Common Mistakes by Yoga Beginners

Yoga Beginners: Mistakes

Anything we start new, we all have certain feelings of nervousness and uncertainty of the unknown and in most cases, it is completely groundless and we get on with things very quickly and easily.  Sometimes it can hurt the whole idea to the extent to be completely scrapped. Yoga has so many health benefits, on both a physical and spiritual level, that it would be a tragedy for anyone to miss out on them because they made a silly avoidable mistake on their first day.  With that in mind, this article addresses the most common mistakes of new Yogi, and how to make sure they don’t happen to you.

1.  Missing The Purpose Of Yoga

There are numerous styles and forms of Yoga and each one has its own different attractions.  Ask yourself what it is in general that attracted you in yoga and then you can investigate a style that caters more specifically to that.  You may like to set goals, be they physical, mental or spiritual.  If you do then it’s a good idea to discuss them with the instructor of your class before you begin.  Yoga instructors are usually very approachable and happy to talk about their passion.  They will be able to talk to you about your goals for the class and let you know if you are being realistic, aiming too high or too low.  Make sure your goal includes a time frame so it becomes something that is measurable.

2.  Hasty Enrollments

Once decided to give this Yoga thing a try, many people take a running leap and jump into a 12-month stage-by-stage program.  These programs, usually charge an upfront payment, progress from one level to the next as the weeks go.  They are definitely a fantastic way of learning Yoga, but it’s quite possible, you will choose a class that is not ideal for you and drop-out in between, and end up losing money.

The best way around is to join a Yoga beginner’s class.  These classes are designed to give you a very broad feel for the different types of Yoga.  The level of the students in the class usually varies greatly, so you can expect the instructor to keep the classes quite tame.  The other key benefit of doing this is that the classes are ‘pay as you go’ so there is no big financial outlay for you while you decide the type and style of yoga that best suits you. With the ‘pay as you go’ classes, you will find that while each class is different the level stays quite low to cater to the newer people joining in.

3.  Choosing the wrong teacher. 

There is a big difference in what you will achieve depending on the skills and abilities of the person teaching you. Traditionally a Yogi had to be an apprentice to a skilled Guru for many years before he could teach even the simplest of Yoga technique.  Nowadays a 3-day course over a long weekend is considered enough by some people.  Yoga is starting to make a regular appearance on the sports injury list and a large reason for this is instructors who have been taught just enough to be dangerous.  A qualified teacher won’t necessarily be fantastic and an unqualified teacher won’t necessarily be terrible – but the odds are certainly cast in that direction, so it’s a good idea to check your instructor’s background and qualifications before you begin studying with them.

4. Using Force     

This strategy can be utilized in different parts of your life too. We spend such a large amount of our lives making a decent attempt to get things done and utilizing a ton of exertion. At the point when we delay down, utilize our breath, and quit making a decent attempt, everything turns out to be significantly more easy and agreeable and we start to locate our normal stream.

The popular saying ‘no pain, no gain’ is truly not true in the case of yoga! In yoga, I suggest moving into each posture gradually, easily and carefully, with no power and no extraordinary exertion. Use the breath to direct you, and when your body is prepared to move further into a posture, utilize the breath out as you slowly mellow the muscles and deepen. This technique can be used in other aspects of your life as well. We spend so much of our lives trying hard to do things and using a lot of effort. When we slow down, use our breath, and stop trying so hard, everything becomes much more effortless and enjoyable and we begin to find our natural flow.

5. Comparing Others     

Comparing one with others is never a good thing in any aspect of life.  It’s true in yoga as well. When we compare, we can find ourselves thinking we are not good enough, not flexible enough, not thin enough, not smart enough etc. Many people look around in class and watch others or look at themselves in the mirror and judge themselves in some way. This judgment can be extremely detrimental. In this case, close your eyes and bring your mind to focus inside and breathe and feel how you feel. This can often be the most transformational time during a yoga class. It can sometimes help to motivate us to grow and improve when we have someone to look up to and inspire us. That said, it’s important to notice the difference between feeling inspired and motivated when comparing ourselves to a more advanced practitioner or teacher, instead of feeling defeated and useless.

6. Not Staying for Savasana      

Most of the skilled yogis often say that Savasana is the most important pose in yoga. Even though many of us love moving through the physical postures and flow, I wholeheartedly agree with this statement and encourage you to contemplate this as well. The physical practice can certainly help us to relax our bodies and calm our minds. However, it is often during Savasana where we find ourselves moving into this deeper state of total relaxation, union, peace and perhaps a glimpse of the unlimited potential of enlightenment.