Beginning with yoga? Avoid these common mistakes
Being an ancient practice, yoga has been followed around India for centuries. And today, owing to its incredible health benefits and popularity, more and more people from across the globe are turning toward it for fitness. If you are a beginner yourself, steer clear of these five common mistakes that may demotivate you or worse, may cause an injury. Check them out.
Don't compare yourself with fellow yoga practitioners
During a yoga session, it's easy to see what and how much others can do. And believe us, it is a sure-shot way of getting injured as you may try to overstretch your body to match their level. Understand that everyone has a different body type and the person next to you could be a professional at this ancient workout. Always focus on yourself.
Inconsistency
As a beginner, you may find yoga a tad bit difficult as there are many asanas to learn and practice. However, the key is to not stop. Turn up for your sessions regularly so that you can amp up your skills. Even if you have errands to run or are bombarded with work, find time to do some stretches if not all.
Skipping the warm-up
Yoga, just like any other workout method, demands a light warm-up session before starting. If you skip it, you may either give up quickly or risk injuring yourself. Hence, always ensure to increase body heat, improve blood circulation, give a gentle nudge to your heartbeat, and prepare your muscles for some movement with some good warm-up exercises.
Forgetting your breath
Breathwork is an important element of yoga and requires constant awareness. If it is getting obstructed during a certain pose, chances are that you are pushing yourself beyond your limits. Keep your yoga sessions simple and natural by focusing on your breathing while you attempt the asanas, or else it may cause you excess fatigue or even drowsiness.
Skipping the cool down
Just like warming up your body before yoga is important, so it is to cool it down when you are done. The reason? Calming your body after yoga helps it restore balance and energy. It also calms your heartbeat, steadily reduces body heat, and improves breathing. With that, your chances of muscle soreness or tiredness further reduce.
