FIRST STEPS IN PRACTICING YOGA
When you practice through your body, you also change how you feel and when you work with your emotions, your body also reacts.
The easiest way to start practicing yoga – through work with your body and consciousness with the help of ASANAS (translated from Sanskrit as “comfortable (meditative) posture”) and PRANAYANAS (translated as “breathing practices”).
Asanas in classic yoga are represented by Hatha yoga and other later styles of yoga practices – Ashtanga – Vinyasa yoga, Ishvara yoga, etc. The word ‘asana’ is first found in the above-mentioned work, “Yoga Sutras of Patañjali”. Hatha yoga is mentioned for the first time in texts dating from around the 8th century AD. The practice is described in more detail in the 12th century, and in the 15th century, one of the most classic works on Hatha yoga, “Hatha Yoga Pradipika,” was written.
What does Hatha yoga include? First of all it involves careful work with the body, starting with the mastering of various asanas and pranayamas and continuing the practice through cleansing procedures, and developing discipline of the body and spirit. From Sanskrit, “Hath” means “to be tough” – namely, to treat the body and practice consciously and to be ready to work and make a willful effort.
In the first stages, it is highly recommended to practice with an instructor in order to do the asanas correctly. Later you can do it yourself.It is interesting that depending on what the practitioner wants to achieve, the practice can be different, including the choice of asanas.
What asana types are there and how to choose the right ones for yourself?
Asanas can be categorized based on different criteria. A popular rule of thumb is to divide them into Strength, Balance, and Stretching. For example, the “Warrior 2 pose” can be attributed to Strength, the “Tree pose” to Balance, and the “Lying triangle pose” to Stretching. If you want to work on body strength, you need to add more Strength asanas to your practice.
A balanced practice should usually be between 30 minutes and 1.5 hours and include setting up for the practice, a warm-up, asanas, pranayamas, and meditation at the end – either to further relax the body or to focus on the changes that occurred during the practice.
Examples of yoga series for a beginner practitioner
Morning series
It is advisable to make a morning yoga series very light and soft. In the morning our body is just gathering its resources for the day, so you need to start the body slowly and carefully. Before practicing, it is best not to eat but to drink water and take a shower.
The practice itself should begin with concentrating your attention on the body and warming up for about 5 minutes all over the body. The feeling after this should be that the body is warmed up and ready for deeper asanas.
In the morning, I recommend adding more stretching asanas, because the body really enjoys and wants to stretch after sleep. It’s good to do Padahastasana, the Triangle pose and variations of it, stretch in Downward Facing Dog, and open the chest in Upward Facing Dog. It is also good to do the Cobra and Sphinx poses on your stomach, slowly turn over on your back and do Kandharasana, and a very gentle Halasana (you can do it with bent knees). Then you can finish the morning practice with Ardhamatsyendrasana and Paschimottanasana.
It is advisable to allocate up to 10 minutes for morning pranayamas and meditation to recharge your body and prepare for the upcoming day and tasks ahead.
Example of a 20-minute morning series:
- Setting up for practice – meditation for self-actualization – 2 min
- It is very important to apply full yogic breathing during the entire practice and start the practice with it – 1 min
- Full-body warm-up – 3 min
- Uttanasana from Mountain pose – 1 min; you can also lock your hands and reach deeper
- Trikonasana (Triangle pose) from Mountain pose for both legs – 2 min
- Tree pose for each leg from Mountain pose – 2 min
- Get into Table pose. From Table pose, gently go into Cat-Cow pose – 1 min
- From Table pose, gently go into Downward Facing Dog (for beginners, you can bend your legs at the knees and switch from one leg to the other) – 1 min
- From Downward Facing Dog go to Upward Facing Dog, focusing on opening your chest – 1 min
- From Upward Facing Dog go to Downward Facing Dog, and then back to Upward Facing Dog – 2 min
- From the Upward Facing Dog asana, move into Child pose, relax and rest – 1 min
- Sit in a comfortable position (Sukhasana – legs crossed) and do Ardha Matsyendrasana on both sides – 2 min
- Return to a comfortable position, close your eyes, apply full yogic breathing and concentrate on the changes in your body and mood – 1-2 min
- Leave the practice slowly, give yourself 10-15 minutes to readjust
Strength yoga series
It is best to practice Strength yoga when the body has already woken up and has been awake for at least 2-3 hours, either in the middle of the day or in the evening. The beginning of a Strength practice has a similar logic, but by meditating we set ourselves up to work more intensively with our body.
In a Strength practice, it could be a good idea to add asanas that create a challenge for the practitioner: you can practice the Warrior pose in all variations, Downward and Upward Facing Dog, but mixing it up then with a plank (Phalakasana) and Chaturanga, or you could try to play with a more complex Bakasana, or feel your ab muscles working in Navasana.
Stretching and Balancing asanas should also be added to your series to work with the body more harmoniously. It is also good to end the practice with some pranayamas and focusing on any changes in your physical and emotional states.
Evening Balance practice
For a leisurely evening or afternoon practice, it is important to choose a time when you do not need to rush anywhere afterwards. Let’s start traditionally by setting ourselves up for a thoughtful and unhurried practice and deep full yogic breathing and by warming up our body. In your evening practice, it is nice to stand in Tree pose, stretch in Uttanasana, unhurriedly open up in Camel pose, feel the body working in Warrior pose, stretch in Konasana, breathe in relaxing pranayamas, and “let the whole body go” in Shavasana.
The rhythm of the evening series should be slowed down, and the class should be longer. After the practice, it is desirable to have another hour of time when you can try to experience your physical and emotional state, see something new in yourself, maybe feel new desires or motivation to change something, improve your life, or something that will bring you closer to the feeling of satisfaction with life in all its aspects.
What is not advised before practicing Hatha yoga (or any other style):
- – Having meals more than two hours before the class (as a last resort, you can eat a banana or something very light an hour and a half before);
- – Being distracted by calls or work – this approach will not bring results;
- – Being in a noisy place or with other people who are engaged in doing other things during your class. If you practice at home, it is desirable to be alone and sitting comfortably, away from noise and with enough space to perform various asanas;
- – After the practice, immediately running to a meeting or going to work – after finishing the class, you need to – – Take at least 10-15 spare minutes to experience what you’re feeling and only then return to doing tasks and fulfilling plans.
Yoga Practice is a very interesting and deep process, and everyone has their own story and journey with yoga. I hope you can find your door to yoga to reveal your physical and spiritual potential.