Yoga Beginner - 5 Ways to Help Avoid Injury in Your Yoga Practice

Yoga Beginner: We've pretty much accepted that yoga is an effective life changing practice that is here to stay. Still, not all yoga practices are made equal. As astounding as the yoga practice is (I should know, I've been teaching and practicing for the past twelve years) it's still a physical practice, and simply like whatever other type of movement you can hurt yourself.

I'm certain we all remember the startling article "How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body" a couple of years back in the New York Times talking about the dull side of the yoga practice -- the injuries we are not talking about. The article goes as far as to say that one well understand yoga teacher believes that "by far most of individuals should give up yoga all together. It's basically too likely to cause harm."

Regardless of this article, millions still practice yoga in the U.S. I most definitely decline to give up a practice that has truly transformed my life from the back to front. So instead I'm giving you five basic ways to approach your yoga practice that will assist keep you safe and injury-free.

1:         Breathe Deeply

Regardless of the fact that we generally take the breath for granted, it is the most important bit of your yoga practice. When the breath is sharp and short it can activate the flight or fight response in the nervous system making you feel anxious. When you are anxious you are less inclined to make capable choices in your yoga practice - Yoga Beginner. Rather than streaming effortlessly through the practice the struggle ensues making you more vulnerable to harming yourself.

Have you ever seen an accomplished yoga teacher practice? They make it look easy and often times quite lovely. Why? They are profoundly connected to their breath. So make sure you breathe profoundly. If you can't then you need to take a child's pose or a period out.

2:        Stability over Flexibility

If I had a nickel for how frequently I've heard somebody say, "I'm not stretchy enough for yoga," I'd have a lot of nickels. Yoga has the stigma that in order to practice you need to be able to twist yourself into shapes that makes you feel like you're planning for Cirque Du Soleil, or a exceptionally brave sexual adventure. I'm going to give you access on a bit secret -- super flexible yogis have it pretty much as hard as those who can't even touch their toes.

When somebody is over-flexible they are more inclined to dump into their joints and ligaments because most likely they can't feel the stretch unless they do. But here's the thing: Flexibility will just take you so far in your practice. If you don't have the muscular and stability engagement to back it up, you run the risk of doing harm to your body. Possibly not right away but over time all of that unsteadiness can lead to injury.

I had a student who was a acrobat when she was younger and then moved on to yoga. In her late 30s she found that her pelvis had moved in her body because the muscles around it were not solid enough. Obviously it was a humbling experience.

Rather than attempting to push into your flexibility, find balance by attractive your muscles. Begin from whatever touches the work up and ground. Think about hugging your muscles towards the bone. What's more, never forget that for the bulk of the practice, your abdominals should be involved.

3:        Keep Your Eyes on Your Mat

In some cases I avoid giving a deeper choice to a pose because I sense an excess student will do it even if they aren't prepared. Yes, the self image shows up quite a bit in the yoga practice and can even bring about injury. Regularly I see people attempting postures that they aren't skilled or warmed up enough to attempt (Yoga Beginner). I see people avoiding props and expecting to stay aware of everyone around them.

My recommendation is to keep your eyes on your own mat. Simple because flexi Francis can do a full part doesn't mean you have to. Simple because muscles Magee can land that arm balance doesn't mean you will. And it's all great. Sure you can attempt but if you start to enter into a posture and it suddenly stops feeling protected, stay where and back off you are. There's always tomorrow.

4:        Practice More Than Once a Week

The thing about the body is that it's not going to change overnight. Your muscles need time and consistency to open, get stronger and lengthen. Practicing once a week isn't going to encourage that.

If you are going to focus to a yoga practice, you need to go at least three times a week. While practicing once a week does get you into your body, it basically isn't enough to truly create lasting physical change.

5:        Be Open to More Than Just Yoga

I recently heard a yoga teacher share that, notwithstanding the fact her healer advised her to engage in weight training to assist heal couple of yoga injuries, it was "never going to happen." It's incredible to be committed to your yoga practice but you don't want to be closed off to other types of physical movement.

