In the last decade, yoga has become very popular in the West due to its health benefits, as this ancient physical and mental practice guarantees balance between body and mind.
Yoga is not only a physical exercise, but it is part of a much deeper oriental philosophy, which allows you to find inner peace and which commits to carry out healthy habits. In this society where many people live under stress … yoga is in fashion!
How to practice yoga at home
Because it is a simple practice, this ancient method can be practiced at home at any time of the day. If you want to know how to practice yoga in the comfort of your own home, let us explain it to you in the following lines.
1. Create a comfortable space
Make a space for yourself at home. It is not necessary that you paint a room in the Zen style, but it should be a quiet and spacious space so that you can carry out the exercises with total freedom and comfort. Allocating a space in your home for yoga can help you be regular in your practice. Yoga helps to connect the mind with the body, and is undoubtedly relaxing for the mind as well as activating the body.
2. Use the right accessories
To practice yoga it is good that you have a mat, preferably one that does not slip. There are many types of mats on the market, but the high price does not necessarily indicate a higher quality.
If you are one of those people who cares about nature, you can also find organic mats that help to conserve the environment. Yoga blocks or bricks are ideal especially when you have a rigid body. Research the different accessories that exist and choose the ones that allow you to improve that this ancestral practice is as productive as possible.
3. Choose a type of yoga and a routine
Before you start doing yoga exercises, you need to know what you are going to do and what routine you are going to follow. If you have enough experience and knowledge, you can be the one who, with creativity, prepare the routine that you are going to follow. Now, there are virtual classes or yoga books that will help you perform the routines correctly.
4. Use the internet
New technologies have allowed us to obtain a large repertoire of yoga classes with a single click. You simply need the computer and the mobile phone to be able to follow the yoga classes in your own home, whether in your living room or in your garden. There are paid online classes but also free classes that you can find on YouTube.
5. Find the right moment
Starting the day with yoga is ideal, as it keeps energy levels high throughout the day and clears your mind before starting daily tasks. However, many people enjoy doing yoga more in the afternoon. Find the time that best suits your tastes and your schedule, as any time of the day is good to calm the mind and release accumulated stress.
6. Heat
Warming up is necessary before subjecting the body to intense postures. Without a warm-up, a person is more prone to injury. In addition, it is ideal to start with less complex postures to wake up the body before moving on to more intense postures.
7. Be consistent
As with any activity in life, consistency is necessary to see results. Make yoga part of your daily schedule and, over time, make yoga a habit rather than an effort. As Sara Lucia Villalpando, a yoga expert, explains, “Twenty minutes of yoga a day brings more positive results than two hours of occasional practice.”
8. Enjoy the practice
It is easier to repeat enjoyable activities since they activate our brain’s reward system. If we also see results, our motivation to practice yoga will increase. Do not forget that yoga is beneficial for your body, so enjoy it. As I said before, make it a habit, as it will take less effort to find that time of day to improve your overall health and mental balance.
The benefits of yoga
Yoga has many benefits for the body and mind, and many studies confirm this. And it is that with yoga it is necessary to integrate movement with breathing, turning these two separate entities into one.
This practice is used as a preventive or rehabilitative practice because studies confirm that it improves metabolic and anabolic processes and favors the circulation of energy, oxygenating the body. The positive consequences of practicing yoga occur in many ways. For instance:
– Reduces stress by influencing the body’s cortisol levels,
– Improve flexibility thanks to asanas.
– Increase strength and muscle tone also thanks to asanas.
– It favors recovery because it is a form of active rest.
– Increases balance and coordination thanks to the acquisition of greater body awareness.
– Improves mood by promoting the release of neurotransmitters and hormones such as serotonin and endorphins.
– Improves concentration especially when looking to fixate.
