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sun_salutationA friend of mine was asking her friends page for ideas for getting back into shape after 20 years or so of not worrying too much about fitness.
She is interested in increasing stamina, flexibility and knee strength. All of these, of course, are prime areas to be improved by practice of yoga.
In addition, she has very limited funds at the moment and wasn't ready to invest in DVDs or other exercise stuff.
I suggested she take a look at Sun Salutations as a way of getting started, adding variations to Surya Namaskar B when she was ready for variety.
This made me think about what I would want to do to help someone just beginning yoga. I am not a yoga instructor. I don't know anything about exercise safety or fitness instruction. I'm not even an advanced practitioner of yoga.
But I have come to love yoga and am completely self-taught. Well, DVD taught.
With those disclaimers, I thought I might do a series of posts for the very beginner, that might be helpful.
You know your own body best, so please respect your known health conditions and use the variations offered by instructors that are best for you. I am going to include links to Yoga Journal's site in my discussion below. Follow the links for pictures and descriptions of the poses, as well as video for some of them. (Scroll down toward the bottom of the linked Yoga Journal pages.)
So. I think the best place to start is Sun Salutation A, also called Surya Namaskar A. I'll try to include both the English names for things and the Sanskrit names. The Sun Salutations are like yoga warm-ups. A lot of practices start with sun salutations and then build up from there. Practiced on their own, however, you still get a lot of benefit. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) helps to open your hamstrings. You will find that a lot of yoga is directed at bringing flexibility into this tendon. Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) is good for opening the shoulders and also targets the hamstrings. It also helps to release the lower back. Depending on the variation you follow, Four-Limbed Staff Pose/Push-up Position (Chaturanga Dandasana) builds arm and core strength. Cobra (Bhujangasana) or Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) are backbends, freeing for the lower back and the shoulders, strengthening for the thighs.
That sounds like a lot, but it all goes together into an amazing flow called a vinyasa. In vinyasa movement, you place your breath with the movement. So on one movement, the breath flows in, on the next movement, the breath flows out. The whole thing is linked together with a physical logic, and to me it feels like a dance.
Before I link you to the demonstrations, I'd like to give you a link to an instructor explaining the breathing for vinyasa yoga. It is called Ujayii. I've heard it called the Victorious Breath or the Ocean Sound. Basically, when you breathe you sound like Darth Vader. Or, if you prefer something more spiritual and poetic, you sound like the waves moving over pebbles on the beach. You know. Depending on your mood. :D
Sadie Nardini explains Ujayii Pranayama here. She's in an acoustically terrible room, but this is a great brief explanation.
Now, if I haven't totally freaked you out, have a look at Surya Namaskar A.
The first example is some Scottish guy. Here is Surya Namaskar A with Luke Jordan. I like his explanations. They are very clear, and he demonstrates some nice beginner variations. I'd say watch it a couple of times, then dive in.
Dashama gives another excellent explanation of Surya Namaskar A here. She shows a slightly different variation, and a smoother flow, so that you can really see how this thing moves. You may find her variations better for you. (She also appears to have a lot of YouTube material and might be a great resource. I've never explored her stuff.)
Once you have learned this sequence of movements, you can practice easily on your own, in any location that gives you enough room to move, without need of a TV or computer to guide you. You can do as many iterations as feel good to you. Maybe only one or two to begin, but as you gain stamina, performing several.
When you feel confident in Surya Namaskar A, you will want to move on to Surya Namaskar B.
A few practical comments for beginners.
Do you need a mat?
You do not NEED a mat for Sun Salutations. However, if you enjoy yoga and want to become more advanced, you will probably want one. Especially if you are practicing on a carpeted floor, you can start with a really cheap mat, easily available at WalMart, Target or similar stores. Cheap means $12 or $15. If you are going to make ONE yoga investment, I'd say get a mat. I started on carpet, and when I got my cheapy mat, I was SO HAPPY. And more than one person I have read comments that their favorite mat remains the cheap one they bought at the beginning. If you can afford a little more, you might consider this super huge mat I discuss here.
Practice on an empty stomach
You need to plan to do your yoga at a time when you have an empty stomach. That is why a lot of people do their yoga in the early morning, before breakfast. A little juice or yogurt first is OK, but if you have a full breakfast, yoga will make you want to barf. I think it is because you spend so much time with you head below your waist. Being upside down with a full stomach? Not fun.
Consider a morning practice
In addition to making it easier to practice on an empty stomach, morning practice offers other benefits. The kind of yoga you are probably going to be doing if you are pursuing fitness and weight loss will leave you feeling both relaxed and energized. It is a wonderful feeling to take into your day. In addition, research shows that people who exercise in the morning are more likely to form and maintain a strong exercise habit.
What I do is lay out my exercise clothes by the bed and zombie into them as soon as I wake up. Once I'm dressed for yoga, I usually do yoga.
Exercise to exercise?
Yoga on its own offers fantastic, full-body fitness benefits. But especially at the beginning, if you are not very fit yet, you might find the kind of yoga that you would do to get a good cardio workout to be very challenging. That's OK, and if it works for you, that's all the better, but especially if you are starting at a low level of fitness, consider finding a cardio supplement that works for you. When I was starting, I was also doing a step aerobics routine. Something simple like that might be a good way to build stamina while you build yoga skills, so that you can move to a vigorous yoga practice more quickly.
