When your friend tells you that he or she is going to a yoga class, do you really know what they do?
“Yoga” doesn’t necessarily tell you what type of activity they are doing. Believe it or not, there are tons of variations of yoga.
So, if you have never done yoga before, you should start with what is called “yoga for beginners.”
Beginners’ yoga might seem too easy at first, but it is important to ease into yoga. This way, you will do the poses right and find out what type of yoga works best for you:
Not everyone achieves the best results and state of mindfulness through the same yoga style.
Before you go to your first class, check out this yoga guide for beginners and see which types of yoga interests you the most.
1. Hatha Yoga
Goals: Better balance and breathing in poses.
Hatha yoga is a great place to start. This is considered a traditional form of yoga that focuses on breathing and select poses. As the website, doyogawithme.com, mentions, this type of yoga is usually gentle, slow, and relaxed. While it can still be active and engage your body, Hatha yoga, like in this Doyogawithme video, often helps you achieve better balance because the idea is to hold the poses for longer periods of time.
2. Restorative Yoga
Goals: Relaxation, stretching, and healing.
Restorative yoga is a great example of yoga for beginners. While a lot of people use it to recover from injuries, it can also help ease you into yoga as a whole, loosen muscles after exercise or tension, and relax the body and mind from stress.
Another special feature of this practice that can help beginners is its use of props. Blankets, blocks, and pillows are used to support weaker areas of the body in certain poses. They also add a sense of comfort to the experience. For example, if you are lying on your back, the instructor might suggest you put a blanket under your low back to support it while you stretch out your abdomen. Restorative yoga is a popular practice at the end of the day because it helps quiet your mind before bedtime.
3. Yin Yoga
Goals: Increase circulation, and improve flexibility and patience.
Yin yoga is another type of yoga for beginners because it emphasizes holding poses for long periods of time. The positions are often seated, but the idea is to hold them for 5 minutes or longer. As a result, you can stretch for longer periods of time than you normally would, which improves your circulation, flexibility, and patience. It moves very slowly, which helps beginners learn the poses well. It also sets up an environment of peace and mindfulness, which is great for parents.
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