The First Three Steps to Developing Your Yoga Practice

Yoga has so many benefit to both mental and physical health that I can't stress enough how much I recommend it as a supplement to any fitness program. Many people don't know where to start and I don't blame them! Certified yoga instructors go through 300-500 hours of in-class training. The art of yoga is a very deep and complex system but worth getting familiar with and practicing.

Here are First Three Steps to Developing your Yoga Practice

1. Read, research and try it out on your own.

There are many styles of yoga. Take a look online on a site like Wikipedia to familiarize yourself with the different paths. Next, either by a book or look for online instruction and try out some poses or sequences. Don't try to twist yourself in to a pretzel on your first try! Chances are, your form will be all wrong but that's okay. We all have to start somewhere.

2. Take Classes.

Once you have an idea of what style you wish to pursue and you know the basics, look in to classes. Nothing beats a class or individual instruction for proper form and technique corrections. A real yoga instructor ALWAYS beats a book or the Internet, hands down. In class, you definitely learn new things, be worked harder than you can on your own and along the way, meet some like minded people.

3. Putting it all together.

So you have been in class for a while and you want to take your practice to the next level? That's fantastic, here are some suggestions:

-Take the certification course. It doesn't have to mean you will be a teacher but you will know yoga more intimately than the average student. There are smaller weekend courses for the hobby yoga student that will give you a better understanding of your chosen practice, without the two year commitment!

-Go on a retreat. This is the most perfect way to better your practice, go on a vacation and meet new people all at the same time. Yoga retreats are taught by known instructors in beautiful places anywhere from the Caribbean to Greece. You will spend the day between being in class on a beach to relaxing by the ocean.

-Start practicing on your own. If you find you like many styles or you prefer training in your home, start developing your own routines. The great thing about being a solitary student is you have it your way. Do you like starting out with challenging strength poses like in Ashtanga, then moving more quickly through sequences sequence like in Vinyasa? Maybe you'd rather hold poses for a long time and focus on breathing like with the Hatha style. Whatever you want, it's your choice!

Yoga is a powerful and rewarding practice that makes you strong, flexible and well grounded. If you haven't started developing your practice, what are you waiting for?

Try Yoga!

Kaleena Lawless
Personal Training Specialist
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