I have been practicing
yoga for seventeen years and have taught it for four. I stumbled into
instruction while working at a fitness center and discovered that
yoga was an outlet for my frustrations. At first, I only taught for
the sake of my job, but I later started to analyze and study the practice.
I began developing my own movements, combining breathing techniques
with rigorous poses. Eventually, yoga encompassed my whole life and
it now continues to draw me closer to my culture and heritage.
Since I am an Indian yoga instructor, people expect
me to know the details of the origins, philosophies, and values of
yoga. To be honest, I am quite clueless about many aspects! I could
not tell you the history of yoga through the ages or the names of
famous trend-setting instructors. However, I do know the practice
and the beliefs behind the poses and deep breaths. Quite simply, yoga
is your own inward perception of yourself. It is the exaggerated focus
and concentration on the biomechanics of your body, picturing each
fiber of every muscle contracting and relaxing and the combination
of blood and oxygen flowing through the vessels as the fibers move
together. You become aware of the movements of every muscle coordinating
to make your body move. Eventually you can teach yourself how to control
these movements through balance and breathing.
I am sure you have repeatedly been told that yoga
will increase flexibility and calm your mind, but the real benefit
from yoga is the hour of escape you experience; the hour your mind
takes a vacation.
It is easy to forget the soothing yogic atmosphere
while running through daily life. Time spent worrying about meetings
and appointments tends to create this amnesia. As soon as you focus
your mind on yoga postures and sink into the meditative pose at the
end, your stress will subside, if only for a short time.
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to a Good Yoga Class
To experience this feeling of euphoria, look for these
elements to find a class that is right for you.
1) Find a reputable instructor. Look
to others you trust to recommend an instructor. Make sure
he/she is certified and has some years of experience.
2) Find a class that is suited to your ability
level. Many people get discouraged with classes
that are too hard or too easy. If a class is labeled as
intermediate, for example, keep in mind these labels are
relative. Make sure you check out the class as well as
the instructor because each instructor has his/her own
teaching method.
3) Do not be afraid to experiment with different
styles. My classes are a blend of different types
of yoga including Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Iyengar, pilates,
ballet, and a range of other movements. Reading descriptions
of the various types of yoga is not sufficient enough;
you need to actually go to a class to really understand
what you enjoy.
4) Involve yourself in every aspect of a class.
This is by far the most important tip. Yoga can be a challenging
activity using muscles that traditional strength training
cannot target. In addition, the meditative part of yoga
is essential to completely relaxing. The poses enable
the blood to flow and muscles stretch while the meditation
allow calmness and serenity
5) Don’t forget to enjoy yourself.
Yoga is something that you will only be doing for yourself.
Use the time wisely to recharge and recoup.
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