Are you a beginner yogi? Or perhaps completely new to yoga altogether? Welcome! First, congratulations on making the major decision to better yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually through the regular practice of yoga. There is seemingly no end to the benefits that regular yoga practice can bring into your life. Millions of people are already in on the secret joy, relaxation, and serenity a daily yoga practice brings. With all the information available on yoga out there, it can all be a little overwhelming for a beginner, but help is here! Read on for a few yoga tips for beginners.

The Best Yoga Tips For Beginners

The following yoga tips for beginners are the most essential when it comes to starting your yoga practice. Remember that everyone starts as a beginner at some point, and to go easy on yourself until you get the hang of things.

Slow and steady

Start slow and don’t try to do too much, too quickly. Instead, work on the consistency of rolling out your mat every day. If we only showed up when we knew we would be perfect, we’d never progress at all. In the beginning, especially, learn shorter, easier poses and routines that you can master before transitioning into more challenging material.

Focus on your breathing

During poses and transitions, focus on your breathing. You will get better and better at poses with practice over time, so start with making sure your breathing is calm and measured. If you feel like keeping even breath is too hard, you’re likely doing poses that are too difficult. Luckily, there are ways to modify poses, in the beginning, to make things a little easier until you build up your strength and stamina. 

Modifying is not cheating

It’s ok to modify or skip a pose that’s too difficult for you. As you progress in your practice, you may find that poses that used to be impossible are now easy. There is no shame in modifying a pose. In fact, it’s often better to modify a difficult pose than to try to push yourself to complete it, which could cause an injury.

Listen to your body

When your body is sore or hurts, it may be setting a boundary you need to respect. Everyone’s body is different and making sure you aren’t pushing your body past its limits is essential. When we push our bodies too hard, often the repercussion is having to slow down or stop and rest altogether. If we push through a pose our bodies aren’t ready for, we risk an injury preventing us from rolling out our mat the next day.

Celebrate your Savasana

Savasana is your last pose. No matter how your yoga session went, don’t forget to celebrate reaching to finish line. The mere fact that we showed up and completed our session is enough to celebrate. The most crucial thing we can do as beginners yogis is to continue to show up for ourselves every day.

Don’t take it too seriously

Remember, yoga is supposed to be good for your health; that includes mental health. If practicing yoga is bringing you more stress than peace of mind, it isn’t helping the way it should. No one expects you to be the perfect yogi on day one. We all start somewhere and laughing at ourselves as we learn is some of the best medicine to the daily stresses of life. 

More Yoga Tips For Beginners

Here are a few more yoga tips for beginners to help set you up for success.  

• Use a clean, non-slip mat: yoga mats provide the perfect surface for yoga. Their textured surface means you don’t have to worry about slipping during your poses. They provide padding for comfortability and joint protection.
• Find a quality teacher: whether online or in person, an experienced yoga instructor can be immensely helpful to a new yogi. They can demonstrate proper postures and transitions between poses as well as provide a positive and encouraging attitude. 
• Wear comfortable clothing: as much as we all love looking great in our expensive athleisure outfits, comfortability is what’s most important when selecting clothes for yoga. You need a supportive top and clothing made from breathable materials that wick moisture away from your skin.
• Stay hydrated: yoga may look easy, but it’s more strenuous than you think. While you might not drink much water during a yoga class, try to sip on 16 ounces an hour before your class and 16-20 ounces in the hour immediately after.
• Remove distractions: in order to focus on your practice and to reap as many benefits as possible, remove as many distractions as you can. These can be physical distractions like cell phones and laptops or mental ones like to-do lists. Try writing down your to-do list and turning off your electronics to get those distractions out of your mind. 

What should you take away from yoga tips for beginners? Be kind to yourself! Learning a new skill is difficult, and yoga is no different. Yoga is a vast subject with so much to teach you, but it takes patience and consistency to really learn. What’s important is that you make the commitment to keep practicing consistently, even if you do so imperfectly.

Interested in more about yoga or its overarching life study, Ayurveda? And learn how you can incorporate this way of life into all aspects of your routine. Check out What Is Ayurveda and learn how you can incorporate this way of life into all aspects of your routine.