Pretty much as I believe a regular yoga practice needs to be balanced with acupuncture or therapy or meditation to foster emotional transformation, I additionally know that occasionally the physical yoga practice is not insufficient to heal certain injuries or keep the body balanced. There are sure muscles the practice will not reach and sometimes when managing an injury you need to strengthen these muscles to balance the ones that are potentially pulling and over worked your body out of alignment.

It could be as basic as doing a couple of muscle-specific exercises daily for a couple of months or adding some weight training. Trust me; your yoga practice is not like a jealous boyfriend. If you need to include other modalities it's absolutely cool.

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How to choose the right mat, clothing when starting yoga - Yoga Newton

Starting another hobby can be both worrisome and exciting.

On one hand, trying something new brings excitement and fun, but on the other hand, it can be hard to know where to begin.

YogaNewton: With yoga, somebody could walk down and up the aisles of a sporting goods store and have no idea what things are fundamental to practicing good yoga and what things are unnecessary.

For clothing, we suggested people dress comfortably in form-fitting, comfortable clothing. An as well loose shirt can show parts of the body that are not meant to be appeared, and if it's too tight, it might be too prohibitive for yoga - Yoga Beginner.

We also said to try to wear clothes with a breathable fabric, for example, cotton.

Yoga has become so mainstream that yoga clothing can be purchased pretty much all over the place, including department stores.

Along with that, we said the yoga mat is pretty much as essential as the clothing. Those additionally can be purchased nearly everywhere, we said.

Depending on one's level of yoga and how regularly they plan to do it, we said the $20 mat will work pretty much and in addition the one that costs five times as much.

"You require a mat, but it doesn't have to break the bank," we said.

I said one of her favorites is the Mysore yoga rug, which soaks up sweat and is perfect for more concentrated poses (Yoga Beginner).

"You sort of need to figure out what yoga you're keen on initially, and then adjust your equipment to your needs," I said.

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The Power of Yoga to Heal The Brain - Yoga Beginner

Yoga Beginner: When she was 14, Janna Leyde’s father got into a close deadly car accident that changed her family’s life. The accident resulted in traumatic brain damage that influenced her father emotionally and physically. What followed were years atypical of the normal American family life, characterized by her father’s fraught and trauma with the challenges of recovery.

“What I realized thinking back, was that my dad really didn’t realize how much the trauma had limited him and changed him,” shares Leyde. “I wanted to assist him change that.”

And she did --- through yoga

Leyde, a trained yoga instructor, found how yoga can radically transform a man—witnessing the advantages in her own life as she practiced. “I adapted better, I was in a better place mentally and emotionally.”

She asked her father if she could show him. After receiving skeptical approval from her father’s doctors—and her father’s own instability—she started to practice yoga with him.

“The first time we did it was a surprise to my father,” shares Leyde. “He was suddenly aware of his body.

“What I’ve discovered is that when you go through trauma, your brain and body disconnect and a lot of times when people have brain PTSD or injury, they still think of themselves as the individual they were before the injury,” says Leyde. “Yoga assembles the connection back together.

“Over some time with that practice, simply getting on his moving, breathing, mat, he was physically getting in better shape -- Yoga Newton. In the meantime, he was likewise developing a better attention span, being more compassionate, less impulsive.

“Through practice, my dad had a better understanding of his injury and this assisted him so much. These simple poses were helping him like nothing else can.”

In 2013, Leyde published He Never Liked Cake, a book that chronicles her dad’s injury, how it influenced their lives and his journey to recovery. The experience pushed Leyde to work with others who suffer from TBI and PTSD—and her continuing work with veterans.

A year ago, Leyde piloted a program with the Wounded Warrior Project—an organization that has supported over 75,000 injured veterans who have served since September 11, 2011—that urges veterans to practice yoga for 8 weeks. Those who attended experienced change that they have not been able to accomplish with traditional approaches.

