An Alison Miller Blog

Just beginning your yoga practice? Here are some ideas on getting started.

Like music, there are many different styles of yoga. Whether you like listening to jazz, rock ‘n roll, or R&B, will be dependent upon a variety of variables such as your personality, background, and/or individual interests. Choosing the most suitable yoga class is a similar process.

If your daily life is very hectic and fast-paced, it may be best to incorporate some easy slow-paced restorative yoga classes into your schedule. On other days, it may be best to attend a power yoga class to release stress and feel reinvigorated.

I recommend that you try a variety of classes at different studios and various locations in order to find the classes and instructors that best suit your personality and needs. Remember, yoga is a very dynamic practice. Experience, itself, is the best teacher. If you attend one class and don’t like it, I encourage you to connect to your adventuresome self and explore a few more classes before deciding if a particular class and/or instructor are right for you.

If you are just getting started with your yoga practice, I recommend attending a basics yoga class. Classes are labeled by their level of difficulty. You will want to look for a Level 1 class and/or a class labeled as Basic or Introduction to Yoga. Two styles of yoga that are very attentive to teaching alignment principles and skills include, Iyengar and Anusara Yoga. A deep understanding of alignment principles is essential to building a healthy yoga practice. Like anything in life that we do repetitiously, we want to be sure we are doing it properly. The repetitious postures we do day in and day out are the keys to creating a healthy yoga practice where we can thrive long-term.

Yoga is an effective, therapeutic, and empowering way to end pain, restore flexibility, and release stress. A centuries-old medicine, yoga promotes healing and longevity. It is a practice that affects your physical, mental, and spiritual being, opening your mind and heart.

When you start a yoga practice you’ll find yourself making subtle changes in your life—the way you eat, think, and act…in how you engage others, and go within. Suddenly your life will seem brighter, your body lighter, your mind awakened, your spirit calm.

Yoga brings relief from:

Chronic and acute back pain
Pinched nerves, including sciatica
Muscle aches, pains, and spasms
Neck pain
Headaches from anxiety
Digestive disorders
With yoga, you will improve your:

Muscle strength and tone
Balance
Mental Focus
Physical Stamina
Agility
Immune system functions
Blood Pressure
Mood swings
Lung capacity
Spiritual awareness
Flexibility
Sports injuries

Remember, the benefits of yoga are best felt when practice is done regularly. Practice goes beyond the yoga mat. It is a way of being, in daily life, that accentuates growing our inner sense of well-being as well as building our material world. Learn more about yoga and the eightfold path in the blog section, “What is Yoga?”.