The concepts of yoga and mindfulness may feel hard to grasp, especially for beginners. This can make newbies feel intimidated and scared to start yoga, as they don’t feel welcome or like they fit in. The stereotypes of extreme stretches and spirituality may put beginners off as they think that it will be too hard to achieve. However the concept of yoga should fit everyone, as it is focuses on inner peace and physical and mental balance. All you need to start is an open mind and curiosity to start.
What is Yoga and Mindfulness?
Yoga -The roots of yoga lie in ancient India, where traditionally, it began as a way of thinking and living that guides you down the spiritual path towards self realisation and inner peace.
In more modern times, yoga places more emphasis on physical movements such as flexibility and poses alongside more centering practices such as breathing techniques. It’s important to remember for beginners that yoga doesn’t have to be paced and dynamic, it can be slow and gentle with emphasis on purposefulness.
Mindfulness – Mindfulness is about paying attention to the present moment with lack of judgment. The act of focusing on your movements, allows you to be in tune and at one with your body as each movement you make is purposeful. You must put emphasis on noticing your movements and thoughts rather than controlling them, with the overall goal to realize their significance. These techniques are not just useful whilst doing yoga but can also be taken everyday, whilst working out, walking or even whilst brushing your teeth. This will not be perfect at first but will improve over time the more you practice.
Taking the first steps
1. The basics
- To ensure you do not get overwhelmed as a beginner, it’s important to start with the basics. Restorative and breath based yogas are the best to start with as they are well talked about and are easy to understand for beginners.
- For beginners doing small sessions a few times a week will be most beneficial to ensure that they are not overworked or worse get injured. This also gives them time to learn techniques and start to pick them up over the sessions.
- There are two options for beginners when they are starting yoga, either at home or class yoga. Class yoga can give one to one guidance from trained professionals, but can be quite scary. On the other hand at home yoga can be less intimidating, but it can be hard to understand pose form.
2. What equipment will you need?
- The great thing about yoga is that you don’t need a lot of equipment at all to start. All you need is some comfortable clothing, such as a yoga sports bra a yoga mat or some carpet and an open mind.
- When you start to move past the beginners stage, you might want to invest in some blocks to improve stretches or help for stabilization, straps or cushions for sitting.
3. Tip For Your First Practice
- Focus on breathing – Focusing on your breathing can help with mindfulness. Also, don’t worry about “perfect” poses, this will come over time after practice.
- Listen to your body – Pushing yourself too far is the worst thing to do, as it could lead to injury and exhaustion. If something feels too tricky or hard to do, pause the session and move onto something else.
- Practice stillness – Ending your session with stillness by lying in a static position on a mat, is the best way to relax and reflect on your session.
A Dive Into Mindfulness and Meditation
What Actually is Meditation?
Meditation can be a confusing and misleading subject for most people. The common problem with meditation that most people come across, is that they struggle to meditate, as their mind races. However, a racing mind is a common occurrence for everyone in yoga, especially beginners. Everybody’s mind tends to race, especially when still, but the purpose of meditation is to notice when it wanders. This acknowledgment is part of the act of meditation.
How to begin
The best way to begin mindfulness and meditation is to do small amounts everyday. Just a few minutes a day can help you to gain awareness and mental peace. A great tip is to set a time, so you don’t drift too far whilst you practice elements such as breath awareness and guided meditation.
Daily meditation can be done anywhere such as on your walk to work or grocery shopping, or even brushing your teeth at night. Any time when you are alone and can slow down and pay attention to your mind, is a great time to get your practice in .
Final Thoughts
Starting a new hobby can be scary, but also so rewarding. The benefits of yoga are endless, especially for women, mentally and physically, therefore getting over the first hurdle of fear is essential. Yoga is not just a way to keep fit and healthy, it’s a lifestyle choice that can take into everyday life, that you can use to ground and reconnect yourself. The important thing to remember is to be patient with yourself and just start with the basics, maybe a stretch one day and mindfulness the next. So, don’t wait, start your yoga journey today!
