A student recently asked me about how to get started with yoga and with mindfulness. It can be a daunting prospect for a newcomer. Here's a list of various resources on different (but related) topics around yoga & mindfulness, and in different formats.
Intro to asana (i.e. yoga poses) - Yoga Journal is a good resource. - They have basically a look-up dictionary of poses, where each page provides detailed steps for the pose, other poses to do before that one (to warm-up), and other poses to do after that one (among other info); also see search bar in top right. - They recently made a post that goes through 22 beginner poses. - Classes: Try to find not only a yoga style that you enjoy, but also an instructor with whom you resonate. Yoga studios offer many different class types and levels, so perhaps contact them and ask about options. They often have an intro offer to try one or a few classes as a discounted price. If you start with a class that is too advanced, they may be difficult to follow (with all those Sanskrit terms thrown around) and you risk getting injured by not having the background knowledge. - YouTube videos: Check out my list of YouTube channels with classes and with yoga instruction. Those could be good tools to start to cultivate a home practice and to have another avenue to learn about the names of the poses, their alignment, the transitions, etc. Many people enjoy Yoga with Adriene. Another advantage is that you can pick a class that's only 20 min, e.g., if the time commitment of going to the gym or a studio doesn't always work. Beyond asana You expressed interest in not just learning how to do the yoga poses, but also how to be mindful in your yoga practice, which is fantastic!! There are in fact eight limbs (i.e. facets) to yoga, one of which is the physical practice (asana). The others include breathing and meditation. Pranayama (i.e. breath control) There are different types of pranayama, or breath control, in yoga. During our asana practice, we often maintain ujjayi breath, or victorious breath. This involves breathing in and out through your nose, while keeping the back of your throat slightly constricted so that your breath is slower & audible; if you try saying "hah" with your mouth closed, that'll give you a sense of the throat constriction. Sama vritti is another good starting place, where you match the durations of your inhales & exhales (e.g. inhale for a count of 4 and exhale for a count of 4). Maybe set a 5 min timer and try this. A fun one to relieve tension is lion's breath, where you exhale with your tongue sticking out (trying to touch the bottom of your chin). Dhyana (i.e. meditation) I mentioned some breathing techniques before meditation because one good way to start trying meditation is through allowing your mind's attention to settle on your breath. Meditation can be done lying on the ground, seated, standing, or walking. I'd suggest picking a posture where you are physically comfortable, and trying to close your eyes, and allow your attention to settle on the sensations of your breath in your body for a few min (perhaps set a timer so you're not worried about the time). Your attention will wander (everyone's does), but just without judgement or criticism, just gently guide your attention back onto the sensations of your breath. There are also many YouTube videos, podcasts, and apps (e.g. Headspace) for guided meditations that you could peruse. Also more on meditation in the two books listed below... Mindfulness To me, mindfulness means choosing to cultivate self-awareness to know myself better (and be able to respond to situations, rather that knee-jerk react) and to cultivate awareness of others. It's a practice of being able to stay grounded to allow a clear mind to process the inputs from your surroundings and to process your own feelings/thoughts/etc. - Koru Mindfulness is a program that was developed at Duke, but has now been translated to colleges across the US. It's a 4-class course, offered regularly. - One of the Koru co-founders (Dr. Holly Rogers) recently published a book called Mindful Twenty-Something that provides easy-to-digest and relatable text on mindfuless, including many small actionable exercises for the reader to try. - Another popular book on mindfulness is Wherever You Go, There You Are (by Jon Kabat-Zinn). I'd suggest picking a couple of the above and starting there, so you're not overwhelmed with too much new material and too many options (decision paralysis, as they call it).
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