will discover the poses you need to free the parts of your body that need attention. Use the ones that are most beneficial for you. At the same time, be aware of balancing your practice.
- Adjust your practice to your schedule and biorhythms.
Some people feel too stiff to practice in the morning, others prefer it. Some people find it soothing to do yoga in the evening, others find it wakes them up and affects their sleep. Try to practice at the same time each day so that your body becomes familiar with the rhythm. However, if your schedule is variable, you will have to work around that. For instance, my practice times are different on days when I teach than on those when I don’t.
- Be aware of the effect of the poses on your mood and energy.
Different types of poses have different moods or energies. Standing poses, Sun Salutation, and backbends are strong, stimulating poses that were traditionally done early in the day. Doing them in the evening may keep you awake. Inversions and forward bends are restorative poses that can be done in the evening.
- Set aside a place to practice.
Having a place to practice helps to focus your attention and bring you to a quieter state. Simply being there will help you focus. Even a corner of a room can be your yoga place.
- Incorporate bits of practice throughout the day.
There are many ways that you can do this. For example:
Whenever you feel tense, exhale and drop your shoulders.
When you are walking, be conscious of the contact of your feet with the ground, and focus your attention on your breathing.
When you are standing for a long time, be aware of your breath and relax your shoulders.
Be aware of your spine as you walk, stand or sit.
Take little yoga breaks during the day. Current recommendations from professionals such as physiotherapists are 5–10 minutes every hour.
Finding the Time
Lack of time is one of the key issues facing us today. We seem to spend most of our lives trying to catch up. Fitting in a yoga class or practice can seem like just one more thing to do, another obligation, another responsibility. But we need time to “undo” or unwind. When my students start to become quiet, their first reaction is often, “I feel like I ought to be doing something.” Yoga practice gives us time set aside from these pressures, in which we can come back to ourselves, become a little clearer and quieter. It is a resource that can enhance everything else that you do.
Taking this time may seem like an indulgence that is hard to justify. Learning to take time for ourselves and to be kind to ourselves takes practice. It may be painful at first, and surprisingly difficult, but do persist. You and everyone around you will reap the benefits. Turning inward provides a resource and clarity that enhances all other aspects of our lives. The practice of accepting ourselves leads to concern and compassion for others. Being able to return to an inner source and draw from it can give us the strength to carry on in trying and difficult situations.
When I had a mastectomy, it left me so exhausted that I quickly learned a lot about setting priorities and valuing my time and energy. As a result, I have become more committed to my practice. Less and less gets in the way. The phone calls can wait and so can the chores. I still constantly ask myself the question: “Is this what I want to be doing right now?” and I strive to eliminate anything in my life for which the answer to that question is “No.”
The value of an on-going practice cannot be overestimated. Start with a realistic assessment of how much time you have for yoga. Even 5 or 10 minutes a day makes yoga a part of your daily life. Regular short practices are more beneficial than occasional long ones. With time, your practice will naturally grow. If your practice slips, don’t punish yourself. Breathe and start again. Even spending time in your practice place will help you focus.
The voice that says: “Only 5 minutes a day won’t make any difference” is wrong. Even when you can only manage a few minutes, those few minutes will keep you in touch with the thread of yoga. One of my students, a working mother with two young children, sets one pose a day as her bottom line; another, after the birth of her third child, did five rounds of Rapid Abdominal Breathing as a daily minimum. I have had students make significant improvement by practicing 15 minutes a day.
As yoga germinates and takes root in your life, you will find the rhythm and level of practice that is right for you. There is a multitude of ways you can approach and use your yoga practice. I have students who have been coming to class once a week for years, but rarely practice, and others whose lives have been transformed through their practice.
Starting to Practice
If you are just beginning to practice, start with poses that you like and feel immediate benefit from. You might be able to convince yourself for a while that you are doing yoga because it is good for you, but in the long run the only reason to continue is because you love it. As your practice grows, include more poses.
With time you may want to try more difficult and challenging poses. Approach them with the same attitude that you have developed through the basics. When you are working on a pose you find difficult, you are much more likely to push and struggle. This creates tension that will block you and will actually prevent you from doing the pose. Take time, breathe and go as far as your body is ready. Eventually, these poses will come with ease, and the distinction between beginning and advanced poses will dissolve. Have faith that you will progress. Your faith will build slowly over time as you start to improve.
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