Originating in India nearly 3000 years ago, yoga has spread to all parts of the world, with its exercise forms fully recognized and valued for their contribution to physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
Yoga is unique as it benefits young and older adults. Today, it’s a trendy form of exercise, and this goes without highlighting its many gains, many of which will surprise you.
With so many forms of exercise and wellness therapies, you’re probably wondering if yoga is suitable for you. Read on to learn more.
How to Know if Yoga is Right for You
While yoga is popular among the young-to-middle-aged populace for boosting body suppleness and flexibility, where it truly trumps other wellness alternatives is in the area of mental health.
First, yoga is a living philosophy that teaches how to live well and experience life fully, even in turbulent periods.
Yoga is perfect for you if you struggle to cope with life, family, work, and other social issues.
Practicing the eight poses or asanas in classical yoga helps you to focus your mind and meditate.
As the exercises are physically and mentally challenging, you can learn intentional breathing, effortful concentration, and mental stillness, all of which are skills that are useful in coping with daily life.
In addition, yoga is excellent for you if you struggle with physical balance and back pain. You can warm up your muscles and increase blood flow by doing deep breathing and slow-movement exercises.
Even better, you can build strength and fitness by learning to hold the poses for extended periods.
Starting Yoga- First Timers
Now that you’ve seen why you need to do yoga, it’s time to show you some of the things you should expect. These include things to wear, basic etiquette, poses to expect, and more.
You’ll Learn New Ways to Breathe
You breathe to live. It’s non-negotiable. However, yoga approaches breathing differently from how you knew it to be.
Science has shown that changes in breathing forms and patterns affect the nervous system and heart rate. Yoga teaches unique breathing exercises to take advantage of this fact for your body’s maximum benefit.
No Socks, No Footwear!
You practice yoga with your bare feet. You might want to wear socks when the sessions start, especially if the weather’s cold.
However, the yoga instructor will tell you when you should go barefoot, which is near all the time.
Note that there are special yoga socks with extra grip for those that cannot go barefoot for any reason.
Basic Yoga Etiquette
Asides from the customary bare footedness, it is the standard practice for the instructor to occasionally bow their head, seemingly in prayer, and say “Namaste”. You needn’t worry. It’s Sanskrit for “I honor you,” and it’s proper to say it back to the instructor.
Comfortable Dressing
You might wonder why everyone in your yoga class is wearing form-fitting clothes. As you’ll soon come to see, it’s essential to wear something that allows you to breathe, stretch and move easily.
Whatever you wear should also absorb sweat quickly.
Now that you’re ready to take active yoga classes, Shift Yoga Studio is precisely where you need to be. Get started today!