5 Ways To Improve Your Practice
Many of us will have seen in the New Year, with resolutions or intentions to better ourselves in some way....
For those of you who have made the intention to focus on your yoga practice or for those who would like to start a yoga practice, I have some top tips for getting started or improving your practice in 2017!
1) Join a studio & find your "tribe" - When it comes to taking that very first class, it can seem daunting but rest assured that attending a yoga class will not only kick off your 2017 health goals perfectly, it is also the best place to meet new friends and a great way to "find your tribe". For those who already regularly attend a yoga studio, why not reach out to your fellow yogi's and take your yoga off the mat... Yoga forms communities and Breathe Yoga encourages all forms of connection. Joining a studio & "Finding your tribe" encourages you to maintain a regular practice. 2) Get out of your own way - This is a biggy! How often have you unrolled your yoga mat and the "chatty little monkey mind" has started to put doubts into your mind. Whether those doubts are about how you are currently feeling, tired, stressed, not as good as your neighbour, inflexible etc etc... Just allow yourself to practice, let go and see how you feel by the end of class. I can pretty much guarantee 100% that by the end of class, you will be walking out with a little bounce to your step and those thoughts that were bugging you at the start of class will have disappeared.
3) Drink more water - this may sound obvious but staying hydrated helps maximise physical performance! Dehydration can have a noticeable effect if you lose as little as 2% of your body’s water content, this can lead to altered body temperature control, reduced motivation, increased fatigue and make exercise feel much more difficult, both physically and mentally. Water also helps keep your joints mobile and your muscles more flexible!
4) Meditate - Yoga asana originated from the need to make the body more comfortable for prolonged periods of sitting in meditation. We often only associate yoga with the poses but meditation is actually a very important part of the practice. Not only does it help relieve stress, promote better sleep, aid weight loss, slow aging, boost mood, increase energy & positive outlook, reduce blood pressure and improve respiratory function to name just a few... it also improves our asana by allowing us to master the "monkey mind" and to go within which is the purpose of the practice.
5) Svadhyaya or Self Study - The fourth niyama of the eight limbs of Patanjali. Sva means "self' adhyaya means "inquiry" or "examination". Any activity that cultivates self-reflective consciousness can be considered svadhyaya. It means to intentionally find self-awareness in all our activities and efforts, even to the point of welcoming and accepting our limitations. It teaches us to be centered and non-reactive, to burn out unwanted and self-destructive tendencies. This last point can be undertaken by starting a meditative practice, by participating in self-less service such as charity work or by studying the Yoga texts to delve deeper into the practice of yoga and what it means to truly be a "YOGI".
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