Yoga Q&A - Notes On Starting a Personal Practice

If you've been attending Yoga From The Beginning classes, the outlines from class are a great way to get started with your personal yoga practice. Maybe just focus on one of the outlines for a week, then move on to the next one and start over again when you've used up all the outlines you have so far.

Don't think you have to spend an hour every day in order to have a good practice. 1/2 hour is good, even 15 minutes if that's all you have. Consistency is more important when getting started than duration.

You can practice at any time of day, though mornings seem to work best for most people. If you choose to practice at night, be aware that an energizing practice just before bed might not be conducive to a good night's rest! If night time is your only free time, a longer Savasana should help you get to sleep after your session.

If you haven't had a chance to come to one of our classes, or if you're feeling adventurous, here's a basic outline of a yoga session based on how we construct our classes. You can work around it to create a personal session that works for you.

Centering:

Poses such as Vajrasana (Lightning Bolt Pose) or Siddhasana (Adepts Pose) or even Savasana (Corpse pose) are great poses for starting your practice. Do some quiet, focused breathing to get into a mind-state for your practice. Check in with your current state of mind and body since that's the only place you can really start from. Be attentive to any parts of your body that are demanding your attention so you can focus on those in your practice.

Warm Up:

Depending on the time of day and the state of your body, decide if an active warm up or a gentle warm up is more appropriate. For the morning, poses such as Bidalasana (Cat pose), Setu Bandha (Bridge pose), Eka Pada Pavanamuktasana (Wind Relieving/Reclined Knee to Chest Pose), Jatthara Parivartanasana (Single Leg Twist) or a gentle twist in Siddhasana are good. Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar) work well to get the body going in the mornings too.

Later in the day you can be more vigorous with lunges, Phalakasana (plank pose), Supta Hasta Padangustasana (Reclined Hamstring Stretch) and even Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog). Poses like Bhujangasana (Cobra) can be done at either time of day, with careful attention to alignment.

Escalation:

Once you're nice and warm, challenge yourself with standing poses such as Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I), Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II), even Virabhadrasana III (Warrior III), Utthita Parsvakonasana (Side Angle Pose) and Utkatasana (Intense Fierce/Chair Pose), Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) and Uttanasana (Forward Fold).

Resolution & Final Relaxation

Yoga is a practice of relaxation, though you can also use it to rev up on a day when you feel lethargic. In that case, your resolution phase will be brief. Otherwise, use this time to work on quieting the mind by doing quieting forward bends such as Uttanasana (Forward Fold) or Viparita Karani (Legs up the Wall pose), simple balance poses such as Vrksasana, or seated poses such as Dandasana (Staff pose) and Baddhakonasana (Bound angle pose).

You might even want to add supported, restorative poses to your resolution phase in the evening to prepare you for sleeping. Restorative poses include Tadpole, Salamba Supta Baddhakonasana (Reclined, supported bound angle pose), Salamba Bharadvajasana (Reclined, supported twist) or even Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Supported Bridge pose). All these poses will prepare the mind and body to be in a relaxed state.

The final relaxation should balance the body and mind, which is why Savasana (Corpse pose) is most often chosen. Allowing both mind and body to fully relax is a luxury every person should insist on as often as possible. Yoga can be invigorating, and so when practiced at night, a longer Savasana (especially combined with restorative poses) prepares the body more fully for sleep.

Hopefully this has given you some ideas to work with in your personal practice. If you haven't been practicing at home, give it a try, you might like it! Start off slowly and don't put a lot of pressure on yourself. One to two times a week at a convenient time is a good way to start.

You will notice a wonderful, but subtle change in your daily pattern of dealing with the world that might prompt you to add more sessions to your timetable.