Menu

Beginner’s Guide to Yoga

 

CLAIRE'S TIPS FOR STARTING YOGA

Claire, 27 years old, yogi since 2017 holds a yoga blog jedebuteleyoga.fr in which she delivers all her advice, her journey, her questions to start yoga. Yoga for beginners ? A real gold mine for beginners but not only! I had the pleasure of discovering her on Instagram and our shared love of yoga obviously made us want to collaborate. It is quite naturally that I proposed to Claire to speak on the blog and that I asked her a lot of questions that interest me and that I hope will interest you too!

How to intensify your yoga practice?

Do we intensify our yoga practice by a lot of willpower and rigor or is it only the passion that makes us want to practice every day?

I would say that it depends on each person’s character. Either you like it a lot and inevitably, unrolling your carpet becomes a pleasure, an expected moment of the day. Either we set yoga as a goal because it’s fashionable, we see beautiful pictures, we tell ourselves that we “must” look like those beautiful women on the beach… and we force ourselves, but it’s a practice like any other in our head. In my case, it was a mixture of all of these. Let me explain: I was looking for an activity that would allow me to be less stressed because I had an anxiety-provoking work environment, and at the same time I had the impression of living in a foreign body, of not being able to control it. So, I wanted to practice an activity to improve my physical flexibility in order to regain control of my body and my movements. For example, I often hurt my neck trying to grab the cat’s toys from under a low cabinet!

Of course, at the very beginning, I would say to myself “come on, get on the mat!”, then I would stop the session after 10 minutes of suffering because my lack of strength AND flexibility prevented me from following the instructions of the video sessions. I couldn’t hold a dog upside down for more than 10 seconds… and I was sweating a lot!

But I quickly felt so much inner calm, a sense of peace, of wanting to slow down and enjoy this magical moment on my mat, even though it was difficult. Passion won out over everything else. Plus I’m the kind of person who does extensive research on a subject that affects me. So when I started yoga, I couldn’t just practice on the mat, I wanted to know the origin of the practice. And one thing leads to another, you end up with 15 books, calling several teachers to test their courses, starting a blog…

Beginners, don’t put pressure on yourself! Yoga is not easy but there is always a beginning variation of postures. If yoga is for you, you’ll know it, just listen to your heart during and after a session. If you don’t practice some days, that’s okay too. In my opinion, one should not force oneself, otherwise yoga can become a constraint, not to mention the risk of injury, especially for people who do not have a regular physical activity.

How to regulate your yoga practice?

3 different strategies for starting yoga:

– Read about the philosophy of yoga, about postures you like or would like to learn, about breathing techniques… Yoga is not exclusively a physical practice, quite the contrary!
– Explore the sun salutations: this sequence is a classic and is almost always practiced at the beginning of a yoga session. I think it’s a great entry point for beginners. The sun salutation allows to warm up the body, to remove the rust, to learn the principle
forward bends and a very well known backward bend: the head down dog. And then we worship our sun without which our days would be dull!
– Set a time during the week to do your session. Depending on your schedule, it can be difficult to fit a lot of yoga into your day. I think finding a time to yourself in your week when you want to really get into it is a good start. And why not sign up for a group class! Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but I have seentremendous progress since taking classes with a teacher who corrects, gives advice, teaches us breathing techniques, philosophy, etc. And practicing at home allows me to be more free (I choose the session I need at the moment), and I can also practice by feeling, deepen a posture, etc.

When I started yoga, I didn’t go to group classes: too shy, afraid of doing badly and being judged, not very confident in my abilities – well, considering the state I was in after 10 minutes, it was understandable! – I practiced 4 to 5 times a week with 20 minute videos at home. My back quickly started to hurt because I’m not athletic at all and my body couldn’t take it. I had to slow down the pace, rely more on my sensations, and even though I really wanted to practice more often, I tried to be humble and listen to my body. And yoga is not essentially defined by the asanas, quite the contrary.

When you want to practice every day, you should not put any constraints on yourself. I often tell myself that I “should” practice at least 30 minutes a day, when there is no obligation. If you want to practice, 10 minutes are already great, as well as 1h30. No one should force themselves. They say that yoga adapts to the body and not the other way around, I think it’s the same with our schedule! If you only have 10 minutes, it’s perfect to get on your mat. It’s better than sitting around doing nothing. No pressure !

What tools can I use to practice yoga at home?

A non-slip yoga mat:

An ecological yoga mat! A mat that you like, a mat that you love, on which you feel like rolling around, or even lying down to read… having a mat that you love and that also loves you during your practice allows you to have an extra motivation! Read Claire’s feedback on Yogom yoga mats on her blog. And discover all our models in the Yogom online store.

