7 Tips for Beginner Yogis

Be it for a fantastic physical appearance or for emotional well-being or even to get rid of a disease, yoga is attracting followers from across the globe! It is a wonder how this ancient science is finding takers - young and old - in this modern age. Maybe it is the result of hundreds of research studies claiming the numerous benefits of yoga or the evident feel-good feeling that comes with just an hour’s practice!

If you are one of those who’ve been recently smitten by this ancient practice, there are some tips that can help you before you start your yogic journey. These tips are as follows:

1.Take a yoga class: Some of instinctively start looking out on the internet when learning something new. But that propensity can backfire when it comes to yoga! You can injure yourself while beginning to do yoga on your own. So, it is best advised to take yoga instruction from a trained professional when just starting out.

2.Wear comfortable clothing: Yoga is a lot about stretches. So, it is best to avoid tight clothing like jeans. Rather, wear clothes in which your body can move in easily.

3.Do it on an empty stomach: It is best advisable to do yoga early in the morning on an empty stomach. If your schedule does not permit you to do it in the early hours, then do it in the evening before dinner and after 3 hours of the last meal.

4.Tell your yoga guide about your health condition: Certain postures are not advisable for people with certain health conditions and a history of any surgery. So, make sure you tell your yoga instructor about your health conditions, pain of any part of the body and about the surgeries you have undergone before you begin your yoga class. The instructor will be able to guide you and ensure you do not do postures which put you at risk.

5. Do not exert yourself : One of the most important rules of doing yoga is not to over-exert yourself. So, for instance if you are not able to touch your feet with your hands during a bend, then do not force yourself to do it. You should just exert yourself a little more from the last yoga practice session.

6.Start with some light exercises: When you start with some light exercises, your body becomes ready for the yoga poses ahead. Some light exercises that you can start with are neck rotation, arm rotation, wrist rotation, forward and backward bends.

7. Smile: No matter how hard a yoga posture is, smile through it. A smile relaxes the mind and enables you to enjoy the process of learning and doing. A smile also motivated your yoga guide to give their cent percent. So, resolve to smile through your yoga instruction.

Stop emotions with yoga

Emotions are the most present, pressing and sometimes painful force in our lives. We are driven day by day by our emotions. We take chances because we're excited for new prospects. We cry because we've been hurt and we make sacrifices because we love. Without a doubt, our emotions dictate our thoughts, intentions and actions with superior authority to our rational minds. But when we act on our emotions too quickly, or we act on the wrong kinds of emotions, we often make decisions that we later lament.

Our feelings can alter between dangerous extremes. Veer too far to the left and you're bordering on rage. Steer too much to the right and you're in a state of euphoria. As with many other aspects of life, emotions are best met with a sense of moderation and logical perspective. This is not to say that we should stop ourselves from falling in love or jumping for joy after great news. These truly are the finer things in life. It is negative emotions that must be handled with extreme care.

Everything can be taken from a man but the last of human freedoms – the ability to choose one's attitude in a given set of circumstances, to choose one's way.

We've all been in one of "those" situations before. You know... when your favorite project is cancelled after weeks of hard work; when a customer snaps at you unfairly; when your best friend (and co-worker) is laid off suddenly; or your boss assigns you more work when you're already overloaded.

In your personal life, your reaction to stressful situations like these might be to start shouting, or to go hide in a corner and feel sorry for yourself for a while. But at work, these types of behavior could seriously harm your professional reputation, as well as your productivity.

Stressful situations are all too common in a workplace that's facing budget cuts, staff layoffs, and department changes. It may become harder and harder to manage your emotions under these circumstances, but it's even more important for you to do so. After all, if management is forced into making more layoffs, they may choose to keep those who can handle their emotions, and work well under pressure. As the above quote shows, no matter what the situation is, you're always free to choose how you react to it.

How emotions can stop :

Many people assume that their temperament is something that they are born with, something that is as unalterable as the color of their eyes. Everyone knows people who have quick tempers, who fly off the handle at the smallest disturbances. We also know people who aren't bothered by major problems or large upheavals. Sometimes we attribute this to genes, some people claim that these individuals picked up their calm mannerisms during childhood from their parents. Most agree that it is almost impossible to change these tendencies in people. Most people mellow with age and appear to handle stress and tension better. Stability seems to be one of the benefits of the aging process. Many emotionally unstable people also mellow with age. But is age the only solution to dealing with uncontrolled emotions?

Yoga disciplines in its many forms offer many means to bring the emotions under control. Meditation, yoga breathing exercises (pranayama), yoga postures (asanas), the yogic vegetarian diet (which is different from a normal vegetarian diet), and karma yoga (serving humanity) are all very effective in steadying the mind and bringing the emotions under control and thus creating a more harmonious and peaceful life

After you  noticed the effect that your yoga practice has on your emotions? It’s like a welcome sense of spaciousness, as though we've cleaned a room in our inner selves so that healing, along with light, come shining through. Usually the positive emotions come to the surface: our sense of humor, patience, concentration. As we surrender and let go of frustrations, fear, and worry, we start to feel like our old selves again.

Mudras for healthy life

Mudra for increasing your concentration and improving your memory. You’ll often see people naturally (unconsciously) form this mudra for concentration.

Meaning/Benefit:
The hasta mudra is a very effective gesture to help one concentrate. It is the perfect tool to help you remember a name or thought. This mudra activates the 6th chakra at your forehead (third eye). It balances the right and left hemispheres of the brain and in particular, opens the right hemisphere where memory is stored.

How to form the mudra:
The fingertips and tips of the thumbs touch. The hands are open and fingers spread apart. This mudra can be practiced at any time and for any length of time. Often just forming this gesture for a few seconds will allow you to access the thought or the word that you are searching for. To make this mudra even more powerful, engage the mudra and then cast your eyes upward and place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth.

A hasta mudra is a gesture or positioning of the hands to channel and direct energy in the body. Mudras come from the over three thousand year old tradition of yoga originating in India. Hasta means “hand” in Sanskrit and “mudra” comes from the Sanskrit word “mud”, meaning to delight. A mudra is a seal as in sealing your connection with the Divine or sealing energy in the body. There are many forms of mudras, such as with the eyes and the tongue.

Yoga is a spiritual practice and offers practical healing applications that benefit even those who aren’t spiritually oriented. Hasta mudras work in a way that can be compared to acupuncture or reflexology. By activating parts of the hand, a hasta mudra opens up channels of energy and sends messages to the brain.

Try the chin mudra above during your daily meditation today. If you are sensitive energetically, you may receive immediate results. But if the benefit doesn’t come quickly, be patient and consistent in your practice. Keep in mind though that while hasta mudras for health can offer great healing, no mudra is a substitute for medication or medical attention.

Since hasta mudras work to change the energy in the body and spirit, it’s best if you incorporate conscious breathing with your practice. Breathe full and free on the inhale and exhale the breath out completely. Find a rhythm with the breath. Try to make the inhale and exhale the same length.

It also helps to set a positive intention as you form a hasta mudra and concentrate on this intention during the practice.

Mudras can be held for various lengths of time. You may find that today’s mudra may only need to be held for 30 seconds until you feel refreshed or try holding the mudra throughout your meditation. There are no set rules. Let your intuition guide you. Have fun and explore!