Question #1: How do I learn arm balances and challenging postures?
The answer to this question is two-fold.
First of all, it’s important to realize, yoga is a journey- not a destination. Your postures will constantly evolve and come to realization. Your understanding of yoga and mindfulness in your body will also change and grow.
Secondly, challenging yoga postures and inversions are realized in the body slowly and after much experience. You should come to a lot of yoga classes and learn all the “in-betweens” in your basic yoga practice. Yoga is designed for mindful movement with breath. This “basic” practice allows you to become aware in your body and when done consistently, builds confidence, erases the fear involved in more challenging postures/inversions, and adds strength in the body(even in places normal calisthenics do not strengthen).
Arm balances and challenging postures, do not magically happen. The only arrive after a long period of yoga practice. Especially, when those practices are done with instructor’s guidance on proper alignment and only after muscle memory is established
This is why in your regular yoga flow, the instructor may stop and ask you to become even more mindful of where you feel the pose in your body. They may ask you to find the tiny abdominal muscles that hold you upright or keep your lower back from tilting one way or another.
All of this “practice” moves you into more challenging postures and inversions.
Question #2: How Do I learn the different kinds of breathing used in yoga?
Take a BIG deep inhale and sigh it out. Notice the way the feeling in the body changes when you do so. Yoga teachers and practitioners know, the way you breathe is often indicative of how you are feeling inside. For example, get scared- short quick breath results. Whether you are sleeping or close to sleep, soft shallow breathing occurs.
If you are interested in learning the types of breath used in yoga, LOOK NO FURTHER! DRISHTIQ Yoga has just begin to offer 30 minute Pranayama (breath) and Meditation classes. Your yoga instructor will guide you into your breath and share different types of yogic breathing. From there you will enjoy a meditation session.
No worries if you don’t know how, that’s why we’re here. Come learn about the different types of breath. Get into your body; find union among your body, mind and spirit. Leave refreshed and proud you are able to change the feeling in the body, simply using breath and sitting quietly.
Question #3: How many classes a week should I take to really feel the benefits of practicing yoga?
Anyone who has ever tried a yoga class knows that after just ONE yoga class, a body feels the benefits. The immediate sense of space, calm energy and feel good feeling of a yoga class is what brings the practitioner back again and again.
However, if you have tight hamstrings, tightness in the hips or shoulders, etc., want more strength in the deeper abdominal muscles or increased release in the ligaments and fascia, a regular practice of yoga (2-3 classes at least) a week can really go along way to changing the body in ways that are really unimaginable when you first start taking yoga classes.
DRISHTIQ provides a variety of yoga classes to suit your needs. From Restorative, Yin to Heated Vinyasa Flows, each class is designed to suit a variety of different abilities and needs in the body.
If you can’t make it to the studio, even a short practice at home when you wake up in the morning, or just before bedtime can help you feel even more benefits from yoga in your life.
Feel free to leave your feedback in the comments below to let us know how many yoga classes you take a week and whether or not that is enough to meet your body’s needs. Also tell us how yoga has made a difference in your body!