How to Start Yoga
- Make sure your stomach and bowels are empty
Yoga is not just an exercise but a way of enhancing the human energy system. Ensure to do your yoga practice before you eat (ideally in the morning before breakfast) and after emptying the bowels. There should be no intake of food or water while you do the yoga practice itself
- Take a shower or bath before your practice
Shower in cool or tepid water as it makes “the pores between the skin cells open up, and that’s important for practicing yoga because we want the cellular structure of the body to be charged with a different dimension of energy.”
- Wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothes
Yoga works on one’s energy system. Wearing loose-fitting clothes assists in this process.
- Consume neem and turmeric before the yoga practice
“The consumption of neem and turmeric with tepid, light honey water is a wonderful way of cleansing and dilating the cellular structure in such a way that it is able to absorb energy. When you do sadhana, the dilation brings flexibility to the muscles. The flexibility helps you to slowly build the system into a more powerful possibility
- Start with an invocation
An invocation is a way of bringing out the best in you before you practice yoga. In the yogic culture, invocations are usually in Sanskrit, an ancient language that directly connects sounds with forms. Using sounds to activate the human system is the basis of Nada Yoga, or the yoga of sound. An invocation is a very simple form of Nada Yoga. A simple invocation that you could start with is
Asato ma sadgamaya
Tamaso ma jyotirgamaya
Mrityor ma amritangamaya
Aum Shanti Shanti Shantihi
Lead me from untruth to truth
Lead me from darkness (ignorance) to light (knowing)
Lead me from death to deathlessness
Yoga at Home
Here, we offer you some tips on how to do yoga at home.
Daily Practice at Home
Yoga brings you to your fullest potential – physically, mentally, emotionally and energetically. It is meant to be practiced at home daily (ideally in the morning), so that when you go out into the world for your day-to-day activities, you will be at your best in every way.
Mornings & Evenings
The practice of yoga can generate a lot of heat or ushna in the body, so it is best to do your daily practice at cooler times of the day, i.e. mornings and evenings.
A Designated Practice Area
It is best to allocate a space when doing yoga for beginners at home. When you do yoga practices in the same space every day, that space acquires a quality or energy about it which is conducive to your inner growth.
3-ft Radius Free of Movement
Yoga recognizes that the human body is a microcosm of the larger cosmic macrocosm. The practice of yogasanas is about aligning the geometry of your system with the cosmic geometry. When such a powerful process is underway, there needs to be sufficient space for your energies to move. It is best to keep an area of 3-ft radius around you where there is no movement.
No Distractions – Music & Phones
When you practice yoga, you are aiming to shift your attention inward to the source of creation within you. Music or any kind of sound that directs your attention outward is a distraction when you want to do yoga at home. It is also best to keep your cell phone switched off or in silent mode. Keep this time just for yourself!
How to Eat while Practicing Yoga
- Pay Attention
- Eat with Gratitude
- Sit in a cross-legged posture on the floor and eat
- Eat with your hands
- Take time to chew your food properly
- Don’t talk while eating
- Wait for two minutes before you eat
- Eat according to your age and activity
- Avoid snacking in between meals
- Keep your stomach as light as possible
- Keep a gap of three hours before your bedtime, after your evening meal
- Do a light activity for 20-30 minutes after your evening meal
- Eat food that is in its purest form
- Include at least 40% raw food like salads into your daily meals
- Eat fresh and local
- Avoid consumption of packaged food
THE THINKING HELMET
In the next article we will be discussing the Structure , poses and benefits of each yoga pose . Tap below to stay in Tune !
THE THINKING HELMET 