Yoga has roots in India and has a 5,000 year-old history. It started out as a spiritual discipline but the yoga we commonly know and practice today is purely for health and fitness benefits. Though there is some form of spiritual meditation in some styles of modern-day yoga, the breathing techniques and body postures are designed for one hundred percent physical exercise.
The experts in yoga advice that when starting out it is best to begin slowly and to monitor if the body is adapting well to the positions and stretches that yoga demands to make sure that you do not hurt your body. With continuous practice, your body will go on assimilating the various postures and flows and you will be able to advance to higher forms of yoga training.
The basics of yoga will always include four essential steps.
The first step is learning how to breathe properly, especially when holding the positions. The next step is to learn to focus yourself or “to find your center” by launching into an easy pose and then doing meditation/relaxation. The third basic step is to launch into the simple postures and slowly advance to the classic yoga positions. As a last basic step, the yoga practice is always ended with a relaxation pose. No matter how far-advanced you progress into the yoga practice, these four basic steps will always need to be followed to avoid physical injury. There are also other vital guidelines to ensure yoga safety. As a beginner to the practice of yoga, it is highly recommended that you read up on these vital guidelines before starting out in order to guarantee a successful yoga experience.
