Yoga: Getting Started

2020 has seen many of us pick up plenty of new routines and habits. The coronavirus and Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in many of us experiencing lockdown situations where we have to keep ourselves occupied within our own four walls. Some of us picked up baking. Some of us started learning a new language. Some of us have taken an interest in all sorts of things we haven’t tried out before. Now, more and more people are getting involved in yoga. If you’ve been considering picking up yoga, here are a few things you might want to know before getting started. Hopefully, they’ll help you along the way!

History

Let’s start out with a brief history of yoga. Knowing its roots and beginnings can give you further insight into it. Yoga was first developed in India around 5000 years ago. While it’s precise origins are a source of speculation (there’s no written evidence of the start of yoga and the practice was commonly passed from one person to another through oral tradition), we do know that yoga is closely tied to the sacred beliefs spoken of in Yogic scriptures. The best known of these texts tends to be the Bhagavad-Gîtâ.

The Goal of Yoga

The goal of yoga practice varies from one individual to another. Classical yoga tends to follow a path to ultimate enlightenment. Post-classical yoga tends to revolve around rejuvenating your body and prolonging life. You can make your own yoga practice revolve around whatever goal you please – mindfulness, breathing exercises, flexibility, whatever you please.

Basic Moves

There are a number of basic moves that you might want to focus on mastering when you first start practicing yoga. You can find a list of basic yoga poses here. Make sure to stretch beforehand and relax your muscles. Then follow professional advice and slowly ease yourself into positions and stances. There are countless ones that you might want to pick up, but some of the most popular include all of the moves in sun salutations, which include and can extend to downward dog, mountain pose, warrior, tree pose and bridge pose. Take things slowly. Master one move at a time. Then move on to the next. You’ll see yourself gradually improving!

Investing in the Essentials

If you’re enjoying yoga, it may be time to start investing in the essentials for your practice. Every yogi needs a yoga mat. This provides you with grip and support, as well as comfort, while you’re holding your poses and stances. Comfortable and stretchy clothes really are a must too. Yoga pants, harem pants or simply loose fitting bottoms tend to be favored by most people when it comes to practicing yoga. Many people also benefit from yoga blocks, which can support their body in different or more challenging poses.

Yoga can be fun, good for your health and wellbeing and something interesting to work at. Hopefully, some of the advice above can get you started out in the right direction!