Yoga Tips - Common Sense Advice for Beginners

With a few yoga tips, it's easier to avoid some of the frustrations that can occur by just starting yoga without any idea of the complexity or variance that is yoga.

Much has been written about the many benefits of yoga, from increasing muscular strength and flexibility, to lowering blood pressure and stress levels and plenty in between.
With this increased awareness has come an increase in popularity, with many people keen to learn yoga tips to make their experience more fulfilling and enjoyable. This article of yoga tips will offer advice on selecting a class, preparation for yoga, tips to help you get the most out of classes and precautions to help avoid injury.
When starting any new fitness program, it's most people's first instinct to start out brimming with enthusiasm and effort. This is particularly true of yoga, which is often thought of as easier and less intense than aerobic exercise. Do not be fooled, however! As with anything, it's important to start out slowly. Listed below are some yoga tips to consider before taking classes:

• Borrow or buy a yoga book (or even better a DVD or video) that's aimed at beginners. The health and wellness section of any good bookstore will have good books that offer plenty of yoga tips and visual demonstrations of poses.
• Using the examples in your book, DVD or video to practice at home will help you master some of the poses before you start attending classes, and help build your confidence.
• There are MANY different styles of yoga, each with a different emphasis (eg stretching, strength, or fitness) and it's important to find the one that best suits you.
• Find a teacher that you like and trust, and who gives all their students individual help and attention as needed. A good teacher will gladly pass on his or her own yoga tips.

Once you've started taking yoga classes, there are many things you can do to to make things easier and more enjoyable. These yoga tips involve both things you should do to prepare for classes, and things to keep in mind during classes:

• The best time for yoga is in the morning before breakfast, or later in the evening.
• Before beginning a yoga class you should empty your bowels and bladder, and remove mucus from your nose, throat and lungs.
• It's best to wear clothing that's loose and comfortable, for easy movement.
• Try to avoid eating (except for a light snack if you need it) for 2 hours before a class, as it will more than likely make you feel tired and heavy.
• Try and be punctual to classes; the poses are done in sequence for a reason.
• Make sure you completely master the easy poses before you move onto the harder ones. DON'T feel foolish if you can't master a difficult pose the first few times you attempt it.

 Like anything physical, yoga does carry the risk of injury if it's not done properly. The following yoga tips address how to protect your body while nurturing it at the same time:

• If you have a permanent injury or condition that you think could be worsened by doing yoga, have a chat with your doctor about which poses might be best avoided.
• Be sure to tell your yoga instructor before the class if you are ill or injured; they can tell you how to alter the poses to avoid making things worse.
• Whatever you do, DON'T force yourself to look exactly like the instructor in the class, the person on the TV or the picture in the book. Just because you mightn't look exactly like your instructor when you do a particular pose, doesn't mean you're not doing it "right". Forcing your body beyond its' limits will only cause injury.
• Be wary of the difference between feeling sensations or resistance and feeling pain; you should not feel pain while doing yoga, and if you do it could mean you aren't doing something right or need to adjust a pose to suit you better.
• Many yoga instructors assist students hands-on; if they try and move your body too much for you, or force your body into various poses, however, you could end up injured.