Yoga for Beginners: Pros and Cons of Daily Practice
Recently, on one foreign, very respected, yoga site, I read an article by an American Hatha teacher . For several years, a middle-aged woman practices the same yoga complex, carefully designed for herself, tailored to her individual needs. An experienced teacher noted 3 main advantages of daily yoga:
- There is strengthening of will and economy of “moral forces”, which would be spent on choosing “where to go and what to practice”, and also to force yourself to stand on the rug; it is easier to grow in the exercises you need. Do the same pose for half a year – certainly notice how much more proficient it is to realize this practice! New facets open, and the power / flexibility grows every day.
- It’s much easier to track your progress OUT OF THE RAP, that is, your “non-yoga” reactions and not always the “sattwic” moods, and also the impact of those or other products on practice.
- It would seem that the pluses are wonderful, you can put an end to it, and start doing the same competently compiled complex every morning … Turning yoga into an automatic habit, similar to brushing your teeth at night. But – not so simple.
The daily repetitive practice has its drawbacks:
1. Lose weight with the help of yoga
Yes, yoga can help you lose weight, however, unlike intense physical exercises aimed at burning tons of calories, yoga acts differently – harmonizing the whole body, balancing the activity of its systems, thereby bringing everything, including weight, back to normal. Remember this moment. Yoga is balance and harmony, both in the physical plane, and in the mental and spiritual (by spiritual I mean practices that take our consciousness to a new level of perception of reality). Excess weight is one of the signs of internal imbalance, and yoga can eliminate it . But do not think that this will happen very quickly; but the result will remain for a long time, with regular practice.
2. Yoga and health
Can yogis restore good health? Of course. However, there are things that, if not taken into account, not only our health will not be restored, but it can significantly spoil it. For example, if you are not consistent in your practice, trying to quickly master various poses, then you can earn an injury. Does this mean that yoga is traumatic? Of course not, but with the wrong approach, this can happen.
Irregularity in practice can lead to some distortions in the work of the body, which is due to the rarefied loads, their incorrect dosage, and also the difficulties for the organism in terms of adaptation to these very loads. Example : you practice a couple of times a week, and then – on the weekends. Naturally, your body will have difficulty adapting to this rhythm, because too high, on the one hand, the gap between the loads (5 days), on the other hand, the high density of occupations in relation to the specified interval (two consecutive days – Saturday and Sunday). It is recommended to practice yoga daily or at least three times a week. Then the body will have time to adapt, and health will improve.
With regard to dosage loads, it is important to gradually develop their practice, master new poses and techniques without haste. So the process will be safe and effective.
3. Yoga training
Here, difficulties can arise in two directions:
- The cost of training can be too high
- Finding a good school is not easy, especially if you do not have enough experience in yoga to distinguish authentic practice from mediocre. In addition to practice, the teacher (or teachers) is also important; his (their) ability to teach you and help you develop. I have heard many times that people stop doing yoga, because could not find a good teacher.
There is one more point that is related to this point, but I will still put it in a separate …
4. Independent yoga at home
Plus such classes – in their relative free-of-charge, i.e. you only need to spend one time on books or CDs with training video courses, as well as buy the necessary equipment (yoga mat, yoga strap, yoga props). The downside of this approach is that, firstly, not everyone can do it on their own, and secondly, it is difficult to find the source of reliable information on yoga, tk. books and videos today is just a shaft everywhere, and, of course, not all of this is worth trying for yourself.
5. Unexpected changes in life
This is an interesting point. Changes can be of different kinds, but usually they are positive. Here are the main changes that can happen to you:
- Some detachment from the usual fuss
- Change of interests
- The desire to go on a vegetarian diet
- Decreased sexual activity
Can such changes be attributed to minuses? Let’s see. Remoteness means that you will be much more relaxed in perceiving life’s problems, and less “soared” about them. This can cause resentment from friends or relatives, because they will feel that you have become a “nihilist.” Of course, this is not so, you can just stop taking problems to heart. It is up to you to decide whether this is a minus.
