So, you have finally matured and decided to do yoga. Very good! Today we will tell you how to do it correctly at home.
Hatha is the most popular type of yoga. You can go to any fitness center, and it will definitely be there along with aerobics, boxing or Pilates. The most important thing is to get to a good teacher who will teach you how to correctly perform asanas (body positions) and pranayama (breathing exercises) and introduce you to yoga gently and effectively. But if you don’t have the opportunity to practice hatha yoga in a club, you can practice at home. To do this you need to know simple but very important rules. They will help you avoid mistakes that beginners often encounter.
How is yoga different from gymnastics?
Yoga in the full meaning of the word presupposes a special way of life, following which you can achieve complete enlightenment and absolute harmony in everything.
A person who decides to seriously take up yoga must understand: now he will have to reconsider his life principles, say goodbye to bad habits (alcohol, smoking and yoga are incompatible things), and it will take a lot of time to master the practice, so you should be patient.
Yogic teaching requires a rethinking of life principles, the ability to control one’s emotions and feelings through meditation and concentration. Without this, simple yoga at home will turn into ordinary gymnastics with a set of specific exercises aimed at improving the functions of certain organs and forming an ideal figure.
What are the benefits of yoga
How to start doing yoga at home from scratch? Before answering this question, we need to consider what impact it has on human health.
Experts say that the benefits of yogic exercises can be felt after just two months of training, provided that they are carried out systematically.
Yoga at home allows you to heal from diseases:
Baby pose
Cat pose
- spine, therefore recommended for stages 1, 2, 3 of scoliosis;
- heart and blood vessels;
- Gastrointestinal tract;
- in the field of gynecology;
- thyroid gland.
During classes, a kind of massage is carried out on the organs responsible for the vital functions of the entire body as a whole, so the process of its healing and strengthening of the immune system occurs.
Yoga makes the body flexible, makes the gait light and graceful, it activates the metabolism, therefore, losing weight is one of the results of the exercise.
Yogic asanas fill a person with positive energy, make him balanced and resistant to stress.
Breath
A whole direction is devoted to breathing - pranayama. For amateurs, it is enough to master the basic principles of breathing, without which the exercises will not be as effective.
- Learning to “breathe with your belly.” This is what diaphragmatic breathing is called: while inhaling, we inflate the stomach, while the chest remains motionless, and as we exhale, we draw in the stomach. It is difficult to accustom yourself to this type of breathing (we all mostly “breathe” through the chest), but this is how you can increase the working capacity of your lungs, reduce the incidence of respiratory diseases and get the maximum benefit from yoga.
- Breathe slowly and deeply. This is the basis for relaxing the body and subsequent “gaining” energy.
- We stick to the rhythm. The basic rules for dynamic exercises are as follows: movements in which you need to stretch your arms, body, and head upward) are performed while inhaling, and positions directed downward are performed while exhaling. But even in static poses, breathing plays a significant role - each exhalation will help you relax more and correctly enter the position.
- It is very important not to hold your breath. This also comes with time.
Yoga classes: contraindications
Yoga classes at home or under the guidance of an instructor have a number of contraindications that must be taken into account in order to avoid undesirable consequences. However , even physical therapy has prohibitions, so this is not surprising. So, you can’t do yoga if:
Warrior Pose
Mountain pose
Triangle pose
- schizophrenia and other mental disorders;
- chronic diseases, especially during exacerbation;
- hypertension;
- serious spinal injuries;
- malignant neoplasms;
- arthritis and other joint diseases;
- colds, flu;
- hyperthermia.
A ban on classes is imposed in the case of recent surgery or pregnancy in the third trimester. Women during menstruation can exercise, but the exercises should exclude complex twisting and bending.
In any case, yoga lessons at home should begin only after consultation with a specialist. If during training your health worsens, dizziness begins or your heart rate increases, you should stop exercising and consult a doctor.
Also, home yoga classes should be postponed if you have recently consumed alcohol, are very tired, or are in a state of severe nervous tension.
Can beginners do yoga at home?
No one will dispute the fact that it is better to train under the guidance of an experienced instructor. Experts say that the initial stage is considered the most difficult in yoga, and an attempt to master the basics on your own can lead to results that do not live up to expectations. It is quite difficult for a beginner to understand how to properly start practicing yoga at home, perform the exercises and, most importantly, do them consistently so that the harmony is not disturbed.
Yoga poses for beginners at home
However, we don’t always have time to go to group classes, and not everyone wants to, so home yoga is becoming increasingly popular. This also has its advantages, for example, you can perform the exercises at any time - in the morning or in the evening, independently regulate the frequency, pace and intensity of the workout, master the complexes at will and choose the one you like best.
In addition, you can create a cozy corner for yourself at home so that your activities bring true pleasure. Yes, and you can choose clothes at your discretion, the main thing is that it does not hinder your movements.
Beginners are often embarrassed by clumsy actions, especially when they see the training of more experienced yogis. By practicing at home, a person gains the opportunity to improve each asana, without focusing on others, concentrating solely on his feelings and observing the reaction of his body to a certain load.
Luckily, today yoga classes for beginners at home are available online so you can practice online.