Videos on Youtube:

More seriously, I started practicing with videos on Youtube. I repeated several videos before realizing that I had not been evolving for several months. And I discovered… Joanna’s channel : Yoga Fire Jo ! A person of great wisdom, so
and who offers very well thought-out, coherent courses. I invite you to browse through his many videos on his channel, you won’t be disappointed! I was also lucky enough to attend one of her yoga retreats for a weekend, and meeting her in person only confirmed what I felt while practicing with her videos! Joanna offers Vinyasa and Yin yoga on her channel.

A platform for online videos on demand:

One platform I’m using a lot right now is YogiLab ! Tiphaine offers very high quality courses (Charlotte, Manon, Delphine, and Joanna too). The principle is simple: you pay a few euros for a video (between 1€50 and 4€ depending on the duration), and you have unlimited access to this video. So we buy à la carte, at a lower cost. Of course the subscription is also possible, but it is immediately more expensive. There are also packs of several videos, usually for about ten euros, on a targeted theme. You can find a lot of Vinyasa, some Ashtanga, tutorial videos on some postures, pre and post-natal, and recently some philosophy! I love this platform, I juggle Yoga Fire Jo and YogiLab to be honest!

Free online yoga classes YOGOM: available in IGTV on Instagram and on youtube.

Discover our Yoga Glossary.

I visit the store

How to start meditating?

I personally prefer guided meditation, it allows me to be much more focused than if I had to sit and meditate in silence. There are many applications: Pause, Little Bamboo, Namatata, 7mind. I also have a meditation CD by Christophe André that was in one of his books. I also use the Meditation Pack on YogiLab, created by Joanna, which allows you to see different techniques in 21 days!

After that, it’s really a matter of mood and preference. No meditation is better than another. On the other hand, meditating brought me a calmness of mind that I did not find as much in the asana practice. Meditation has allowed me to be much more detached from my thoughts and to take everything that happens in my daily life less to heart. So if you’re stumped, give it a try!

3 yoga books for beginners ?

To improve your knowledge of “basic” asana, I recommend “Encyclopedia of Yoga” by André Van Lisbeth. There are many tips on how to do postures without hurting yourself, understand the benefits, etc.

If you want to dive into the philosophy of yoga with simplicity, I recommend two books: The 7 Spiritual Laws of Yoga, which is easy to read and teaches us the basics of yoga.

I recommend you then Bible of yoga, written by B.K.S Iyengar. I find it a little less accessible in terms of discourse on philosophy. On the other hand, a large part of the book presents almost 200 yoga postures !

The third book that I recommend has nothing to do directly with yoga, but I find that it joins this philosophy, it is the Four Toltec Agreements. Four simple (in theory) and meaningful tips that should be practiced daily to be at peace with oneself and others. I had tried several self-help books, none of which really touched me, except this one! This is a classic that should be taught in school!

Discover the Yogi Game by Yogom: a yoga card game to learn the philosophy of yoga in a fun way!

Practicing yoga to music or in silence?

When I practice “by feel”, I don’t play music to be honest. I listen to my breathing while trying to tune in my movements.

There are only two situations where I put music:

  • for the practice of the 108 sun salutations, because it lasts 1h30 so it’s a bit long.
  • And during the full moon, when I practice greetings to the moon.

To be honest, I don’t use “modern” music, I rather look for “relaxing” background music found on Youtube. There are lots of them on a loop for several hours!

How often should I practice yoga?

Should you practice only when you feel like it or should you stick to a specific rhythm?

Once again, depending on your mood at the time! If you’re lazy and you say to yourself “come on, I’ll do an hour and a half to give myself energy”, you run the risk of being disgusted by your session.

If you have to practice for 10 minutes, that’s great, it’s better than nothing!

Personally, I don’t like to force myself, I try to set goals on Sunday nights: such and such a day, such and such a video, such and such stretching, etc. But it doesn’t work, I must not have enough character haha. But finally, if on Sunday I write that on Wednesday I will do a vinyasa, but on Wednesday I feel like doing a yin, I listen to my body and my need at that moment. Nothing prevents me from saying “I will meditate 3 times this week”, “I will deepen this posture for 10 minutes”. Everyone knows each other and has to adapt according to their own desires. It is yoga that adapts to the body and not the other way around.

Claire sets regular appointments with herself, Yogom is much less good at it and practices really by feel which does not help to have a regularity of practice.

I think you have to find the middle ground: set an attainable goal of once a week to start with 30 minutes at home or go to a class 1 hour a week.

How to approach the postures on the head?

Do we let go, do we strategize? What about people with weak necks?

Having had cervical problems for several months, I strongly advise against head postures in case of very fragile cervicals, recurrent pain, etc. Or at least not without the presence of a yoga teacher or coach… One thing that is so important that yoga teaches me every day is humility. For “real sportsmen” it can be a “loser” speech. But yoga is not a competition.

When you can’t reach a posture (either because of lack of strength or flexibility…), why force yourself? I have never yet “succeeded” in a posture on my head or arms. My legs don’t take off. By fear, by lack of strength in my shoulders, because I am not sure I really like it. But if I absolutely wanted to get my legs off the ground, I wouldn’t run headlong into these postures. I would prepare: by strengthening the upper body and abs, watching videos, asking and listening to advice. This is my strategy.

