Tips For Deepening Your Yoga Practice
If done mindfully, yoga can be a restorative, rehabilitative, and meditative practice. The practice of yoga-asana is one that assists us in reaching a higher level of wellness and balance. It also teaches us body awareness and how to be in a more natural state of alignment. As we come into a more balanced state, we begin to notice effortlessness in our daily postures and easefulness in our breathing, we can focus more easily and our energy flows more evenly.
Stay connected to the breath, the mind will wander, and keep coming back to the present moment.
This process of moving into a more aligned state must be done gradually, gently, and with caution. Be gentle with yourself, transition slowly from one position to the next. Begin your postures so that you feel comfortable and balanced. From this place, make subtle adjustments and if it feels right, deepen into the posture.
Pick up and move the props with proper alignment and support.
As you move into better alignment or into a particular posture, you may begin to feel your pain level increase or other unwanted symptoms. If this happens, find ways to alleviate these by either modifying the pose with helpful prop choices or coming out of the pose into something that feels good. Some postures may not be right for you.
Inversions (head below heart) should be avoided for conditions such as sinusitis, menstruation, circulatory issues, vertigo, or if it is not comfortable.
Let your yoga teacher know if you have special considerations, are pregnant, injured, or have or are recovering from an illness.
In situations where you feel fine in the class but afterward you notice that something got exacerbated, talk to your teacher. With modifications and/or deletions this may be avoided in the future.