Interested In Yoga? Here’s Some Helpful Hints Before Your First Class
Many people are drawn to yoga for different reasons. Some people go to yoga because they think it could increase their flexibility, strength, endurance and overall tone. Others go to yoga because they know it could help them to relax and escape from the chaos of everyday living. Yoga is great for all of these things and most importantly it helps us to connect with the breath the direct source of life, which creates a greater sense of centered-ness and well-being.
Yoga is a practice that is supposed to make you feel better all around, bringing you back simply to the peace that already resides in your heart. In our western world, life is busy and many people have a lot of responsibilities, which can be taxing on your mind and body creating unwanted stress. Yoga helps to renew your sense of self and prepares you to be able to show up for your responsibilities with a sense of ease. Taking that 90 minutes three days a week could help you feel that much more energized and happy which could then be reflected in other areas in your life.
Going to your first yoga class can be intimidating, especially if you do not know anyone in the class or have never tried any of the postures before. Not to worry, everyone at some point goes through these feelings. The best thing you can do is to go with an open heart and mind. You never know how yoga might enhance or change your life. I originally went to yoga to get a good stretch and workout, and I came out of class always in a better mood. The more and more I went I realized how good I felt overall. I also realized that I was developing a better attitude overall to apply to all areas of my life. As I became a regular practitioner of yoga, I realized that yoga is a practice that reaches far beyond the workout and the breathing; it is actually an uplifting philosophy and mindset to live by and take with you always.
Yoga began in India, comprised of eight different stages, as a practice for practitioners to follow in order to reach enlightenment. Yogis (people who practice yoga) in ancient India followed these eight stages sequentially in order to reach the final stage of “Samadhi”, total freedom. However, today much of yoga has been westernized to suit the modern life style. Much of the yoga that we practice here in the west is based on a couple of these stages which helps to calm, cleanse and heal the mind and body, which would then help the full on practitioner move to the final stages in the eight limbs of yoga to finally reach enlightenment.
Although some people resonate with the greater ancient teachings and philosophies that yoga has to offer, not everyone has to take it to a greater study, if it simply makes you feel better and enhances the peace in your life than it is already working its magic on you and perhaps the desire to study further will become important to you in the future. In either case, it does not matter what path you choose yoga just wants to you to feel happier, stronger and pain free and this is why yoga can appeal to a wide audience from all backgrounds and religions.
Come to yoga in clothes that you can bend in and make sure that what you are wearing is comfortable. Most people wear stretchy or loose pants and no one wears shoes or socks during practice. Hopefully the regulars in class are warm and friendly. This also helps the new people feel comfortable and will make the newer people want to come back. There is nothing to loose by trying your first yoga class, expect maybe your back pain!
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