If you are new to yoga, or are interested in yoga but hesitant to try it, this "Yoga Guide" will be very useful for you!
1- What is yoga?
Yoga is a practice developed thousands of years ago in ancient India to connect the mind and body through a series of yoga postures on a mat to exercise the body and improve flexibility.
Conscious movement and breathing techniques are used to improve physical and mental health. Beginners remember to focus on the breath while improving flexibility.
Yoga is connected by two key points:
"Yoga is the union of mind and body" and "The body's feelings are the true embodiment of where the mind is".
Alexandra Baldi, founder of Compass Chelsea, says, "The deeper you breathe, the deeper you go into the posture, the more oxygen penetrates into the muscles. I often see beginners who fail to breathe, and if they don't do the above, they can't fully release themselves into the posture. But this takes time, so before hooking the hands to the toes, the beginner must first learn how to breathe. Soon, the power to stretch or bend the body will increase."
2- Who is suitable to practice yoga?
Yoga is an exercise that can be practiced by all people, and there is no set way to practice it.
In addition, yoga teacher Jonelle Lewis says it's easy to mislead people about the standing poses they see all the time on SNS. "While it's important, for people who are a little afraid (of this yoga pose), the point is that they are different from the traditional style.
Occasionally, I see pictures of people in complicated positions with their legs stretched out behind their heads. Most people feel comfortable and feel better when they do yoga.
3- What are the benefits of yoga?
Yoga can regulate the whole body system, improve blood circulation, promote endocrine balance, reduce stress, release the mind and body, and achieve the purpose of cultivating the mind and nature.
It has many advantages, it still requires persistent practice to make the body healthier, and beginners can learn it step by step to get used to it.
Although yoga has many benefits, it is only through consistent practice that the body can become healthier, and beginners can become healthier in both mind and body.
4- About Mental Health
Yoga is a new process of focusing on the present, harmonizing with what you feel now, and becoming more mindful," says Baldi.
There are three principles for teaching in the yoga classroom: "Be mindful of yourself and others", "Deepen breath awareness", and "Love yourself without judging others' values".
Although the process is slow, as you begin to open up to yoga, you will notice a difference and be able to harmonize your emotions through the time you spend exercising throughout the day.
When I first started practicing yoga, I found it to be very helpful in all aspects of my life, and my overreaction to all my problems disappeared. Stress was much less and life got a little better. The benefits to my mind far outweigh the benefits to my body, and I have become more introspective and thoughtful than before, and have developed a love and care for myself and others. ---Reflections from a long-time yogi
There are also many benefits to the body from practicing yoga consistently.
According to Baldi, the main benefits include improved flexibility, firmness, stronger muscles, lower blood pressure, reduced weight, less stress and tension in the hip joints, and a better overall sense of balance.