Yoga is an exercise that we recommend everyone do. Aside from being easy to do compared to other kinds of workouts, they provide several benefits that you can carry with you for the rest of your life.

Here at the Himalayan YTTC Rishikesh, we offer our world-class studios across Rishikesh to everyone who wants to take up this form of exercise. Here, we provide amazing facilities and the best instructors to ensure that all our customers will get the best yoga experience possible.

Aside from providing our yoga studios, we also want to help people learn everything they can about this exercise so that they can get a better grasp on it. That’s why, in this blog, we’ve decided to list down some of the most important things that everyone should know about yoga. If you’re curious to learn more, here’s everything you need to know:

You’ll graduate from being a beginner

If you’ve just started getting into yoga and you feel like you’re behind other people in the same session, don’t worry because you won’t stay a beginner forever. Don’t forget that it’s normal to see other people in the same class pulling off advanced poses effortlessly while you’re struggling to do the basic ones.

With constant practice, you’ll be able to perfect the different poses you’d have to make to reach your inner zen in yoga. Just be sure to put in the hours so that you can improve yourself and graduate from being a beginner.

Don’t compare yourself to others

In addition to our previous point, we would also recommend comparing yourself to others in your class. This is because not everyone is built the same, whether it be in terms of body physique, mental state, experience, and many more, so you can’t compare everyone even if you tried to.

Moreover, comparing yourself to other people will only make you distracted and pull you away from your goal, which is to perfect the different poses. In yoga, your full attention should be used and you won’t be able to achieve this if you’re using a part of your subconscious to compare yourself to other people in the studio.

Lastly, always remember that yoga is not a competition so it doesn’t make sense to compare yourself with other people. Just focus on your progress alone and don’t let negative thoughts pollute your mind, as this can affect your performance.

You should embrace who you are

One of the things that prevents other people from taking up yoga is their insecurities. Whether it be about their weight or what they look like, these thoughts can hinder you from achieving your full potential in the yoga studio.

That’s why we here at the Himalayan YTTC Rishikesh encourage everyone that enters our studio to embrace themselves, as it’s an important starting point in their yoga journey. As was mentioned earlier, this exercise requires you to pour in your full attention, and having these insecurities will prevent you from reaping the fruits of your hard work.

Once you get these negative thoughts out of the way, you’ll be free from your jail, which will help you fully function throughout the yoga session.

Practice will make you perfect

When it comes to yoga, you can’t master the poses overnight,, which is why you have to put hundreds upon thousands of hours into practice. Several people who are outside of yoga think that the different poses done in this exercise can be done effortlessly in just a span of a few hours or even minutes,, which can’t be farther from the truth.

If you’re going to enter this exercise just for the sake of showing off using the different complicated poses involved, then you should stray away from it immediately. This exercise will require you to practice at a consistent pace, and if you can’t do this, then you won’t be successful.

Proper breathing is key

The most basic idea that you need to remember in yoga is that proper breathing is key. Many beginners make the mistake of holding their breath as they’re executing the different poses taught by the instructor.

To remember this tip easily, a general rule of thumb you can remember is that if, during any pose, your face starts to turn red because you can’t breathe properly, you’re not doing it right.

Aside from the different poses, yoga is all about breathing. Make sure to closely listen to your instructor, as they’ll teach you the correct way to breathe. This is an important thing to remember because it lessens the risk of you passing out on the floor.

You need to wear the right clothes

A huge part of what makes the different poses in yoga easy to do is by wearing the right set of clothes. Not only will this help you remain comfortable throughout the extended hours of your session but it’ll also help you get your head into the game.

Moreover, wearing the right set of clothes will help you let your limbs move freely without any kind of restriction. This way, you can maximise your mobility and lessen the challenge of making different poses.

Lastly, make sure not to wear any kind of accessories that may serve as an obstacle when you start to stretch your body in different ways. This includes necklaces, wristbands, watches, anklets and more.

Complicated-looking poses don’t mean they’re advanced

Once you enter the yoga studio, you’ll immediately see other people doing complicated poses. However, don’t let this fool you into thinking that they’re hard to do or that they’re the ones that are considered advanced.

You may be surprised to find out that the poses that you’ve seen being done by other people in the studio are easier than you thought. That’s why it’s important not to be distracted and envy these people when you see them executing these moves and instead focus on your progress.

In the same way, don’t let the basic-looking poses fool you into thinking that they’re easy to do. Some poses may seem simple but the balance and focus that you need to have to execute them will make you think otherwise.

Yoga can release stress

If you’ve been facing different problems over the past couple of days, months, or even years, then you should try yoga, as it has been proven to relieve stress.

This is why we encourage people of all ages to join one of our many sessions so that they can save themselves from the onslaught of stress. Whether it be students, working adults, or the elderly, we welcome everyone because we know that everyone faces various problems that cause stress.

It may not seem like much but letting stress accumulate in your mind and body will leave conditions that are evident in the body. To give you a better scope of what the negative effects are, here are some of the worst ones:

• Body aches
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Muscle tension
• Mood swings
• Tremors
• Extreme exhaustion
• Stomach problems.

Yoga should be paired with a healthy diet

One of the most common mistakes that people have made since yoga was invented is that they don’t pair exercise with a healthy and balanced diet.

Don’t waste the hard work that you’ve poured into the different poses you make in yoga by eating junk food all the time. Instead, start curating a healthy and balanced diet so that your body can be at its peak. Better yet, consult with a nutritionist so that you can ensure that what you’ll be eating for the rest of your life is good for your lifestyle.

To help you get started, here are some of the food items that should be included in your diet:

• Beans
• Colourful vegetables
• Legumes
• Fruits
• Lean meats
• Poultry fish
• Milk
• Grain
• Cereal.

By including these items in your diet, you’ll be treating your body to the essential food groups that have always been recommended by medical experts around the world.

Lastly, avoid junk food as much as possible. Always remember that they’re called ‘junk’ for a reason, and that’s because they contain little to no nutritional value at all. Rewarding yourself with this type of food will render your yoga session useless, so make sure to think twice the next time you open that bag of chips!

Try yoga today!

These are some of the most important things you should know about this amazing exercise. Whether you’re just about to start picking up yoga or you’re in the process, knowing these pieces of knowledge will help you become better.

For more content about yoga, don’t hesitate to check out our other blogs here at the Himalayan YTTC Rishikesh! To deepen your knowledge and skills, consider enrolling in Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh. This program will provide you with a comprehensive education and practice in yoga, and will equip you with the tools and skills you need to become a successful yoga teacher.