When the body doesn’t want to reach a posture, you have to work, practice and practice again. I’m not a very courageous girl… so obviously, the postures on the head scare me. For the moment I put them aside, but if my yoga teacher proposes me to work on them, it will be with
pleasure because it will be there to guide me, and avoid me to hurt myself.

The importance of good alignment when you are a beginner in yoga

Is it very important to be well aligned in the yoga postures to enjoy the benefits of the postures?

Not only does alignment allow you to get all the benefits of a posture, but it also prevents injury!

Concrete example seen in class: the warrior’s posture 2. If the front knee extends beyond the ankle, there is a risk of knee injury. If the back leg is not well contracted, there is a risk of injury to the lumbar region. If you don’t contract your leg muscles, thighs, and abs, there is a risk of hurting yourself too! But it’s only been a short time since I’ve understood the importance of alignment and also of engaging the whole body. Be completely aware of what you are doing, understand which muscles are working, do not be passive during a posture (except in Savasana).
There is also a yoga called “Iyengar” (the name of its creator), very demanding and rigorous, which focuses on alignments. I couldn’t tell you more about it as I’ve never been to an Iyengar class, but if you want to understand the alignments better, this might be the yoga for you!

To help you better align yourself discover the yoga mats with alignment Yogom Bodyline with body lines and hand and foot markers. Beginners and picky eaters love them! This is Claire’s carpet on all the pictures of this article.

What types of yoga to practice to begin and then to improve?

Beyond the type of yoga, if you want to start in a group class, I think that the feeling with the teacher is also essential. No one wants to go to a class when the teacher is not motivating, caring, or does not answer questions.

There are so many ways to practice yoga! I notice that Vinyasa is probably the most popular in France? It is a yoga of movement, we move to the rhythm of the breath in a fluid way. Vinyasa develops strength and flexibility and can be quite cardiotic, but can be a bit daunting if you are not very athletic at first. Don’t give up and go at your own pace!

Hatha consists in holding static postures. I started with this yoga, I recommend it for a serene approach to yoga!

I also recommend yin yoga especially if you want and need to slow down the pace! There we hold the postures for several minutes, and during this time… we meditate! This yoga greatly improves flexibility and allows an extraordinary letting go!

There is also Ashtanga… well I don’t know if you can practice it if you have never done yoga. It is the father of Vinyasa, demanding in flexibility, strength, cardio, alignment… I love it because my teacher is great! Ask a teacher for advice, it is difficult to practice at home since you need to know the series of postures – always the same – and the sequences between each posture.

Whatever style of yoga you wish to practice, listen to your body, your sensations. Don’t force it, be humble.

Discover the article on the different types of yoga

A simple pranayama exercise to do at the beginning of the session?

I love Nadi Shodhana: the alternate breathing! It is a breathing exercise that I find so powerful! You breathe in through one nostril while blocking the other, then you breathe out through the other nostril. We breathe in through this same nostril and breathe out through the other. And so on. It is very simple, very accessible, and the sensations in the body are great. It’s a little more difficult when you have a blocked nose, but sometimes it unblocks the sinuses!

How not to get lost in yoga or demoralized?

There are so many things to learn about etc., it can be daunting and stressful to go at your own little pace and guilt inducing because it is a real way of life.

Can we practice yoga as a simple activity?

Many people start yoga for the physical aspect. There is nothing wrong with that. In my case and as I explained above, I was transported into his philosophy, into his world.

Yoga is 8 pillars, normally we start them in order. But in our metro-busy-sleep society, it is indeed difficult to implement. I would say impossible. But today yoga is also yoga with cats, dogs or goats, “buti yoga”, yoga for the elderly, yoga for the sick, yoga for the elderly, yoga for the elderly, yoga for the sick, yoga for the elderly, yoga for the sick, yoga for the sick, yoga for the sick, yoga for the sick, yoga for the sick, yoga for the sick, yoga for the sick, yoga for the sick.
“yoga bear”! I even see “yoga skin” makeup… Besides, Vinyasa is not necessarily a real yoga for purists.

All this to say that of course, one can practice yoga as a simple activity. There is a risk of missing a lot of things, but it is a point of view and everyone does what he wants.

I waited a year and a half before trying meditation. I wasn’t saying it wasn’t for me, I just wasn’t ready! When things have to happen, they happen.

Also, social networks tend to show us pictures of beautiful women on the beach in a yoga pose, but we know that this is not the reality.

And what I find fantastic about yoga is that positive energy! If social networks are the ones putting pressure on you, think again! I got a lot of kind advice when I unveiled my blog and got on instagram. And again today, no one is going to come and tell us “this sucks what you’re doing”, no, we’re going to come and tell you “it’s great your progress, try this tip next time”.

Check out our article on everything you need to know before starting out when you don’t know anything about it! Here

I visit the store
0