Guidelines

Dear yogi!

To make your practice more mindful and
awareful please keep in mind the following guidelines.

Dear newbie!

Is it your 1st yoga class? Let us start together! Read the guidelines carefully and contact me for further information or in case of any doubts.

 

Guidelines

 
  • Come to the practice 10-15 minutes before the start
  • Your clothing must be comfortable and should not restrict your movements and breathing
  • Practice bare feet
  • Avoid consuming any food 2 – 3 hours before practice. A cup of light tea or milk -30 minutes before practice
  • Try not to drink during your practice, only if needed drink small amount of warm water or herbal tea
  • Inform your teacher about injuries or other conditions (like pregnancy, acute pain etc.)
  • Do your practice with full awareness.  If your mind wanders bring it back to the poses and breathing
  • Do not strain or push yourself beyond your capacity. Be patient and move into your poses with care and precision
  • Do not challenge and compare yourself with others
  • While practicing poses breath properly following the instructions of your teacher
 

Cautions

 
  • If you have any medical condition, you should check with your health care professional before starting a yoga practice
  • Inform your teacher about existing injuries or health challenges and be aware of the contraindications for each posture before doing it
  • Surgeries, pregnancy, menstruation, high blood pressure and injuries are all conditions where certain postures must be avoided and special care must be taken in all postures
  • Follow the modified instructions of your teacher

FAQs

What is Yoga?

The word yoga, from the Sanskrit word yuj means to join, to bind and is understood as a union of the individual consciousness or soul with the Universal Consciousness or Spirit. It also means union of oneself with one’s true nature.

The Indian sage Patanjali  authored Yoga Sutras more than 3,000 years ago. Yoga Sutras  is a collection of 195 statements that serves as a philosophical guidebook for most of the yoga that is practiced today. It also outlines eight limbs of yoga: the yamas (Deeper values), niyamas (personal observances), asana (postures), pranayama (extension of life force through breathing exercises), pratyahara (withdrawal of senses), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (absorption). As we explore these eight limbs, we become more sensitive and empathetic, and then we focus inwardly until we reach samadhi (liberation, enlightenment).

Today most people practicing yoga are engaged in the third limb, asana, which is a program of physical postures designed to purify the body and provide the physical strength, flexibility  and stamina required for long periods of meditation.

What Does Om Mean?

Om is a mantra, or vibration, that is traditionally chanted at the beginning and end of yoga sessions. It is the sound of the universe. What does that mean?

Om contains all sounds as its made up of the sounds A U M. A is the first sound when we open our mouth, M is the last sound when we close our mouth. This  indicates that AUM or OM contains all sounds. Which in turn means all objects as every object has a name and name means a sound. Thus Om is the best name of the Totality.

Somehow the ancient yogis knew what scientists today are telling us—that the entire universe is moving. Nothing is ever solid or still. Everything that exists pulsates, creating a rhythmic vibration that the ancient yogis acknowledged with the sound of Om. We may not always be aware of this sound in our daily lives, but we can hear it in the rustling of the autumn leaves, the waves on the shore, the inside of a seashell.

Chanting Om allows us to recognize our experience as a reflection of how the whole universe moves—the setting sun, the rising moon, the ebb and flow of the tides, the beating of our hearts. As we chant Om, it takes us for a ride on this universal movement, through our breath, our awareness, and our physical energy, and we begin to sense a bigger connection that is both uplifting and soothing.

How Is Yoga Different From Stretching or Other Kinds of Fitness?

Unlike stretching or fitness, yoga is more than just physical postures. Patanjali’s eight-fold path illustrates how the physical practice is just one aspect of yoga. Even within the physical practice, yoga is unique because we connect the movement of the body and the fluctuations of the mind to the rhythm of our breath. Connecting the mind, body, and breath helps us to direct our attention inward. Through this process of inward attention, we learn to recognize our habitual thought patterns without labeling them, judging them, or trying to change them. We become more aware of our experiences from moment to moment. The awareness that we cultivate is what makes yoga a practice, rather than a task or a goal to be completed. Your body will most likely become much more flexible by doing yoga, and so will your mind.

 
How Many Times Per Week Should I Practice?

Yoga is amazing—even if you only practice for one hour a week, you will experience the benefits of the practice. If you can do more than that, you will certainly experience more benefits. I suggest starting with two or three times a week, for an hour or an hour and a half each time. If you can only do 20 minutes per session, that’s fine too. Don’t let time constraints or unrealistic goals be an obstacle—do what you can and don’t worry about it. You will likely find that after a while your desire to practice expands naturally and you will find yourself doing more and more.

Do I Have to Be Vegetarian to Practice Yoga?

The first principle of yoga philosophy is ahimsa, which means non harming to self and others. Some people interpret this to include not eating animal products. There is debate about this in the yoga community—I believe that it is a personal decision that everyone has to make for themselves. If you are considering becoming a vegetarian, be sure to take into account your personal health issues as well how your choices will affect those with whom you live. Being a vegetarian should not be something that you impose on others—that kind of aggressive action in itself is not an expression of ahimsa.

Is Yoga a Religion?

Yoga is not a religion. It is a philosophy that began in India an estimated 5,000 years ago. The father of classical ashtanga yoga (the eight-limbed path, not to be confused with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois’ Ashtanga yoga) is said to be Patanjali, who wrote the Yoga Sutra. These scriptures provide a framework for spiritual growth and mastery over the physical and mental body. Yoga sometimes interweaves other philosophies such as Hinduism or Buddhism, but it is not necessary to study those paths in order to practice or study yoga.

It is also not necessary to surrender your own religious beliefs to practice yoga.

 
I’m Not Flexible - Can I Do Yoga?

Yoga is not a religion. It is a philosophy that began in India an estimated 5,000 years ago. The father of classical ashtanga yoga (the eight-limbed path, not to be confused with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois’ Ashtanga yoga) is said to be Patanjali, who wrote the Yoga Sutra. These scriptures provide a framework for spiritual growth and mastery over the physical and mental body. Yoga sometimes interweaves other philosophies such as Hinduism or Buddhism, but it is not necessary to study those paths in order to practice or study yoga.

It is also not necessary to surrender your own religious beliefs to practice yoga.

What Do I Need to Begin?

Yoga is not a religion. It is a philosophy that began in India an estimated 5,000 years ago. The father of classical ashtanga yoga (the eight-limbed path, not to be confused with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois’ Ashtanga yoga) is said to be Patanjali, who wrote the Yoga Sutra. These scriptures provide a framework for spiritual growth and mastery over the physical and mental body. Yoga sometimes interweaves other philosophies such as Hinduism or Buddhism, but it is not necessary to study those paths in order to practice or study yoga.

It is also not necessary to surrender your own religious beliefs to practice yoga.

Why Are You Supposed to Refrain From Eating 2–3 Hours Before Class?

Yoga is not a religion. It is a philosophy that began in India an estimated 5,000 years ago. The father of classical ashtanga yoga (the eight-limbed path, not to be confused with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois’ Ashtanga yoga) is said to be Patanjali, who wrote the Yoga Sutra. These scriptures provide a framework for spiritual growth and mastery over the physical and mental body. Yoga sometimes interweaves other philosophies such as Hinduism or Buddhism, but it is not necessary to study those paths in order to practice or study yoga.

It is also not necessary to surrender your own religious beliefs to practice yoga.