As stress levels and workloads increase, yoga is becoming a popular means of stress management and physical relaxation. The main aim of yoga is to manage stress and anxiety by bringing your body and mind to a peaceful state.
Everyone, regardless of age and gender, can practice yoga, because of its wonderful combination of body movements and meditation.
Besides controlling breathing, proper balance, flexibility and strength, it also helps you maintain a good physical condition to help reduce stress.
Poses and breathing in yoga
There are nearly 10-30 positions in hatha yoga, which range from easy to corpse.
These positions range from lying on the floor with a completely relaxed body to more difficult yoga poses that take a minimum of five years of practice to master. No matter what type of yoga you practice, focus on the poses that feel comfortable and offer better relaxation for you.
When practicing yoga, controlling your breath is important to zone in on the essence of yoga. Yogic breath helps you to gain control of your body and mind. Follow this technique to control breathing and pay attention to it while practicing different poses.
Precautions to follow before practicing yoga
In general, practicing yoga is very safe, but there are certain situations where it can pose a risk. To avoid undesirable circumstances, follow these simple precautions:
- At the beginning stage of learning yoga, practice it under the guidance of an expert. Don’t try on your own for the first time, as it can result in undesired complications.
- If you have any abnormal health conditions such as joint problems, neck pain or low back pain, check with your doctor and take advice from your personal healthcare provider, before starting a yoga program.
- Inform your yoga instructor about your overall health condition and discuss health problems such as diabetes, blood pressure, arthritis, asthma and any other illnesses or allergies that you suffer from.
- Dress comfortably in loose-fitting clothes. This will help you to practice yoga poses effectively.
- If you have any doubts about performing any specific poses, follow recommendations from your instructor to avoid injuries.
Heed these precautions and inform your instructor whenever you encounter physical problem. Clarify all your doubts by asking questions and use yoga to its optimum benefit.