“The members shared different stories,” says Leyde. “They rest better, they feel better and some have said they don’t need the medications they have been taking. They have distinctive experiences but all of them have to do with improving their quality of life. Which is impactful?”

Emerging research demonstrates scientific support that similar therapies such as yoga provide significant health advantages for patients with PTSD and those with brain injuries. The Veterans Health Administration is starting to implement more programs that embrace different approaches.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO START YOGA - Yoga Beginner

Yoga Beginner: Our General Practice Guidelines for yoga is a must read if you are new to the practice.  We cover all of the do’s and don’ts to having a effective yoga experience.

1:         Duration of practice

Your day by day practice should be between 15 to 90 minutes long and done 1-6 times every week, depending on your schedule, ability and goals.  Practicing more frequently with shorter practice times will yield greater results that practicing less frequently with longer practice times.

2:         Drinking and eating

It is not advisable to drink or eat right before a yoga practice "particularly if you are practicing inversions". Eat no less than 1-3 hours before and drink only small amounts of water before practice, and do not drink during your practice if possible.

3:         When not to practice yoga

Please read the contraindications for every posture before doing it. Pregnancy, Menstruation, high blood pressure and injuries to the shoulders, neck, and knees are all conditions where certain postures must be proper care and avoided must be taken in all postures. If you have any medical condition, you should check with your health care expert before starting a yoga practice.

4:         How to choose postures

Choose to practice postures that look like you can do them. Postures done on the floor are going to be easier than standing postures, as they don't require as much balance or strength. Likewise, postures that have longer recommended hold times (in breaths) are going to be easier to do.

Utilize our  yoga posture sequences as a starting foundation and stage for your practice sequence.

5:         Moderate the level of intensity

You can make your yoga practice as vigorous and challenging as you want. We recommend you start slowly and make sure you understand the postures of alignment - Yoga Newton. There are three ways to increase the intensity of your practice: 1, hold postures for longer and longer periods of time; 2, slowly build your practice up to more challenging and advanced postures; 3, move quickly between postures. Read our Challenge Yourself article.

6:         What to wear

Comfortable clothing, Loose or tights / unitards work best. Its important to wear something that will not confine your movement.

7:         Modify the postures for your body

The pictures and instructions of the yoga postures are the “goal,” meaning the way you are going towards, not where you should be. Explore and Experiment different alignment and positions to make the posture work for your body.

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HOW TO START A YOGA PRACTICE - Yoga Beginner

Yoga Beginner: While there is a long way to go, find and explore in the tradition of yoga, it is best to start just and not let yourself be overwhelmed. Our How to Start a Yoga Practice guide will give you the 4 simple steps to starting a yoga practice. Once you have worked through this list, proceed with our Yoga for Beginner’s section.

1:-       Learn how to breathe

The most vital thing to do in yoga is to breathe, particularly when holding the postures. Learn the simple Dirga pranayama breath to use during yoga. In particular, breathe in and out through the nose into the belly. Read our Breathing in Asana article for more advice on breathing while practicing yoga poses.

2:-       Start with a brief meditation and intention

Sit in simple pose or finished pose (or any comfortable seating position) and take a couple of minutes to ground, focus and center inwards with one of our meditations (Yoga Newton). You might likewise want to set an expectation, objective or prayer for your practice at the beginning meditation.

3:-       Use basic and beginning level postures

Make sure you have General our read Practice Guidelines before attempting any yoga poses. Begin with one of our warm-up sequences and then attempt one of our simple yoga pose sequences and/or these simple postures: seated twist, mountain, dog, down dog, cat, triangle, child, cobra, forward bend. Then explore our Yoga Pose section for different poses to practice.

4:-       End with Shavasana (relaxation pose)

Continuously end your yoga practice with Shavasana, resting on your back and consciously relaxing your body for 5-15 minutes. It is additionally recommended to practice a short seated meditation after Shavasana to incorporate your yoga practice and transition back into the world.

