Yoga is an Indian sport practiced for about 1000 years. Recently, many girls worldwide have started to care about it to calm their mind from work and life stress, try meditation, control breathing, and reduce some symptoms of depression. Besides mental benefits, there are physical benefits like increasing body flexibility and strengthening muscles. It also helps shape your figure. So most people look for steps that help them start practicing yoga.
Main types of yoga:
Yoga isn't just some moves you do for a few seconds or minutes and that's it. Yoga has different types, each serving a specific purpose. So in the next part, we'll get to know the types of yoga so you can find the one that suits you and helps you reach your goal.
First type: Hatha Yoga
This type is good for beginners because its moves are easy and slow. It helps you organize yourself, learn meditation skills, and get familiar with it.
Second type: Ashtanga Yoga
This is a kind of classical yoga, based on single moves but more professional than Hatha Yoga. It helps strengthen body muscles and improve breathing, but you should practice it under a teacher because its postures are difficult.
Third type: Vinyasa Yoga
This type helps shape the body, strengthen muscles, improve blood flow, and protect against heart and vascular diseases. It also helps boost the oxygen level reaching the brain. That's why many yoga experts recommend it for students during exams because it enhances mental abilities.
Fourth type: Hot Yoga
This type is practiced in hot climates. It's for people with certain diseases or allergies that get triggered by heat. It acts as a treatment for those allergies and doctors often recommend it to their patients.
Fifth type: Kundalini Yoga
This is also a type used in therapy but focused on recovery from something. It doesn't involve many physical poses but includes a lot of mental focus and meditation.
Yoga focuses on breathing:
Breathing is a key part of yoga. Jenny Rose, a world yoga trainer, says "Yoga is breathing." If you can control your breath, that means you're practicing yoga. For this reason, it helps many people with blood pressure and respiratory diseases.
Get to know yoga poses:
Yoga poses usually have hard names because they're not in English. This can confuse you the first time you do yoga or join a class. So don’t be surprised by them. Try to learn the most common and easiest poses first, like beginner poses such as warrior, tadasana, and cat stretch.
Yoga gear:
Yoga mat: If you train in a studio, they usually have plenty of mats you can use during your session. But if you practice alone at home, you should buy your own. You can find them at sports gear stores. A yoga mat helps you avoid many injuries and keeps your movements and poses correct. So it’s really important. Also, if you practice at home, you can use some alternatives like a scarf instead of a yoga strap, or a sturdy book instead of yoga blocks.
What to wear when doing yoga?
Wear comfy sports pants or shorts made of proper material, plus a suitable T-shirt. It’s better if the T-shirt is tight so it won’t bother you when you flip over. Many yoga poses need you to turn upside down. You don’t need shoes since yoga is done barefoot, but you can wear thick socks if your feet slip on the mat.
Yoga classes:
There are many places where you can practice yoga. It's not limited to just yoga studios. So if you don't find a yoga studio near you, let's explore some alternatives together:
First alternative: Yoga studios
What makes yoga studios different from other options is they specialize in many types of yoga. So if your goal is to learn a certain type, not just general practice, I suggest you find these studios and go to them. But if you want just general practice, there are many other alternatives we will explain now.
Second alternative: Gyms
Most gyms have yoga classes. So if you're a member, ask about their yoga class schedules. If not, ask about private yoga sessions and their cost. These gyms have professional yoga trainers to be a good alternative to yoga studios in your area.
Third alternative: Home
Nowadays you have many free and paid yoga lessons you can join via your smartphone or computer. YouTube is full of these lessons for all types and levels of yoga. Just search for them and follow along. You can also practice at home just to relax in half an hour or less.
Yoga class rules:
There are some basic rules that all yoga classes follow, no matter the type or level. So you should know them before going to any class:
Rule one: Make sure of the time
You have to double-check the class time and get there a bit early to find a spot where you feel comfortable mentally to do yoga. Also, if it’s your first time, you'll probably need to fill out some paperwork for the place. Yoga classes don't like people coming in late because it distracts others.
Rule two: Enter the class and find your spot
Take off your shoes before entering, roll out your mat like the other students, and tell the instructor or coach it’s your first time so they can correct your posture and moves. Also, ask if you’ll need any extra gear so you can bring it before class starts.
Rule three: Sit quietly before class starts
Most yoga lessons need focus and calm, so try to get your mind ready before class begins. You can also do some stretches and warm-up exercises.
Rule four: Follow the rest of your classmates
Yoga classes start with some slow moves and breathing exercises to help warm you up, plus some meditation. Yoga types vary in speed and pace, some classes are slow with slow moves, and others are totally the opposite.
Rule five: Yoga classes usually end with breathing exercises.
Most yoga exercises are based on breathing. So classes start and end with breathing exercises. These help you finish your day calmly and mentally balanced. That’s how yoga helps your mental health.
Rule six: Ask your questions after class.
Before the class starts you can ask the trainer or other students questions if you want to know about a specific exercise, how to do it, its benefits, or if you want to check if yoga can help achieve something. Trainers always give students time for questions so you can understand everything about yoga.
After class, give yourself time to review the experience and decide if you want to try other types of yoga and if attending helped you or not. This encourages you to join more sessions.
Set your goals:
Yoga depends on your physical abilities so many types fit some people and not others. So try to find a type of yoga that suits and works for you. For example, if you have lower back pain, tell your trainer to avoid poses that stress that area or practice positions that reduce the pain.
You shouldn't do poses just to show off like handstands. Many people do these just to look good on Instagram. So you should set your yoga goals to improve your health and life overall, not to show off.
There are many rumors about yoga, like it's only for girls, but that's not true. Everyone should practice yoga regularly to gain flexibility and improve breathing. Yoga is for all levels and has many types, as we mentioned earlier.
