Secrets for a Better Yoga Practice

Continuing with the recommendations for beginner yogis, here are five secrets that every Yoga practitioner should apply to make the most of each session.

RECOMMENDED: Secrets for a better yoga practice (printed version).

1. Don't eat before class

To have a light yoga practice, we should arrive to it as light as possible, so it is recommended not to eat at least an hour and a half before starting, although some recommend three hours. To allow energy to flow more easily, it is better not to have the digestion process ongoing because, in addition, with inverted postures, a full stomach can cause nausea and discomfort.

2. Breathe

Deep and conscious breathing connects us with the body and helps distribute oxygen to each part of it, facilitating deep stretches or pronounced bends. Breathing should be done through the nose and can be done by inhaling in six counts and exhaling in three, or if it becomes difficult, in four and four. Life energy or prana enters the body through the air we breathe, energizing it and allowing us to transition from one posture to another. In fact, when inhalation and exhalation are done completely, they help to relax, maintain the posture, and keep us in touch with the present moment.

3. Practice barefoot

Practicing yoga barefoot has two main benefits. The first is that it improves balance by allowing better support on the feet to hold the body. But also, feeling the direct contact with the yoga mat enables connection with the earth and with the practice itself.

4. Be patient and stay attentive

Patience and compassion are essential requirements for yogis at any level. The practice must adapt to us, not the other way around. Little by little, with time and constant work, the muscles will become more flexible, yielding and strengthening, and with this, it will be possible to perform increasingly advanced postures. The important thing is to observe mindfully how we overcome the challenges of the practice. Keeping the mind and heart open is the best way to dare to overcome fears and achieve self-awareness of our limitations and potentials.

5. Integrate and be Grateful

One of the most important, if not the most important part of the yoga practice is the end, when we enter Savasana or the Corpse Pose. At first glance, Savasana seems to be the easiest position of all because it consists of lying on the floor and doing "nothing". The truth is that in this "doing nothing" of the posture, the fruits and achievements of the practice actually integrate into consciousness, and it is something that happens automatically when we enter the position, letting go of everything that was experienced during the session until the mind dissolves.

As master Sri Dharma Mittra says, "if the body rests completely, there is the opportunity to lose physical consciousness to go beyond these 'aggregates' and recognize that there is an essence beyond them".

In reality, the great fruit of a correct practice is to take it outside the yoga studio into daily life to realize that one day you can accept an idea with openness and compassion as you did with that posture that scared you so much; to realize that you can remain stable in a painful or unpleasant situation through deep breathing, just like you did in that uncomfortable and demanding posture; to realize that you have transcended a belief that limited you, as when you finally accomplished Sirsasana, standing on your head without any assistance. At the end of the day, yoga is more than a practice, it is a way of life that must be grateful, just as we express gratitude at the end of each yoga session with Namaste, the recognition in Sanskrit of the divine essence in everything and everyone.

BASIC POSTURES

There are four major groups of Asanas: Standing postures, inversions, backbends, and forward bends.

Tree Pose (Vrksasana)

The basic standing postures include Mountain Pose (Tadasana), Tree Pose (Vrksasana), and Warrior Poses (Virabhadrasana I, II, and III). Among the inversions are Handstand Pose (Mukha Vrksasana) and Supported Headstand Pose (salamba sirsasana).

Bridge Pose

The basic backbends include Locust Pose (Salabhasana), Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana), and Bridge Pose (Setu bandha sarvangasana).

Forward Bend Pose

The forward bends include Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana) and Star Pose (Tarasana).

It is recommended to add a twisting asana to neutralize and stretch the spine between the backbends and forward bends. Among the twisting postures are Bharadvaja's Twist (Bharadvajasana) or Half Lord of the Fishes Pose (Ardha matsyendrasana). It is always important to balance poses that favor one side by performing them on the opposite side.

(With information from yogajournal.com)