In This Article:
Yoga for beginners
Which is the easiest Yoga for beginners?
Is Yoga good for weight loss?
Why should I find Yoga classes near me?
What is Yoga Nidra?
Stop. Before you do anything else, do me one favour...
Please play this video in the background while reading this article:
3 Hour Zen Meditation Music: Nature Sounds, Relaxing Music, Calming Music, Healing Music, ✿071C
Is it on? Good.
Now picture yourself basking in the warmth of the sun with the grass between your toes.
You’re surrounded by a boundless horizon of green hills, each of them laced with the shimmering of gentle streams that flow down the sides and meet in the middle like a shining butterknife that glides through the land. Picture the sky, a perfect blue in a halo of grey and white from storm clouds that just missed you, because nothing can ruin this perfect little place you’ve found.
Now put your left leg over your neck and hold it there for 5 minutes. Welcome to Yoga.
All jokes aside, Yoga is one of the most popular exercises in human history, and for very good reason. The benefits outweigh most other exercises when you think about it’s effect on physical and mental health, promoting massive increases to flexibility, strength and stamina, as well as offering a form of meditation that’s been proven to work wonders for our anxious minds in a world that seems determined to stress us out.
We’ve put together a few important points to consider when starting your Yoga-dventure (sorry), so clear your mind, curl up on the mat, and have a look through this beginner’s guide to trying Yoga for the first time.
1. Yoga for Beginners
Okay, we’ve all had a giggle at that one friend who can’t resist the opportunity to ‘downward dog’ or ‘side plank’ on their living room carpet. Once we get that out of our system though, you have to wonder why so many people across the world love Yoga? A group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices that people literally bend over backwards for?
Well Yoga is one of the most notoriously social exercises out there, almost always offered in classes over one on one sessions. It was one the earliest workouts in history to really put mindfulness into practice, though to be fair, that’s because Yoga to many traditionally isn’t really a workout. It’s a form of meditation.
This is the main reason that most people will be encouraged to explore Yoga as an option, seeing as it’s both a wonderful practice to master for yourself, and one of the most fulfilling group activities out there, as it offers a wonderful combination of physical fitness and self discovery. By this we mean that many people come to revelations about their physicality and mental state while performing Yoga, so experiencing that with friends (or strangers) can be a very healthy and fulfilling experience, as well as a great source of motivation to always show up and do your best.
So the takeaway here is that Yoga for beginners is best enjoyed as a social experience. Classes are held absolutely everywhere, and it’s an exercise that doesn’t come with any of the competitive gubbins of your average workout class, so everyone is welcome.
2. Which is the Easiest Yoga for Beginners?
Good question!
Well this really just comes down to trying it and seeing for yourself.
Anticlimactic we know, but Yoga is very approachable as a practice, so there’s no better way to find out what works for you than just booking yourself a trial class and giving it a proper go.
We could try putting together a list of poses for you, but without an instructor to guide you on proper form and breathing techniques, you likely won’t be able to see the same benefits as your would in a Yoga studio. That being said, the fine folks over at self.com put together this lovely list on some nice and easy poses you can try at home, just to get a feel for the kinds of thing you can expect from a full on Yoga instructor.
A few highlights and standouts to give a look in are:
- The Warrior Pose
- Mountain Pose
- Plank Pose
- Tree Pose
We can’t guarantee these poses will bring you enlightenment, but we tried them around the office and they are a lot of fun, and a great tip for all exercise is to have fun and not take yourself too seriously.
3. Is Yoga Good for Weight Loss?
It most certainly is!
Many of the more intermediate and advanced forms of Yoga in particular can be major calorie burners, plus they create some amazing tone across every part of your body.
The important thing to remember though, like with any form of exercise, is that no workout will ever be a replacement for a poor diet. Everyone needs to eat and do what makes them comfortable and happy, but it must be said that the food you choose to eat will greatly affect the kinds of results you end up with, especially when it comes to weight loss.
The best thing to do if at all unsure is to book an appointment with your GP, and ask about the potential benefits and downsides of your current diet. Often people will be put off of a new exercise routine if they try to make too many drastic changes too quickly, so please be kind to yourself and not make any major changes until you’re ready, and are at least somewhat familiar with your workout routine to the point that you don’t see it as too much of a burden that will clash with other alterations to your lifestyle.
4. What is Yoga Nidra?
We were confused at first too.
Not the most surface level part of Yoga, but an important one that is very useful to know ahead of time.
Yoga nidra (also known as ‘Yogic Sleep’ is a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping that can be achieved through Yoga, and is a highly sought after benefit of the practice as it encourages a deep, peaceful form of meditation.
While technically not a form of meditation by itself, Yoga Nidra invites you to focus on your desires, and channel what’s called your ‘inner resource’, and is often taught a little while into your Yoga practice by an instructor (if at all, it’s not for everyone)!
If you want to dabble into meditation and grab a spiritual coffee with your spiritual self, do some serious research into Yoga Nidea, because for many people it’s an essential part of the mindfulness element of Yoga.
Well there you have it!
Go out and Tree-t yourself (sorry) to a trial session, it’s definitely the best way to see how much you’ll enjoy the practice, and if it sticks then you can rest assured that you’re on your way to a version of yourself with spiritual superpowers, excellent inner strength, and maybe even the ability to scratch your nose with your toes.
Maybe don’t do that last one in public though.
