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"\n\n\n\nBeginner's Guide to Yoga: 7 Tips to Kickstart Your Yoga Journey\n\n\n\nThinking about trying yoga for the first time?\nFear not.\nYou are full of wonderful ideas, and starting yoga is a big one.\nThat is, beginning a yoga practice is a wonderful idea.\nTruly.\nNot to be confused with some of your less-than-perfect decisions.\nThe bangs you chopped into your hair in middle school, for example.\n(Don't worry. We've all been there.)\nBut now, it's 2019.\nYou are ready to live your best life, leaving drama and stress in the dust.\nSayonara, self-doubt and sleepless nights!\nYoga is a great place to start.\nMillions of people around the world have turned to yoga for happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives.\nBut if you're not sure exactly how to introduce yoga into your day to day life, here are some easy tips to get started.\n1. Start with Acceptance\n\nYoga is more than just a form of exercise.\nIt's a way of existing in the world.\nA way of being, so to speak.\nThe word yoga itself means \"union\" in Sanskrit.\nUnion among all aspects of your life.\nWhen you live in a state of union, or yoga, there is no separation between your thoughts and your present state.\nThat means, no whining and wistful thinking about the way things should or ought to be.\nWhile this mindset can take years to cultivate, you can get started before ever stepping foot on a yoga mat.\nTake a moment to appreciate your body, your life, and your circumstances.\nExactly as they are. Right now.\n2. Release Expectations\n\nThe moment you begin to practice gratitude, you will feel expectations start to slip away.\nExpectations such as \"I should be able to touch my toes already...\"\n\"This looks so easy on Instagram - why can't I do it?!\"\n\"If I'm going to practice some yoga postures, it is essential that I own a Lycra wardrobe rivaling that of Jane Fonda.\"\n(Cue eye roll.)\nTry to focus on the core of what you're doing, not the extraneous fluff. Though you may be here to try to find the best way to start yoga physically, I’m here to tell you that it’s most important to start with it mentally. \nGet yourself into the right mindset and then the practice will evolve naturally, beautifully, and safely.\n3. Understand the Core of Yoga\n\nYoga is not about extreme flexibility or contorting your muscles and spine into fancy shapes.\nIt's about breathing, finding inner strength through meditation, and creating freedom in the body with basic yoga poses.\nIt's truly that simple.\nSo don’t worry about losing weight or bending over backwards (those will come soon enough). Instead, understand that yoga is a process and a lifestyle. The physical practice is only one of the eight limbs of yoga.\n4. Notice Your Breathing\n\nWhile a teacher at one yoga class may instruct students in a completely different style of breathing to the yoga studio next door, it's really all the same.\nWhile the breathing exercise itself may seem important, the most important thing to learn is awareness of breath.\nWhether you are taking a forceful exhale out the mouth in a Kundalini yoga class or filling your chest with fresh oxygen in a relaxing yoga pose, the connection between awareness and breath is one of the most beneficial aspects of yoga for beginners.\nSimply starting to notice your inhale and exhale can yield better sleep, reduced stress, and more present moment awareness.\nSo even if you can’t do some of the more complex poses, making the effort to notice the breath and to carefully guide it will have equally profound effects on your practice. Way more profound than being able to throw your foot behind your head.\n5. Get Comfortable in Stillness\n\nMost of us find it very challenging to sit still.\nWe would rather run around, keep busy, and check items off our to-do list than just be.\nEven when we are chilling out, our hands drum on our knees, our thoughts wander to the past or future, or our eyes hungrily scan an iPhone or T.V. screen.\n(Sometimes all at once.)\nSo before you try to bang out the most advanced yoga poses you can find on the pages of Yoga Journal or Instagram, try the most basic tenets of yoga of all, being present.\nThe next time you're waiting in line, riding public transportation, or (heck!) perching on the toilet, notice the temptation to whip your phone out for distraction.\nTry to observe the urge rather than immediately give into it.\n6. Learn Basic Yoga Poses\n\nOnce you feel ready for the physical side of your yoga practice, you can start to mindfully experiment with yoga poses for beginners.\nThere is no need to try to jump into the more complex poses (um, hello inversions) or to try to be as bendy as the person next to you.\nIn fact, you can begin your practice right at home with free yoga videos. (I’ve created tons of free yoga videos for beginners on my YouTube channel, but there are thousands more out there if you want some variety.)\nWherever you begin, whether in a local yoga studio or with an online yoga video, there are a few basics to start with.\nStart with postures, or yoga asanas, such as downward-facing dog, child's pose, and savasana.\nIn each pose, focus on pressing your hands or feet into the floor, lengthening your spine, and relaxing your hips. If you keep this in mind as you practice, you will be working with each pose exactly as even the most devoted practitioners do.\n7. Find Beginner Classes\n\nThe best way to learn yoga postures safely and effectively is to learn from an experienced yoga instructor.\nYou can find a registered yoga instructor near you on Yoga Alliance's online directory, or browse local yoga studios yourself to find a teacher who inspires you.\nRemember that almost every yoga studio offers at least one yoga class to students of all levels, so all you have to do is ask which yoga workout is right for you!\nIf you’re a little nervous to start, then go early and introduce yourself to the instructor. Let him or her know that you’re new and I promise you that they will make modifications and adjustments for you throughout the class so that you don’t have to struggle. \nAfter all, we all want you to begin, too!\n\nAfter you've worked through these tips for new yogis, feel free to try sun salutations, more online yoga videos, or even a yoga DVD. \nAnd even as you begin to master the chaturanga, you will still need to continue practicing all of the points listed above.\nYou will be well on your way to a calmer, bendier, more self-confident YOU! \n\nAuthor Bio\nBrett is the founder of Uplifted Yoga, an online yoga and meditation community empowering students to personalize their practice and ignite their best life - on and off the mat. She’s instructed at top studios, companies like Google and Pinterest, and leads the world’s most interactive Online Yoga Teacher Training program. She teaches to a social media following of over 300K people. Her content on Youtube is streamed for 3 million minutes each month. Learn more at BrettLarkin.com\n"
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