keys to a healthy & safe yoga practice

warm-up!
As with any form of exercise, gentle stretches prepare the body for more intense poses where the posture is held longer and more deeply.

be patient!
Some poses will be easier to enter into than others. Some poses take longer to learn. Allow your body to gradually move into deeper stretches and more challenging poses rather than rushing into your maximum stretch or into more advanced poses.

listen to the body’s wisdom!
Whether you excercise regularly or haven’t exercised in a long time, your body constantly gives you information that can help you participate safely in the poses. Sometimes your body will say, “stretch further”, sometimes it will say, “relax a little”, sometimes it will say, “stop”. Also, the teacher is there to guide you through the poses and offer modifications, but you ultimately choose whether and how much to participate.

be mindful!
Pay attention to how each pose feels so you can be “present” and able to listen to your body. Notice if you can still breathe deeply. Notice if you are comfortable. If you are thinking of other things while the body is doing a pose, it will be hard to pay attention to the body’s cues to go further, adjust, or stop.

don’t compare!
Yoga is not a competition between you and the other students, between you and the teacher or with yourself. Keep in mind that each student has varying levels of experience with yoga and may do modified or advanced versions of some poses, this includes varying how long a pose is held. Each person has a different body, different levels of flexiblity, strength and balance and different levels of concentration.

be open!
Please communicate any health concerns to the teacher so that she can suggest modified poses, when appropriate. Poses should be comfortable. If you are not comfortable or are confused about a pose, please ask for assistance.

do yoga!
Yoga is not about contorting the body into a pretzel. Yoga does not embrace the philosophy “No pain, no gain”. Hatha Yoga is a practice of balancing the systems of the body through stretching and deep breathing. Yoga is a practice of quieting the mind and relaxing the body. Yoga is about being present with the whole self and compassionate toward its limitations.

Have a question? Or a tip you would like to submit? Contact Jenn.