Download - Basics of yoga pratice
stay away from furniture and objects
that you might bump into and get hurt
in case you lose your balance. It is also
important that the environment is
well ventilated and the light is diffuse,
promoting the necessary state of
greater concentration and
introspection that characterizes a good
practice.
Ideally, you should fast or have finished
your last meal one hour before
practicing. Choose light and
comfortable clothes that do not restrict
your movements or blood circulation.
Remove any accessories such as
watches, necklaces, bracelets and big
earrings, for they can disrupt you.
the one of a regular practice
everyday at the same time, helping
you strengthen your discipline and
pace of practice, making way for
deep changes to take place both in
your body and your mind in a
harmonic manner. After preparing the
environment and sitting on your mat,
choose one of the seated postures
and close your eyes. Keep your back
straight and relax your face and
shoulders. First of all, breathe deeply
and calmly, quieting your mind. If you
fell like doing it, chant the Om mantra
three times in the beginning of your
practice in order to integrate your
body and your mind in the present
moment, making you more centered.
Breathe rhythmically and uniformly, using
your nostrils and not your mouth. Try to
be aware as you begin and finish your
postures, without exceeding your
resistance and letting your body and
breathing adapt to your capabilities.
There shouldn’t be any tension or pain,
but yet drive and persistence. Respect
your capabilities, but challenge yourself
with consciousness and carefulness.
A well balanced sequence of postures or
āsanas (for beginners) should take into
consideration the following sequence:
seated postures, standing postures and
then lying postures, remembering to
close the practice with inverted postures.
Among all the practice possibilities, explore the following: balance, laterality, muscular strengthening, joint stability, inversion passive stretching and relaxation. Your spine will be requested in different manners during the practice, such as laterality, traction, torsion, bending and hyperextension. Keep in mind that if you do a pose to one side, it must be done to the other side as well. Whenever you bend forward, it advisable to bend back. A highly recommended way to begin your practice is the use of kriyas, purifying techniques, followed by joint movements such as dynamic movements (pavana muktasanas) or dynamic breathing, and finally the yoga poses (āsanas).
It is suggested to proceed to a
salutation, such as the Sun Salutation,
and then standing, seated, lying and
inverted poses.
Draw your practice to a close with a
moment of relaxation, so that your body
and mind assimilate the practice effects
and you enjoy a deep, refreshing
moment. Take advantage of your body
quietness and stability to perform
breathing techniques (pranayamas) and
meditation, whenever there is enough
time for a more complete, effective
practice. If you are a beginner, the time
you stay in each pose should be shorter
around seven to twelve breaths for
developing balance, stability and
strength, and around two minutes for
seated or lying poses.
these durations can be gradually increased with more breathing and longer permanence, as you feel more prepared. The same is applied to the breathing techniques (pranayamas). For beginners, 10 to 20 breathing cycles (inspiration – exhalation) is an excellent achievement, which should be gradually elevated on a monthly rate or according to how prepared you feel. As for meditation, it is highly recommended that it becomes a daily practice split in two parts, in the morning and in the evening, or in more suitable times for you. You may start by practicing five minutes each time and then increase this time by a minute every month, always respecting your capability of remaining seated with your back comfortably straight.