complete guide answering all your questions about yoga
Yoga has evolved into a widely practiced method of physical and mental exercise worldwide. It helps us burn fat, improve posture, shape our bodies, and enhance our temperament. Yoga also aids in stress relief and energy activation. With over 5,000 years of refinement, generations have benefited from it.
However, if you have never practiced yoga before, you might have many questions. Today, we have compiled common questions about yoga to help you understand better.
1.Yoga Styles
Before learning yoga, it's essential to have a basic understanding of its various styles. For example, Iyengar Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, and Vinyasa Yoga are three representative styles. Besides these, there are many other types: Power Yoga, Hot Yoga, Anusara Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and more.
2.Do I need to be very flexible?
When someone says you're not flexible enough to practice yoga, it's like saying you're too dirty to take a bath! Practicing yoga will enhance both your physical and mental flexibility. This requires patience, but with regular targeted training, even the tightest muscles will begin to relax. The key is patience! Rome wasn't built in a day, and your hands won't touch the ground in one day either. Start slowly, learn to let your breath flow through tense areas, and you will become more flexible.
3.Do I need to be a vegetarian to practice yoga?
No, you don't.
However, if you gorge on a steak before starting yoga, you will feel heavy and find it difficult to practice. Avoiding processed foods and eating a vegetarian diet can indeed benefit your body. But if you're a meat lover, your diet shouldn't conflict with your yoga practice. Nowadays, we have more conscious choices about what we eat—most grocery stores offer healthy, fresh organic vegetables, fruits, and meats. My menu includes fresh vegetables, quinoa, fruits, and fish, with occasional meat. I love my diet. Whether you eat meat or not, I recommend nourishing your body with purer, more natural foods.
4.How long do I need to practice to see results?
This question has multiple answers, depending on your specific goals. My advice is: practice daily based on your body's condition, ensuring safety. For beginners eager to start quickly, I recommend attending classes 3-4 times a week, with each session lasting 20-90 minutes. As you stick to a new schedule, you will become more disciplined. Focus on a small set of poses to track your progress. You will continually improve—the goal is not to perfect a pose before moving on. You will feel a great sense of achievement from the first time you touch your toes or do a headstand!
It's important to view your results from a macro perspective to avoid disappointment. Everyone has off days when they can't concentrate or feel weak. With continuous practice, you will surely progress, so don't worry about daily fluctuations. Set goals and practice like any other exercise! Choose a few poses for regular focused practice to better understand your body's progress. As Pattabhi Jois said, 'Yoga is 99% practice, 1% theory. Keep practicing, and all benefits will come.'
5.Can I lose weight?
Absolutely!
Regular yoga practice combined with a healthy diet will definitely transform your body. Whether you aim to lose 5, 10, or 15 pounds, or even more, yoga is an excellent way to burn fat, strengthen muscles, and sculpt a slim, sexy figure.
The best yoga for fat loss is Vinyasa Yoga, as it burns a lot of calories and fat through focused, challenging poses, combined with stretching and strength training. This naturally creates a lean, slim body, which is why it's popular among yoga practitioners.
There are also cases where you complete all the poses you want, but your condition doesn't improve. This might be because you're not eating healthily.
6.Can I practice during my period?
During the first few days of menstruation, the body reacts more, and moderate activity can relieve menstrual pain. Many gentle yoga poses are beneficial for health.
It's recommended not to do inversions during the first few days of your period. Whether to do a full yoga practice depends entirely on how you feel. If needed, let your body practice in a natural, gentle way. After resting for a day or two, you can return to your full practice.
7.Can yoga really relieve stress? How should I breathe?
If the stress relief from yoga could be bottled and sold, it would sell faster than discounted brand-name goods during a sale! Yoga is magical and truly offers stress-relief benefits.
One important reason yoga relieves stress is breathing. Pranayama, or breath control, should be used in all pose practices. Ujjayi breathing, commonly used in poses, involves exhaling and inhaling through the nose with the mouth gently closed, creating a soft friction sound in the throat. When your mind wanders or a pose is challenging, focusing on the combination of breath and body sensations will help you get through it. This is the secret to yoga's stress relief.
Yoga can calm the fluctuations of our minds, allowing us to focus. No matter where you practice, yoga can create a peaceful space.
8.What should I eat before practice?
Yoga involves movements from various angles—deep twists, jumps, sequences, and inversions. It's best not to eat anything and drink only a small amount of water 2 hours before practice, so you can practice yoga on a relatively empty stomach.
If you practice early in the morning and feel uncomfortable on an empty stomach, eat something light, like a protein bar or toast with almond butter. Remember to drink plenty of water after practice and wait about an hour before sitting down to eat.
9.What should I wear?
Most dynamic yoga practices require fitted clothing because the movements vary a lot. Fitted clothing should move with you, not restrict you. Look for tight yoga pants made of professional elastic fibers. There are many options for tops, and many yoga tops have built-in bras for support.
If you feel uncomfortable with too much exposure, a fitted T-shirt is also a good choice. Avoid loose clothing, as it can cover your face during poses where your head is down.
Codoon sportswear is designed for running, fitness, and other activities. The fabric enhances stretch and breathability during exercise. It quickly wicks away moisture after heavy sweating, avoiding discomfort from foreign objects sticking to the body.
Codoon smart body fat scale measures 18 body metrics, knowing you better than yourself. It allows you to fully understand your body condition. It can seamlessly connect with the Codoon app, recommending the most suitable smart training plan based on the measurements and creating a reasonable fat loss plan.
The highly cost-effective yoga mat is simply a universal configuration for home fitness. Any training can be done on it, with multiple uses, allowing you to practice as you wish.
*The content of this article is sourced from 'The Complete Book of Yoga,' published by People's Posts and Telecommunications Press.
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