How to get started with yoga in 2023? Five things to keep in mind

We discuss the five essential pointers to keep in mind at all times while beginning the habit of practicing yoga

Now that you’ve decided to begin practicing yoga in 2023, the hard part is already behind. The journey might seem challenging but taking the initial step and taking a leap of faith is all that matters. Yoga can prove to be a rich and profound experience that has the ability to transform your life and build a sense of harmony within you and with the people and things around you.

As this generation continues to hustle and bustle towards grinding it out, yoga can be a perfect release and a medium of catharsis. It not only helps in disconnecting from all the chaos and uncertainty but can also lead to finding inner peace and contentment.

So, now that you are set to get underway on your yoga journey, here are five things that you should definitely keep in mind:

It’s better to perform yoga on empty stomach

You must’ve seen several people performing yoga very early in the morning. The decision behind that is quite simple. While practicing yoga, one needs to be in tune with his or her body. Yoga is not merely an exercise but also a way to enhance the energy system within the body.

As such, anything that is not a part of the body (e.g. food) should be out of the body if one wants to improve their energy upwards. This is why doing yoga practice after getting up and emptying the bowels and before consuming the first meal of the day is the best possible choice. There should be no intake of food or water while practicing yoga.

Bathing should be done on a regular basis

This advice actually extends to everyone, even those that do not practice yoga. Bathing or showering isn’t just as simple as keeping the skin clean and ensuring that one remains fresh, it is also a way to clean up the one’s own interior which helps with the positive movement of energies. Water has long been held as a sacred component that allowed the existence of life in the first place. Therefore, the water coming in contact with the human skin on a regular basis is important for opening up skin cells and pores and ensuring that the energy harnessed from doing yoga reaches inwards.

Baggy and comfortable clothes should be worn while practicing yoga

This one makes sense right from the off. Wearing tight-fitting clothes may be a discomforting experience which is something that must be avoided during the practice of yoga. All of the body and mind must focus on the experience itself and shouldn’t be distracted with discomforts. Therefore, practicing yoga with baggy and loose-fitting but comfortable clothes is the right way to begin.

When one gets better at yoga with time and effort and practice, he or she can then switch to tight-fitting clothes as well because they won’t be as distracting then.

Focus on breathing patterns

While different yoga teachers or online classes may recommend different breathing patterns, as long as the focus is on the process of the intake of the breath and the release, it doesn’t really matter. Learning awareness of breath and how the body is responding to it is one of most vital and important lessons in yoga for beginners.

Simply being mindful about breathing can help a yogi reduce stress levels, get better sleep and be more aware in the present moment.

Being comfortable with stillness

In today’s world people find it extremely difficult to sit still and do nothing. Most of us are either focused on work or distracted by the constant bombardment of different forms of media. Therefore, before attempting the basic yoga poses and stretches, one must find solace in stillness and be comfortable with stillness. Continually resisting the urge to pop out the phone and checking social media can go a long way in helping a person build patience and momentary awareness.

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