Top Tips For Yoga Beginners

If you are a yoga beginner or thinking about having a go at yoga then here are
12 tips to get you started; some helpful advice for any yoga beginner.

Realbuzz Team
5 minute read

1
Find A Good Yoga Teacher
It is much easier and more enjoyable, to learn yoga, with all its detailed and
subtle physical and mental aspects, from an experienced, qualified, real-three-
dimensional-living-breathing person, rather than from a book or video.
Especially at the beginning, a teacher’s presence and ability to actually see you
and respond to what you are doing, is essential for building your confidence
that you are doing yoga properly.
2
Respect Your Body’s Inner Wisdom And Limitations
Don’t push yourself to do anything that feels dangerous or wrong for you. This
is ‘Ahimsa’, the practice of non-harm, which is essential to skilful and beneficial
practice of yoga. Talk to your teacher and a health professional if you are
pregnant or have particular injuries such as to the knees or spine, or any
serious medical condition. Find out which poses to avoid at certain times, and
which will be beneficial for you. Be aware of contraindications relevant to your
specific circumstances: for example some poses are not to be practiced during
early pregnancy, with certain injuries, or during menstruation, whereas other
poses may be very helpful.
3
Breathe
Yoga is all about finding a healthier, deeper harmony between our body and
mind, and our breathing is central to this. Breathe into your whole body in the
poses, and relax. There is a lot to learn about healthy breathing in yoga.
4
Don’t Compare Yourself With Others
Look inwards to your own progress; there will always be more flexible, strong
and beautiful people around in your yoga class, as in life. Yoga may be
fashionable, but it is not a spectator sport or a competition. Appreciate the
subtle progress of your own practice, the best part of it is on the inside, in the
healing awareness and unity of your own body, mind and spirit.
 5
Be Aware Of The Space Around You
Yoga classes can be packed out; be aware of the need to leave enough space
between yourself and others so that if you topple from your Tree Pose, you
don’t knock over your neighbor too. There is a certain etiquette of respectful
awareness of sharing space with others that is a lovely part of yoga practice.
6
Have A Sense Of Humor
Yoga is a quiet, focused activity, but we need not to take ourselves too
seriously. We may feel ungainly and stiff as a board as we try to navigate
ourselves into new poses. Humility, an inner smile and a bit of gentleness can
save us from pushing ourselves to the point of strain and injury.
7
Eating And Drinking And Yoga
It is advisable not to eat for one or two hours before yoga practice, and to drink
only small amounts of water beforehand and do not drink during practice. Avoid
alcohol, sugar or caffeine before yoga.
8
Wear Loose Comfortable Clothing (That Stays On)
You will stretch your body in all directions and so you don’t want to wear
anything that will dig in or restrict your movement. At some point you are likely
to bend your body right over and also turn upside down, so it saves wriggling
about or exposing more that you wish to if you wear stretch fit gear. For women
in particular, tops that won’t fall down over your head in a shoulder stand might
be more relaxing to wear, for example! If you prefer looser fit clothes that may
slip, make sure you have substantial underwear on.
9
Make Practice Frequent
Little and often is more effective than occasional long sessions of yoga. Even
15 minutes a day of a few well-chosen poses can have a very positive effect on
your physical, emotional and mental well-being. A regular discipline will reap
more benefits, as that way the body begins to feel comfortable and familiar with
the process and gradually becomes more flexible and subtly aware of the
sensations, rather than ‘starting from cold’ again once in a while.
10
Modify Postures For Your Body
The perfect pose we may see in a book or see a teacher demonstrate may be a
long way from what our own body can currently achieve. A good yoga teacher
will show you how to ease your own body carefully towards the ideal posture,
perhaps with use of yoga props like extra blocks, bolsters, a belt etc., bringing
attention to the principle of the inner stretch or direction of energy that the
pose is aiming to evoke in us.
11
Communicate With Your Teacher!
Many yoga teachers will observe and assist individual students during a class.
A touch may help to bring your awareness to where you actually are in your
posture, and support you so that you can make your own adjustments.
However, unless a teacher knows your yoga practice very well and is fully aware
of any historical injuries that you have had, it is risky for them to try to forcefully
adjust your posture by moving your body beyond your natural limitations into a
posture; this may cause injuries, so don’t be afraid to say no. In the same way,
be careful of yourself and others in partner work. If a pose feels wrong or
painful for you, stop and say so, your teacher may be able to help.
12
Relax! End Your Yoga Practice With Shavasana
Finish your practice with Shavasana, ‘Corpse pose’, lying flat on the floor,
resting and consciously relaxing your body for five to 15 minutes. Don’t rush
out of it; get up very gently, rolling onto your right side and coming up to a
sitting position in your own time.
If you are a yoga beginner you don’t really have to buy a great deal at all to do
yoga, but these yoga ‘props’ can be very useful. A yoga mat especially is pretty
essential to avoid slipping on floors.
Five bits of yoga kit and equipment to get you started:
● Yoga mat
Provides cushioning on a hard floor and a non-slip surface for standing.
● Yoga block
Helps stabilize standing poses when you can’t reach the floor easily.
● Yoga strap
Helps when you can’t reach to hold a leg, foot or hand.
● Yoga bolster
Supports your spine, legs or abdomen in certain poses.
● Blanket
Extra floor padding and keeps you warm and comfortable at the end of a
session in ‘shavasana’.