Yoga for Beginners

Yoga for Beginners: Essential Guides and Tutorials

By Dennis Bluthardt, Namaste Studios

The reason for the growing popularity of yoga? It’s good for you. In a rapidly progressing society where more people aim to secure a “holistic” approach to health, yoga enhances flexibility, toning up, and building strength and balance.

But yoga is not just effective on a muscular-skeletal level. It’s also an excellent relaxant, providing those who use yoga to unwind from a long day at work with a level of stress and anxiety management that far surpasses the norm. And the best part is, it’s completely natural, unlike the (usually) most comparable alternative.

For absolute beginners looking to start their yoga journey the right way, though, here’s what you should know:

If you’re a “newbie,” these instructions are for you. Postural alignment and coordinating your alignment(s) with your breathing are key. Get this right, and you’ll maximize the potential output of your practice.

Excellent resources to help you out along the way might be comprehensive (but essential) yoga-for-beginners programs.

When your practice is done in a class, there’s an apparent structure (and you have somebody to guide you there). Learning to incorporate your breath, as you should, prepares you for maintaining a yoga practice going on to the future. There’s also something special about not wanting to disappoint people; strap them into a group with you.

Understanding Yoga

Yoga started in India thousands of years ago. Back then, it was more of a spiritual and philosophical practice. Many different philosophies were grouped under the more extensive umbrella term of “yoga,” some were about the body specifically, and some were not. Yoga is about working with the body, the mind, and the breath in preparation for meditation and the goal of Self-Realization.

As a physical method of attaining a quieter mind, yoga can cause several excellent side effects for the body. These side effects include improved balance, increased flexibility, strength, better breath control, greater mind-body awareness, enhanced athletic performance, and more. The benefits of yoga are hard to summarize in one book, let alone a paragraph. There are many reasons to practice yoga that are both superficial and profound. The reasons that initially draw you to the mat are often the ones that keep you coming back.

Not all yoga poses are appropriate for all individuals. You should speak with your teacher or studio before trying any style, especially Hatha, Iyengar, and Restorative.

Getting Started with Yoga

When starting yoga, look for classes labeled as beginner or gentle. This yoga class teaches the foundational poses and breathwork that will carry you through your practice. Those instructors should have designed those classes to be more supportive environments. Don’t rush to keep up; learning at your own pace will benefit you most. Don’t forget to think about class sizes, either. If you can find a knowledgeable instructor who leads smaller classes, you may get more attention, meaning you’ll gain better structure.

Having the right gear when you start yoga can enhance your instruction by helping you understand how to do the postures more effectively than someone struggling to protect their hips and knees from floor pressure. A high-quality yoga mat will support your path to better postures, help keep you from sliding around or falling, and make it less painful to have your body weight pressing onto your joints during postures. A good mat can promote high energy and joy by having fun colors and/or aligning your body and graphics taught during postures.

Basic Yoga Exercises for Beginners

If you’re new to yoga, poses like Downward Dog, Child’s Pose, and Warrior I are key to your practice. Each pose comes with quick, step-by-step instructions showing exactly how to move, pose, align, and change. We walk you through the proper techniques. For example, for Downward Dog, you already know to start on all fours, tuck your toes, and lift your hips, but are you letting your shoulders creep up by your ears when you do it? Are you bending your knees too much? We’ll walk you through all these tiny to-dos and don’ts so you can get the most out of your yoga experience (and not get injured).

I am my breath, and that’s yoga. Connect your mind, body, and soul through breathing. Breathe into an uncomfortable pose to go deeper or use your breath to tell your body to relax; you’d be surprised at how well this works! In times of stress throughout the day, try returning to mindful breathing while bringing length back to the breaths. This can help calm the nervous system!

Some basic pranayama techniques you should try are diaphragmatic breathing and the 4-7-8 technique. Start introducing them into your everyday life to help focus your breath. This can be just what you need to fight the workweek slump when you feel tired or stressed.

If you need a little help, be sure to supplement your yoga practice online with my favorite exercises and tutorials. They are supplemental to TheSheApproach.com content, but I have so many resources that can help guide you visually so you can learn more about specific movements and techniques. By integrating my yoga tutorial exercises into your practice (and occasionally practicing them with weights), you’ll see your practice take a whole new level of depth and tone as you build the confidence to do this every day at home.

Online Resources and Tutorials

In this digital world, you can find free yoga classes on many reputable websites and YouTube channels for all levels of yoga. Pages like Yoga with Adriene and Fightmaster Yoga arrange their video collections so that beginners learn the moves and increase the complexity of the routines. Beginner yogis must learn the foundational asanas (poses) and methods to learn yoga safely.

You can also find yoga apps for your phone that give free routines. Applications like Down Dog and Daily Yoga vary your routine based on different factors. For instance, you can often customize the length, select your experience level, or decide on a restorative or workout-based routine. This allows you to choose the perfect routine for the time and level of activity that is right for you.

The critical point to make about using the search terms’ yoga guides’ and ‘yoga tutorials’ is that these can lead you to resources that will make you a better yogi and create a yoga practice you can stick to. After all, yoga practitioners certainly can’t learn yoga from a single article. You need to know the fundamentals and build on them to become good. Many practitioners believe yoga is just practicing the asanas (poses), dips into the stretching, and some like the spiritual practice. But let’s be honest. What the ancients did for exercise and to develop their yoga (and what yogis continue to do) is an all-around practice to improve oneself.

Building a Consistent Yoga Practice

Creating a specific spot in your home where yoga happens can benefit beginners. This spot must be quiet and well-lit. Check. No other details matter. You can also make it super zen and decorate it with plants, incredible artwork, et cetera. This is recommended if said frilly decorations will create motivation. Get some yoga blocks (recommended). A yoga cushion (not necessary). An inspiring yoga mat (personalized). Whatever will help you. So, you may ask, “What do I do now? How do I start the yoga?” Okay, people. Get a journal, a whiteboard, a chalkboard, or something you can write a schedule on. You set a schedule for yourself. I recommend not enforcing a schedule that is too strict. Doing yoga once every 4 to 5 days is beneficial at a beginner stage. However, we must establish a more consistent routine for those who are more motivated and seeking quicker progress. Some of us may also thrive on routine. Here’s a sample beginner weekly schedule:

Morning yoga (30 minutes). You can attend a group class 1 to 3 times a week, where the class is timed for your ability. Monday = Hatha, Tuesday = Vinyasa, and Friday = Restorative. In your morning asana practice each day, enforce a specific style of yoga. At some point during your day, you want to develop your ability in the yamas of yoga.

Starting your yoga journey with the right yoga exercises, tutorials, or classes is key to learning all the basics. Every industry has too many styles and levels, from vacations to hotels, booking platforms, and e-commerce. To ensure you know all the foundational poses and breathing techniques correctly, go for a beginner yoga class or a tutorial for beginners.

A local yoga studio serves as a fantastic resource for beginners. Not only will you have access to the expertise of experienced yoga teachers, but you will also get to connect with a community of people on the same path as you. You may even make a new friend or find an accountability partner that will make regular yoga classes fun and exciting.

If you don’t particularly enjoy the company of people, want to learn at your own pace in the comfort of your own home, or can’t find someone to practice yoga with you, follow an online yoga guide or tutorial. Most online platforms will feature videos or a guide tailored to complete beginners’ needs.

Today, most online tutorials and yoga guides for beginners explain yoga exercises from start to finish.