Practicing yoga may be something new, old, something that’s happening a lot or a little, maybe something still on the horizon, or a memory from your past.

Yoga for me is always new because I feel I am constantly learning and able to apply these learning's to my ever-changing self and situations (on and off the mat).

Practicing yoga helps me feel more present, focused, make sense of my experiences, and feel calmer as I move through my day. Where ever you are at this moment and whatever yoga means to you at this point in time, the question ‘how do I get the most out of doing yoga?’ is always a useful and an interesting one to explore.

Just to note, there is yoga and there is yoga... What I mean by that is that there are levels of yoga and subject to who we are, and what our past and present experiences have been, our yoga journeys are going to look and feel very different (this explained really well in a book called 'A CLASS' after a CLASS (special thanks to my Uncle Stephen for sharing this book with me :-)).  

So, while there are lots of ideas out there on how to get the most out of doing yoga, I thought I’d just share a few from my experience to date. Please remember this is NOT ADVICE but simply me sharing some ideas on what has helped me feel more and more settled and grow in my yoga journey. As always, if in doubt, seek professional medical advice regarding mental state, diet or exercise to understand what may be most suitable to meet your personal needs.

1. Find your breath and use it (pranayama)

   Don’t hold back! Really focus on feeling where your breath (your vital life force ‘prana’) is in your body. Then, you can use it to lead the way followed by the movement and space created. By consciously using your breath, referred to as ‘pranayama’, you can influence and calm your mind, reduce stress, and improve focus. This helps to nourish and create balance throughout your body, mind, and spirit during practice (and beyond). Remember it is your breath that also helps you to find and expand ‘sukha’ in every pose within your practice. ‘Sukha’, in Sanskrit meaning happiness, ease or bliss.

2. Prepare and refuel for an energy exchange

   While practicing yoga is typically seen as a restorative activity, all types of activity require energy. So, it can make a huge difference to prepare and refuel before and after practice. I have found it helpful to go into a yoga practice with a fairly empty stomach along with a ‘leave everything at the door’ mindset. However, if you experience any light headedness, feel weary or distracted by doing so (as I have from time to time), eating something light and easily digestible is a good idea. Something such as greek yoghurt with nuts; a slice of whole meal bread, or a piece of fruit with a teaspoon of peanut butter is a great combination (subject to any allergies of course). This can be really useful to balance out your sugar levels without overloading your tummy. After practice, it is important to replenish the body’s energy with food that is protein and nutrient rich as well as rehydrate as soon as practicable. Something such as avocado and eggs on whole meal toast; homemade rice and curry; greek yoghurt and muesli; or porridge/oats with chia seeds and peanut butter are a few of my personal favorites. You can also then pause and reassess the priority and approach for tasks you had put down earlier. In the evening, your body can often utilize the nutrients consumed during the day to prepare and restore energy but always remember to rehydrate even if you do not eat anything. This is also a special time you can actively give yourself permission to ‘let go and give thanks’, and ‘prepare your body, mind and spirit for rest’.

3. Build a regular practice that then extends beyond the mat

   Try to be consistent with short and regular yoga practices. This being far better than practicing a lot all at once and then not for extended periods of time thereafter. Every time you practice, there are benefits consumed in the moment as well as benefits being seeded for the future. These in the moment benefits always being built upon from prior practices. Therefore, a regular practice allows you to more easily tap into the memories from past practices, to then create and strengthen linkages in benefits that will start to enhance your experience from yoga on and off the mat. The more you practice, the more of the unknown becomes known enabling you to find new limits, expertise and levels of ease. Every day is different so every yoga pose practiced, even one you have carried out 1000 times can be explored and something new found in it. Beyond the mat also refers to how we transition our focus, mindset, patience, strength and flexibility to situations we face throughout our day when we are not officially practicing yoga (i.e. doing a yoga class). And, as such how we leverage our learnings from yoga experienced on that mat to improve our practice of living a yoga lifestyle. A yoga lifestyle, meaning where we are constantly improving our awareness and ability to be fully present, and live in harmony with self, others, nature and the universe.

4. Be curious about yoga lifestyle

   A few of my favorite ‘learning about yoga’ books include:

   • The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga's Ethical Practice, by Deborah Adele (see: Amazon-Yamas&Niyamas)

   • Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga (see: Amazon-Meditationsfromthemat)

   • Journey Into Power, by Baron Baptise (see: Amazon-Journeyintopower)

   • A 'Class' after a CLASS, by Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute and The Light on Yoga Research Trust (see: Amazon-aclassafteraclass)

   If you’re up for it, a great way to learn more about yoga is to take a yoga teacher training course. If not for becoming a teacher, these courses provide really good structure and community to help deepen your understanding of yoga and its benefits. And, of course I will always highly recommend Drishti Beats Yoga Teacher Training – find out more on my resources page.

   You can also expand your knowledge of yoga through various types of yoga experiences (i.e. classes, different styles, different teachers, workshops, retreats etc.), research, study or reading.  

   It is also great to simply reach out to others who are practicing yoga, and ask them how they integrate the principals and practice of yoga into everyday life. You might get some ideas to test out in your own life context or just simply find it interesting to learn how different people approach yoga in their day to day lives.

So, let’s together continue to be curious, keep an open mind, test, learn and iterate to maximize the benefits of our yoga practice. If you have other ideas on how to get the most benefit out of yoga PLEASE let me know via the contact form below. I would love to hear from you and learn from you.

#sharingiscaringandcaringisfun.