How to Get More Out of Your Yoga Routine

If you are a yoga fan, and you find yourself at peace during the session and are looking for ways to get more out of your yoga routine, then there is a lot more to learn. Yoga is a great practice that relaxes your mind and body from all the world’s troubles. Yoga can be practised in many ways, at any place and any time, but you can make a few adjustments in your routine to get most out of that time.

Notice the changes.

Yoga is a wonderful practice to add to one’s routine. Once you start enjoying your yoga sessions, it is essential that you begin to notice the changes that it brings upon your mind and body. Every posture and position will ease your mind and replenish your body. However, if you are following the instructor in a yoga class, you might not notice how your body feels during every posture. So to get the most out of your yoga routine, you should remind yourself to notice your mental state and your body sensations.

Practice in your own time

Not everyone can master the postures of yoga. It is a time-consuming process which requires a lot of practice. It is advised to practise yoga in your own time, where you can put your mind at rest and relax your body as well as mastering every posture of the exercise. Practising alone will give you more confidence and will allow you to go beyond what is taught in class.

Use props.

Many people have a misconception that using yoga props is for amateurs or for those who don’t have an idea of their poses. Although that's not the case, it is proven that using props in yoga will enhance your postures and might make the entire session even more interesting. If your instructor offers you to use props, don’t hesitate or lose confidence, give it a try to explore new boundaries of your yoga session and get most out of that period.

Get feedback from your yoga teacher.

Yoga is all about improving oneself mentally and physically. However, what is missed out the most in yoga lessons nowadays is communication with your colleagues or most importantly, your instructor. It is always better to know your instructor and make good communication with them before or after class. By doing so, your instructor will know you more and might give you more attention out of the lot. It is always beneficial to tell your limitations and weaknesses to your yoga teacher as that way you will improve and get most out of your yoga routine.

Learning about your yoga teacher’s dedication towards the exercise will inspire you and motivate you to practice at home and get more regular to yoga sessions. Thus, there are a lot of benefits of getting feedback from your yoga teacher.

This one works both ways, though, because if you’ve got a medical condition that makes certain poses difficult, then your instructor will need to know. Modifying the problematic ones to suit your needs is part of their training, so don’t be shy about keeping them updated.

Lose the distractions.

iPhones, full bladders, fashion accessories that get in the way… none of it’s relevant when it comes to your session. So ditch them all. Yoga is about leaving behind everything that is trivial, becoming at peace with your mind, soul, and body, so make sure to be fully present at every class you attend, and don’t let life’s distractions get in your way.

Bring your own stuff.

Whether it’s your favourite yoga matt, that top that fits just right, or the trackies you just can’t train without, using your own kit gets you in the zone. You’ll get into the right mindset a lot quicker when practising yoga in your favourite gear as part of the ritual.

Read the yoga texts.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, The Bhagavad Gita, Hatha Yoga Pradipika and any other texts you can find will help you to get the most out of your class. More than anything, reading such texts will remind you of why people do yoga in the first place. These texts are notoriously dense, and the language can seem archaic, but summaries and excerpts are useful in making them more manageable.

Move slowly in and out of your classes.

Amid all the stresses and pressures of modern life, no one could blame you for rushing into the studio a minute before your class starts and getting started straight away. To get more out of it, though, it’s a good idea to warm up or do some poses of your own before your yoga class. Afterward, taking time to reflect is the best way of holding on to that post-yoga glow for as long as possible.