After the first post about yoga, I was literally bombarded with questions about where to start, whether yoga helps to lose weight, what time is it right to do, and many others. And even then I decided to record a video about the basics of this practice and the philosophy of life, while simultaneously memorizing all your questions. Now this dream has come true, and I can’t wait to share the results of filming with you)
I’ve been doing yoga for over 2 years. I cannot say that it is permanent. Rather, I do it according to my mood. In addition, I am still trying to understand which practice is closer to me: kundalini, hatha, bikram … And if the choice of techniques is more complicated, then I managed to find “my” teacher in the “Age of Aquarius” yoga club . And for a beginner (and an “advanced” student too) – this is one of the main points. Felix Pak not only agreed to answer all the questions (the interview turned out to be large and interesting), but also helped me in preparing a video in which he demonstrated the most important breathing exercises, as well as awakening and sun salutation complexes.I hope that this information will be useful, you will love yoga as much as I do and you will discover the desire to wake up one morning and stretch out to perform Surya-namaskara 🙂
We met with Felix at the end of April at the yoga club, where he is the leading teacher. It was raining, it was cold outside, and I was pretty worried, because this was the first experience of a video post. But over a cup of tea and sincere conversations, the excitement evaporated 🙂
I am publishing the most important questions that any beginner in yoga has, as well as Felix’s answers to them:
1. Is it possible to start doing yoga at any age?
Yes, yoga is “open” to any person, but depending on age, the intensity and load may change. We need to learn to listen to what our body says, and in no case should we force ourselves. This is the main thing in yoga. Of course, there is yoga for children, but because at an early age they often lack patience and perseverance, then, as a rule, we conduct classes together with parents. Mom does, and the child repeats – a good interactive experience.
2. What does a beginner in yoga need to know? Are there any health contraindications?
There are no health restrictions globally. Of course, if you have joint diseases, then it is quite problematic to perform some asanas, but here pillows, low chairs and other auxiliary materials will come to the rescue. You need to remember that yoga is, first of all, relaxation. Teaching muscles to work at increased loads and at the same time relax is the highest essence of yoga. And, for example, as soon as we feel a painful sensation, we need to focus on it, direct thoughts to it in order to relax the muscles that have blocked this section. Of course, subject to correct execution.I repeat that you must always listen to your body, learn to pick up its signals.
3. How often can you do yoga and what time of day is it preferable?
Ideally, yoga should be done every day. The complex that I will show today will not take you even 20 minutes a day, but if you perform it regularly, you will notice an improvement in overall well-being. As for the time of day, there are no restrictions, but you need to try to adapt to the space. For example, if you go to bed after half an hour, then there is no point in doing breathing exercises, which I will demonstrate today, because they increase vitality and awaken the body. And, of course, they are best done in the morning. But before going to bed, you can do relaxing pranayama (breathing exercises) .Depending on the goals you want to achieve, you can practice yoga in the morning, afternoon or evening.
4. Should you change your diet to improve exercise performance and what are the nutritional guidelines?
There is no need to radically change your life in the first months of practice. This is a lot of stress for the body. As a rule, for most people, the most acceptable option would be to start with exercise, and the body will gradually tune in, accumulate the effect and itself will send signals about the start of the next stage of restructuring. So, after practicing yoga, many people gradually notice that they have stopped drinking alcohol, smoking, and a desire to eat more healthy foods. But you shouldn’t rush things. I repeat, yoga is not violence against oneself, it is relaxation.
If we talk about the rules of nutrition before and after practice, then a couple of hours before class, you can take a light meal. You can drink water even during practice, but a little and in small sips.
5. Can you treat yoga as a way to lose weight or improve your figure?
Yes, of course, the relationship between fitness and yoga is very close, now a whole area of fitness yoga is developing, in which the main emphasis is on physical well-being. Yoga is a mechanism for all occasions of life and sides of existence: mental, physical. By defending the relationship with the body, a person is already helping himself to tune in to yoga, to move to a new level. Of course, your physical condition must be maintained, and the body was given to us for this. Yoga is a great way to get in shape.
6. Is it possible to practice yoga on your own or is it better to trust a professional?
It depends on the person. Personally, I recommend that my students come to training, but not in the standard sense, but come to the lesson and deal with at least one exercise, a detail of practice. Try to work with him at home for a while, understand, feel. After a while, if you have any questions, return and continue your studies. You must have a person who is ready to explain something, tell, share experience. The person you can call your teacher and trust him. Many find in yoga clubs an opportunity to move away from the hectic pace of life, relax, take a break from work.But the main thing is to make yoga a daily practice and try to be independent from the teacher.
7. Are meditation and pranayama obligatory in yoga practice? What is their role?
Yoga is an exercise strung on the breath. Only in a complex can you get the desired result. Another question is that comprehension does not immediately come in the process of meditation. We cannot immediately clear our minds of thoughts and relax. It needs to be learned, but the results are worth it.
8. Is it possible to become happy and relieve stress by doing yoga?
Yes. And, moreover, yoga is the most effective of all the ways I know to achieve inner harmony and happiness.
Yoga in translation means “interconnection”. The interrelation of all body functions: physical condition, spiritual, emotional. The most important document on yoga, which has been written for over 2,500 years, has only 7.5 pages. And the definition of the concept of yoga there is this: yoga – stopping vibrations that arise within consciousness (psychological, emotional, etc.). Once you learn how to do this, we can assume that our body – our home – is cleansed. And after putting it in order once, we just need to maintain it with the help of yoga.
And now – about the video tutorial . Felix tried to explain the basic tenets of yoga and talk about the most important and basic exercises, which, if performed every day, we can achieve good health, get rid of stress and improve our health. Respiratory gymnastics – pranayama and the Breath of Youth complex, as well as several variations of the Salutation to the Sun complex – are discussed in sufficient detail. You will not find difficult impossible asanas here. The purpose of this video is to convey to a beginner that yoga is not a competition in who is more flexible or hardy. Yoga needs to be felt, to understand the mechanisms that it triggers in our body and makes it possible to love ourselves.We hope that in these 40 minutes you will find something new and interesting for yourself 🙂 And, of course, I will be glad to questions, comments and information about how much I liked this format of presenting the material and whether it is worth continuing in the same spirit 🙂
You can watch a video course of yoga for beginners here .
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