I wanted to briefly touch base about some basic tips as we’re about to practice 31 Days of Poses. For me, there are four key elements to a good yoga practice (aside from drinking water and maintaining a healthy diet).
- BREATHE
While I know it might seem silly, but focusing on your breath and reminding yourself to breathe in difficult poses is very important. Sometimes we tend to hold it if it’s a pose we’re really struggling and just focusing on the pose itself. Breathing and how you breathe is apart of your practice. - Stretch
I know what you’re thinking; stretching before for your yoga practice? It’s actually important to give yourself a little warm up. Think of it like this, if you go for a run, you don’t just start running right away. You give yourself a little time to prep your body for what you’re about to do. It’s also nice to give your body more of a chance to get deeper into a pose and helps prevent an injury like straining a muscle. - Alignment
It’s okay to take your time to get into a pose. It’s vital that your body is in proper alignment for your practice. Not only does it help prevent injury, but it helps you work the proper muscles instead of the wrong ones. I would rather see someone in a pose with proper alignment for one breath than five breaths unaligned. - Scan Your Body
I do this before every practice. Check in with your physical body. Maybe you have an old injury bothering you that day, or you sprained your hand. Don’t put yourself in danger by trying to go into a pose that might be unsafe for you right in this moment. It’s more than okay! It’s about healing your body and not harming it. I also need to put the disclaimer out there to check in with your provider to see if yoga is a healthy way of exercise for you. Stay in tuned with your body and listen to it.
There you have it everyone! To me, these are some of the best things you can do for yourself to help maintain a safe practice for yourself.
The Resilient Yogi 