How you can start with Yoga

I know I promised this article a while already but now it’s finally here! I often hear people saying that they want to start doing yoga but simply don’t know how. With this post, I want to give you a little insight about how I started with yoga. Moreover, I want to share a few tips on how you can start yourself and what you should keep in mind when doing yoga.

A little disclaimer at the beginning: I am not an expert! I solely share my own experiences, researches and what I’ve learned from yoga teachers. I hope this article helps a bit and maybe motivates you to start with yoga, too.

How did I start doing yoga?

I still remember one of the key situations quite clearly. One day when I was maybe between 10 and 12 I was going through our cabinets (one of the things I really loved to do as I am such a curious person) and found two old, dusty boards. Sticking on these boards were several pictures of my dad in different asanas (yoga poses).

Since my brother and I were little he taught us how to do the crow (Bakasana). Of course, I didn’t really know what Bakasana or Yoga was at that time but it was fun to me and I loved it. But back to the pictures. I often looked at them over the following years and always thought: I want to do that, too. But it took me quite some time until I was ready for it.

When I was about 17 I accidentally found the pictures again. This was finally the right moment for me. Since we were living in a little village there was not much around which was the reason why I started looking for Yoga Videos on YouTube. By accident I found a 30-day-challenge. Each video of the challenge was about 15-25 minutes long. A good start for me. I even got up early to be able to do the current video before school. It didn’t have any spirutal meaning for me back then, yoga was more a kind of movement with fancy poses to me. This changed over the years but this is how it started. Nowadays it has a big spiritual meaning for me but this is another topic.

Why you should start doing yoga, too…

Most likely you wouldn’t read this text if you weren’t interested in yoga at all. Therefore, I don’t want to make this longer than necessary and talk about things you would already know anyway. Nevertheless, there are a few points I want to highlight. Feel free to use Google to find out a few more details.

• Yoga increases flexibility and strengthens the muscles.

This should be clear. Especially the different movements strengthen the muscles which can help to achieve e.g. a better posture in your daily life. In yoga, the body is stretched out and we work with a straight back most of the time.

• Yoga improves concentration.

Why? Yoga is not only about moving the body but about being 100% present in your practice. No thinking about the next point on your to-do-list, no thoughts about the groceries you I have to buy later and no worries about the exam coming up next week. This is easier said than done in the beginning as the mind tends to wander of easily. But with practice it gets easier and you will notice a difference in your daily life with time. You will be able to do things more concentrated and relaxed.

• Yoga helps the digestion.

Especially the twists and turns help not only to prevent against back pain but also to aid digestion.

• Yoga raises awareness for your body and helps to improve how you feel in your body.

If you practice yoga right and regularly it helps you to become more aware of your body – its strengths as well as its weaknesses. The more aware you are of your body the better you can observe, reflect and guide your movements and thoughts.

How can YOU start yoga?

In general I love the idea of a 30-day-challenge for beginners. Sometimes it just takes a while until you can create a habit which you really stick to. A challenge helps to get into some kind of routine especially if you’ve never practiced yoga before so keep that in mind. I will make a little list with tips how you can start though.

1. Start with YouTube videos.

Yoga studios are great but unfortunately quite expensive most of the time. That’s why starting yoga with YouTube videos can be a great and cheap option. What is important in the beginning is to listen to your body. Don’t try to force yourself into poses which hurt or make you feel really uncomfortable. Always keep in mind: yoga is not about how to do fancy poses but rather about how to move in alignment with your body.

Down below I will put a little list with YouTube-Channels I really like. I am sure there are many more but these are the ones I tried myself. If you know any further YouTube channels with good videos don’t hesitate and put them down in the comments!

• 30-day-challenge (not exactly the one I did four years ago but it’s from the same channel): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJt_KudGGv8&list=PLcjgXQkHWH453km2BpJqYHzmkUkkjH5IB
• Super large variety of different yoga videos, I also love Lesleys voice! She even offers a 90-day-yoga-challenge if you feel motivated: https://www.youtube.com/user/lesleyfightmaster/videos 
• Alo Yoga and Alo Moves on YouTube
• Martina Sergi and Martina Rando on YouTube

2. Look for a yoga class you enjoy.

Not everyone enjoys practicing at home. I do practice at home but sometimes I love going to a yoga class. For me it is easier to stay focused and 100% present without getting distracted by things in my room.

Many gyms do offer yoga classes and it really depends on the gym and the teacher but I feel often they are quite “westernized” meaning that they are considered a workout which doesn’t really do the thought behind yoga justice and which I personally do not enjoy. Having said this it’s of course a matter of your personal preferences and you should just try and figure out what works best for you. Maybe you’re good with the yoga class in your local gym – otherwise trying a class in a yoga studio could be another option. It is also nice to connect with people who have been doing yoga for a while.

3. Try!

There are many different types of yoga. Power Vinyasa, Hatha, Asthanga – all focusing on different goals. Ashtanga yoga is one of the hardest yoga practices as the asanas (poses) are held quite long in combination with conscious breathing. If you prefer a flow of poses Power Vinyasa might be a good option for you. Just give everything a go and find out what you enjoy the most.

4.   Leave your ego off the matt. 

Especially when you’re just starting off with yoga and join a class you might be tempted to compare yourself to others. Maybe you don’t get as deep as the others, you can’t do the exercise right or you’re not even able to get in the posture. Thinking this way is already the first mistake! Do you know how long the others have already been praciticing? No! Maybe they’ve been doing yoga for years already and even if not, it wouldn’t matter. When you step on your matt try to switch of your ego. Do what feels good for YOU, listen to your body and concentrate on yourself. Try to appreciate the things you can do and give yourself a nice smile about things you can’t do (yet).

5.   Don’t give up.

Remember: the goal is the practice itself not some final pose. It doesn’t matter how flexible or strong you are. If you practice regularly you WILL notice a difference at a certain point. You will not only be more flexible but also your body and mind will feel stronger. More balanced. All you need is patience and practice.

Pay attention to the following things

Always try to do the exercises the right way! I know I’ve been mentioning this several times already but this is important to me. I am far from a specialist or perfect but nevertheless I often see people in yoga classes who want to touch their knees (legs straight on the floor) with their head so badly that they completely forget their back and risk an injury.

By the way, most injuries from yoga happen while coming out of a pose not in the pose itself. One example would be the wheel. Try to be very careful when coming out of it and don’t rush anything. Same goes for the lotus. If your knee hurts when doing it – don’t do it.

Also try to really build up strength. Especially us girls tend to be more flexible but weaker when it comes to muscle power. If flexibility and stretching is the focus of your yoga practice and there is not enough compensation through strength-building you risk injuries in the lower back.

I don’t want to scare anyone away here – all I am saying is that you have to know your boundaries in yoga as with every other kind of movement. If you listen to your body there is nothing between you and a wonderful yoga practice. I really hope that this post was kind of helpful and you maybe found some motivation to start doing yoga yourself. If you found this article helpful or have any questions please leave a comment below! 🙂