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Guidelines for practicing yoga
- Try to practice yoga in a warm, clean and quiet environment.
- Burn some incense to induce a meditative mood.
- Give yourself plenty of time.
- Do not practice on a full stomach but eat a light snack if feeling hungry.
- Star t with a sh or t warm-up exercise routine.
- Practice a few cycles of the Sun Salute.
- Never strain or over-exert – breathing should be light and gentle throughout.
- Ease into postures slowly and gently.
- Hold each posture easily for up to two minutes if this feels comfortable and is relaxing.
- Always stretch within your own capacity – feel the stretch, ease back slightly and then use the out-
breath to gently relax further into the stretch –work within your comfort zone. - Never force a stretch beyond comfort level – forcing is not yoga.
- Remember to breathe – do not hold the breath.
- Breathe out as you bend forwards or restrict the chest area and breathe in when you come out of a
position or expand the chest area. - Allow your attention to rest on the area of the body being stretched and allow it to relax further into the
stretch on each out-breath. - Become one with the body and feel it relaxing – yoga then becomes a form of meditation.
- The pleasant sensation of stretching and that of pain are very differen t – do not hold a position if
bordering on painful. Pain felt after coming out of a position indicates over-stretching and is not
conducive to progress. - If pain does occur, stop practicing, lie on your back and rest your awareness on the painful sensatio n –
breathe into this area and allow the sensation to dissolve and dissipate. - If certain positions are uncomfortable at a particular time of day etc miss them out of your routine – t r y
them again when you feel able. - If you attend regular yoga classes and learn positions you’d like to add to your daily routine feel free to
add them but always remember that a stretch in one direction should be followed by a stretch in the
opposite direction. - After finishing your yoga practice lie on your back for a few minutes and relax.
- Gentle breathing exercise (pranayama) and meditation may be practiced after a yoga session.
Above all yoga should be fun
ENJOY