Every yoga class at home for beginners will require patience and discipline. Very often, inexperienced yogis, not seeing results, conclude that training is useless and stop doing gymnastics, so high motivation is very important.
For whom?
Anyone can practice this style, since the contraindications are insignificant, and there are so many exercises that the instructor can choose the right ones for everyone, taking into account the individual characteristics of the body.
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Acroyoga provides a rare opportunity to improve together with a partner, to get closer to him, to become a single organism, where everyone plays their own role.
Basic rules for beginners
“I want to do yoga at home, where to start?” - this is the question that beginners ask themselves when they are serious about improving their body’s health. First of all, you need to decide on the time of classes. Experts believe that the best time to practice is in the morning, as yoga fills the body with the energy that is so necessary for the working day. However, the average duration of classes is 2 hours, so many people transfer yoga classes at home to the evening, which is also allowed. The body is more flexible at this time, so the exercises are easier to perform; a relaxing complex for beginners, performed just before bedtime, promotes sound sleep and proper rest.
Even if the day has not been easy, you should try to give yourself at least 20 minutes to relieve stress. This will be more reasonable than then trying to catch up and study for four hours instead of two.
So, you have made a choice in favor of gymnastics such as yoga, where to start at home? It is necessary to decide on the location of the training. This should be a corner where no one will disturb you or interrupt your work, thereby disturbing the harmony of soul and body. This can be a separate room, a terrace, and in the warm season you can exercise in the fresh air; experts assure that training in nature is more effective. Wherever a yoga class for beginners is held, the place you choose should evoke only positive emotions.
Here are the simplest tips that experienced yogis give to beginners:
- Take a shower before training, not after, as the main healing property of yoga practice is the change in blood circulation.
- Before class (15 minutes before), drink a glass of ginger drink or warm milk with honey. This way the body will be more receptive to yoga.
- Don't eat anything before class. Hunger will facilitate the weight loss process, and you will be free from discomfort while doing exercises.
- The presence of drafts in the room is unacceptable: the muscles will lose elasticity and are less susceptible to warming up, and this is fraught with injury.
- Noise is also not an ally of yoga, so if you are distracted by extraneous sounds, use headphones or earplugs. Light irritation can be eliminated by using an eye patch.
- Before starting your workout, look again at the yoga complex for beginners at home , remember the sequence of asanas and start small.
Yoga exercises for beginners at home should be performed on a stable surface, preferably covered with a mat, to avoid injury, because you will be training barefoot.
Choose loose clothing made from natural textures. Synthetics should be avoided, as they do not allow air to pass through and do not remove moisture from the body, and this is not hygienic.
Is acroyoga a sport or something else?
When asked about classes for adults, Dasha at the Sports Acrobatics Federation was asked: “Why do you need it? After all, you won’t be able to participate in competitions.”
Everything is different there, where acrobatics is a sport, and not an opportunity to know yourself, your body, your capabilities and horizons.
If sport is unthinkable without competition, then in acroyoga the moment of competition is either completely absent or present in the form of a game or entertainment. Here, attention to yourself, your feelings, and your partner is more important, that is, this is a completely different type of activity.
“There was an attempt to organize an acroyoga competition two years ago in Magnitogorsk, but in the end there were very few participants.”
Simply, probably, because acroyoga is still too little developed in Russia.
Which yoga direction should a beginner choose?
How to start doing yoga at home on your own and which direction to choose? Experts recommend that beginners first master hatha yoga, since almost all types of yogic practice originate from it.
Hatha yoga for beginners at home involves certain asanas, pranayama (breathing), meditation and the ability to relax - these are the main elements. The goal of hatha yoga, performed at home, is to achieve harmony and balance between soul and body. This direction is fully consistent with the physical capabilities of beginners, since the main emphasis is on developing flexibility, strengthening muscles and joints, those components that are necessary at the initial stage.
Stretching asanas, simple poses and their sequential change provide an excellent healing effect. Breathing practice and meditation are included in every exercise.
If your goal is to achieve inner peace, cleanse your inner consciousness through relaxation and meditation, then you should pay attention to kundalini yoga, which, moreover, allows you to get rid of problems in the nervous and endocrine systems.
How can people who lead an inactive lifestyle start doing yoga at home on their own? The ideal option is Iyengar yoga, which is also suitable for those whose physical capabilities are limited.
But Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga is clearly not for beginners; only experienced yogis who are already adapted to intense gymnastics can practice it.
Whatever direction you choose, the key to success is patience, endurance and self-discipline.
Lesson 1. Joint stretching. While the body is flexible, it is young
Before you begin complex yoga asanas, such as splits or lotus, you need to carefully work out your joints. After this, muscle stretching will be much easier.
In addition, a flexible body means youth, health, beauty, an inner feeling of lightness and freedom.
This short complex can be performed both as a warm-up before the main practice, and as an independent exercise.
It is best to perform it in the evening, when the body is more flexible and responds more easily to this type of load.
Don’t be upset if you can’t do some asanas, for example, if you couldn’t sit in the half lotus. For most people, even young people, this does not happen right away. Working on the hip joints takes time and patience. Practice to the best of your ability, have fun, and over time everything will work out.
