How To Get More Out Of Your Yoga Class

Yoga is beneficial for the body in so many ways: it increases flexibility and muscle strength, it reduces stress and improves mental and emotional health, and it helps normalize bodily functions. People who start practicing yoga generally do so in expectation of these health benefits. While any regular practice of yoga will create improvements in the body, there are ways of maximizing the progress you can make in your yoga.

If you are taking formal yoga classes, it helps to arrive a few minutes early so you can get yourself in the right frame of mind before the class kicks off. If you find yourself rushing in at the last moment, it will take that much longer to get into the flow of the class. Ensure you take the time to have a drink of water and use the bathroom, and if you’ve got time, do a few poses or simply sit quietly until the class commences.

It is helpful to begin each class with an intention which you can focus on through the class. This may be something like focussing on remaining calm in situations which are usually volatile, or becoming more loving and tolerant, eating more nourishing foods, or taking more time for spiritual practices. Just make it something positive and congruent with the practice of yoga.

If you’re suffering from an injury, or have recently gone through an illness, it’s important that you let your yoga instructor know, as they are able to advise on poses to avoid and may offer alternatives. Those new to yoga should also tell their instructors, who can look out for them and assist with developing the correct poses to avoid strain or injury. Many people are so anxious to progress in their yoga that they inadvertently injure themselves, so it’s important to realize that it will take time. Be patient and work at a level you feel physically comfortable with. The philosophy of yoga is one of healing, so pushing oneself and getting injured really does go against that, and will hinder any success or health benefits.

It’s a nice idea to take time after practicing yoga to contemplate the class. It’s all too easy to step out of the yoga class and throw yourself headlong back into the rush of life, forgetting the whole reason for doing yoga. If you can maintain the peace and serenity gained in the class for sometime afterwards, it’s very beneficial. It can take a long time for beginners to learn all the yoga poses. If a beginner can take the time to focus on remembering just one or two new poses each class, it won’t be long before they’ve mastered the basics.

Ideally, go to your class on a fairly empty stomach (don’t eat for two to three hours before starting a class), as the process of digestion takes energy and can make you lethargic, and it’s also possible to get cramps or nausea if you exercise too soon after eating, especially when doing moves that involve the midsection (including deep forward bends, twists, and inversions).

Beginning a yoga class with the correct mindset is one way of maximizing yoga sessions, and so is focusing for the class on a positive intention, which can distract the mind from outside worries. Along with taking the right attitude to your yoga class, it’s just as important to maintain positivity and peace afterwards.

Ana Paula Hernandez is a writer and yoga instructor with over twenty years’ experience. She believes firmly that students need the right grounding in yoga poses and yoga postures to ensure success in yoga.