Have you occasionally thought about starting a yoga practice? Has that thought never come to reality for one or more reasons? What has stopped you from proceeding and exploring the possibilities of yoga?
Perhaps you are intimidated by the very idea of yoga or the unknown aspects of the art. You may simply think the practice is not worth the time, effort or dedication it seems to require in order to achieve a level of success within its unique parameters. Or you may simply be concerned about “looking silly” or “stupid,” as some folks have expressed, while attempting to learn in a group setting.
Well, you can put your mind at ease. There are many ways to begin yoga without feeling overly self-conscious or unduly stressed during your initial introduction.
As countless others of us have done, make the decision for yourself and then begin a healthier life by learning just a little about the oldest, most popular, most imitated, most influential, most efficient, and safest, soundest physical and mental exercise in all of history.
Yes, yoga.
Here is a handy checklist of facts and tips regarding having a good experience during your introduction phase to yoga:
Yoga is not scary, intimidating or “weird”
Begin by reading, watching and listening.
Read some introductory books such as “Yoga for Dummies,” “Teach Yourself Visually – Yoga” (Maran Graphics & Wiley Publishing), “Journey into Power” (Baron Baptiste), “The Yoga Directory” (Linda Doeser), and “Hatha Yoga Illustrated” (Kirk- Boon – DiTuro).
Watch and listen to DVD series from people like Rodney Yee, Baron Baptiste, Paul Grilley, Sean Corne, Jimmy Barkan, and others who welcome beginning practitioners.
Spend some time practicing lightly in the privacy of your own living room as you familiarize yourself with some basic aspects. This can be so empowering as you build confidence in yourself and your inherent abilities, along with revealing areas with which you need more time and effort. Don’t get frustrated with yourself. Remember, everyone who loves yoga and practices daily began at some point. Enjoy your beginning.
Check out local yoga classes for beginners
Many facilities in the south central Kentucky area offer yoga, and most are especially welcoming to beginners. This community is especially blessed with a plethora of various health and wellness venues, and almost all feature yoga or yoga-based programs and classes. Practicing on you own has great validity for opening your practice, but nothing beats a good group class with positive energy and a skilled yoga teacher who can motivate you toward further yoga goals while establishing a safe and informed class dynamic.
Check websites of local health clubs, studios, and trainers for yoga offerings. Look for “all levels,” “introductory” programs and savings offers, “beginners welcome,” and individual/small group instruction with availability of private sessions.
If you’re involved in some group classes such as Pilates, yogalates, pi-yo, core conditioning, abs of steel, buns of steel, and really countless others, you’re already practicing yoga from various perspectives and may not even realize you are doing so. All of these popular and modernized regimens are either all yoga or heavily yoga based – even much of the well known P90X programs are yoga derived, including a large amount of segments and techniques which aren’t even identified as yoga. So you’re not as much a novice as you may think!
Stick with your practice and have fun!
As the legendary, late karate master Ken Eubanks told this author’s young daughters when they were practicing Kung Fu: “There are three things you need to remember to be the best you can be – stick with it, stick with it, and STICK WITH IT.”
That advice has followed my daughters, me and my wife for many years and is still very motivating to us. This is so vital to success in any endeavor. Don’t give up on your newly found activity. If you allow yourself ample time to learn and progress, you will be absolutely amazed at the results you’ll begin to achieve. I spoke to a good friend recently who started a practice almost a year ago, but essentially attended class only about five times within a four-month time span. He had decided he just couldn’t do it, based on those classes, when in fact he had never moved past the initial introduction phase to yoga. By allowing a large time span to elapse between his yoga experiences, he was actually starting over every time. This led to frustration and a giving up attitude.
So even if you are not exercising at this time, your focus should be upon staying true to yourself by dedicating regular time and effort to your early phase of yoga. It pays off, as you will improve muscle tone, strength, flexibility, balance, breathing, stamina, concentration, weight control, and achieve the best sleep of your life. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when singing the praises of yoga. Try it now. You will always be glad you did. We recommend starting with a Restorative class at Hot Yoga, each Wednesday at 8:45 a.m. or at 6:30 p.m. and Friday at 6:30 p.m. Drink plenty of water, and come in to the Hot Yoga studio to begin your exciting journey! We have beginners in almost every class at Hot Yoga. Call us if you have any questions or concerns, 270-793-0011.
And now, here it is… your May 2019 “Pause for a Pose” – Seated Butterfly
Begin in seated position with your legs out in front of you, fully extended and together. Slide the feet lightly on the floor, inward toward the center of your body and bring the soles of the feet together with the knees bent and out on either side. Continue advancing the feet inward until the heels are as close to the inner part of the buttocks as possible. The soles remain touching, and you will straighten your back with the shoulders level. Hands can rest on the knees, or for an advancement, grip the ankles with the corresponding hands and press down and out on the legs with your elbows. Focus on smooth breathing, and engaging the abdominals and the pelvic floor, or simply relax into the pose and hold for desired time. Enjoy practicing this posture all month! Until we see you at Hot Yoga, God bless and namaste’!
– by Tony Bishop, E-RYT
About the Author: Tony Bishop, E-RYT/RYT/CYT,is director and chief instructor with Hot Yoga Bowling Green, Kentucky. He is certified and trained in a myriad of health and fitness disciplines including Hatha Yoga, Yoga Personal Training, Yoga Coaching, Yoga Teacher Training, Sil lum Kung Fu, Tai Chi exercise, spinning/indoor cycling, PowerHouse Pilates instruction, core conditioning, self-defense programs and boot camp variations. He has near 6,000 hours of yoga teaching experience, he is registered through Yoga Alliance and is an avid researcher and proponent of progressive yoga movement and development of more effective, deeper and meaningful training methodology. Contact: 730 Fairview Avenue, C-2, Bowling Green, 270-793-0011, hotyogabg@yahoo.com, www.hotyogabg.com.