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Breathe Easy: Relax with Pranayama - Yoga Beginner

Yoga Beginner: A couple of weeks ago, my seven-year-old son, Hayes, let me know he was having difficulty falling asleep. He said that he was having “numerous thoughts” at night and couldn’t prevent his mind from thinking. I told him about a breathing practice that I had taught his older brother, Calder, a couple of years earlier, and I recommended that Hayes could try it while lying in bed at night to assist him relax and fall asleep. The practice was basic: a couple of minutes of diaphragmatic breathing followed by a couple of minutes of consciously and gently amplifying every exhalation.

“Possibly you’d like to attempt it?” I said to Hayes. “I think it was useful for your brother sometimes, and possibly it will help you, as well.” Just then, Calder, who had been going through the room, announced: “You’re wrong, Mom.” I held my breath, wondering if he’d tell Hayes that my recommendation wasn’t going to work. “It doesn’t help me sometimes,” he said matter-of-factly. “It helps me constantly.”

I was enjoyably stunned. I hadn’t understand that Calder was still utilizing the practice I had taught him three years before. As I stooped on the living room floor to teach Hayes the same practice, I was reminded that pranayama, the fourth of the eight limbs of yoga outlined in Patanjali‘s Yoga Sutra, does not have to be confounded.

Pranayama, which actually means “to extend the important life force,” or prana, is an amazingly rich practice made up of numerous breathing techniques that vary in complexity from ones basic enough for a child to do to those appropriate just for advanced experts. While the ideal way to practice pranayama is under the guidance of an professional teacher, there are basic techniques—such as gentle diaphragmatic breathing and easily lengthening the exhalation—that can be utilized at any time to transform not just your breath but as well as your state of mind.

In my role as a yoga therapist, I treat people struggling with a variety of problems, including depression, stress, chronic pain, sleep disturbances, and even life-threatening illness. Over and over, I’ve seen simple pranayama practices reduce anxiety and stress; promote restful sleep; ease pain; increase focus and attention; and, on a more subtle level, assist people connect to a quite, quiet place within so that they experience greater clarity and well-being on every level.

In the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali describes pranayama as a procedure by which you can break your unconscious breathing example and make the breath long, smooth, and easeful. Most people’s unconscious breathing examples are anything but smooth and easeful; they tend to be tense, erratic, and shallow (Yoga Beginner). When we are afraid or hear bad news, we frequently gasp—inhaling and then holding the breath. These breathing examples can activate the sympathetic nervous system (frequently referred to as the “fight or flight reaction”).

One of the important reasons that pranayama techniques that foster a long, smooth exhale (like the ones presented here) are so useful is because, when practiced effectively, they can support the parasympathetic nervous system and activate what is regularly known as the “relaxation response,” reducing anxiety and its effects on your mind and body. As a result, your flexibility in the face of challenge or adversity increases, and your mind becomes more still and focused.

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A Quiet Mind - Yoga Beginner

YogaBeginner: The eight limbs of yoga sketched out in the Yoga Sutra are a path to assist you reach a state of Yoga, or centered concentration. But this engaged focus is not the end goal. As Patanjali tells us, the result of reaching this state of attention is that you experience clearer perception and a greater connection with your actual Self.

When you’re connected with your actual Self, it becomes simpler to see what is not your actual Self—your thoughts, body, job, feelings, mind, and essentially all of the changing circumstances around you. This discernment permits you to act from a place of the Self, and when you do that, you experience less suffering.

Pranayama is an vital tool to get you to this state of more engaged focus, leading you to clearer perception, a greater connection with the Self, and eventually a more satisfied life. In Yoga Sutra 2.52, Patanjali writes, “As a result [of pranayama], the covering that blocks our own inner light is reduced.” In other words, through the practice of pranayama, you can reduce all of the distractions—the agitation, self-doubt, and mental noise—that prevents you from connecting with your own inner light, your actual Self. In this way, pranayama can have a profound effect on your life.

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