Of course, my mother complains, "Why do we have to exercise in order to exercise?" If that is not something that works for you, go with building your strength and stamina though the sun salutations and other components of yoga, and it will all develop over time.
Learning balance
As a final thought for this post, remember that yoga is about balance. Balance between building strength and relaxing. Learning to remain calm while in a physically challenging or uncomfortable position.
And balance between understanding where you are now and where you can develop to in the future.
Don't let yourself be discouraged by new vocabulary or things that look complicated. Jump in. Try it out. Enjoy it now. Use beginner modifications, shifting into the more difficult variations when you are ready. Don't compare yourself to others. This is not a competition and there is no such thing as a "perfect" pose. But also don't go too easy on yourself. You want to challenge yourself to grow into postures, to get more from them over time. You will be amazed at how much you can learn about a simple, basic pose like Down Dog or Standing Forward Bend as you work on it for weeks and months.
So! I hope you found this helpful! Over the next few days, I'll try to track down links to the various component postures of Surya Namaskar A, and next week, I'll get something up about Surya Namaskar B!
Namaste.
She is interested in increasing stamina, flexibility and knee strength. All of these, of course, are prime areas to be improved by practice of yoga.
In addition, she has very limited funds at the moment and wasn't ready to invest in DVDs or other exercise stuff.
I suggested she take a look at Sun Salutations as a way of getting started, adding variations to Surya Namaskar B when she was ready for variety.
This made me think about what I would want to do to help someone just beginning yoga. I am not a yoga instructor. I don't know anything about exercise safety or fitness instruction. I'm not even an advanced practitioner of yoga.
But I have come to love yoga and am completely self-taught. Well, DVD taught.
With those disclaimers, I thought I might do a series of posts for the very beginner, that might be helpful.
You know your own body best, so please respect your known health conditions and use the variations offered by instructors that are best for you. I am going to include links to Yoga Journal's site in my discussion below. Follow the links for pictures and descriptions of the poses, as well as video for some of them. (Scroll down toward the bottom of the linked Yoga Journal pages.)
So. I think the best place to start is Sun Salutation A, also called Surya Namaskar A. I'll try to include both the English names for things and the Sanskrit names. The Sun Salutations are like yoga warm-ups. A lot of practices start with sun salutations and then build up from there. Practiced on their own, however, you still get a lot of benefit. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) helps to open your hamstrings. You will find that a lot of yoga is directed at bringing flexibility into this tendon. Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) is good for opening the shoulders and also targets the hamstrings. It also helps to release the lower back. Depending on the variation you follow, Four-Limbed Staff Pose/Push-up Position (Chaturanga Dandasana) builds arm and core strength. Cobra (Bhujangasana) or Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) are backbends, freeing for the lower back and the shoulders, strengthening for the thighs.
That sounds like a lot, but it all goes together into an amazing flow called a vinyasa. In vinyasa movement, you place your breath with the movement. So on one movement, the breath flows in, on the next movement, the breath flows out. The whole thing is linked together with a physical logic, and to me it feels like a dance.
Before I link you to the demonstrations, I'd like to give you a link to an instructor explaining the breathing for vinyasa yoga. It is called Ujayii. I've heard it called the Victorious Breath or the Ocean Sound. Basically, when you breathe you sound like Darth Vader. Or, if you prefer something more spiritual and poetic, you sound like the waves moving over pebbles on the beach. You know. Depending on your mood. :D
Sadie Nardini explains Ujayii Pranayama here. She's in an acoustically terrible room, but this is a great brief explanation.
Now, if I haven't totally freaked you out, have a look at Surya Namaskar A.
The first example is some Scottish guy. Here is Surya Namaskar A with Luke Jordan. I like his explanations. They are very clear, and he demonstrates some nice beginner variations. I'd say watch it a couple of times, then dive in.
Dashama gives another excellent explanation of Surya Namaskar A here. She shows a slightly different variation, and a smoother flow, so that you can really see how this thing moves. You may find her variations better for you. (She also appears to have a lot of YouTube material and might be a great resource. I've never explored her stuff.)
Once you have learned this sequence of movements, you can practice easily on your own, in any location that gives you enough room to move, without need of a TV or computer to guide you. You can do as many iterations as feel good to you. Maybe only one or two to begin, but as you gain stamina, performing several.
When you feel confident in Surya Namaskar A, you will want to move on to Surya Namaskar B.
A few practical comments for beginners.
Do you need a mat?
You do not NEED a mat for Sun Salutations. However, if you enjoy yoga and want to become more advanced, you will probably want one. Especially if you are practicing on a carpeted floor, you can start with a really cheap mat, easily available at WalMart, Target or similar stores. Cheap means $12 or $15. If you are going to make ONE yoga investment, I'd say get a mat. I started on carpet, and when I got my cheapy mat, I was SO HAPPY. And more than one person I have read comments that their favorite mat remains the cheap one they bought at the beginning. If you can afford a little more, you might consider this super huge mat I discuss here.
Practice on an empty stomach
You need to plan to do your yoga at a time when you have an empty stomach. That is why a lot of people do their yoga in the early morning, before breakfast. A little juice or yogurt first is OK, but if you have a full breakfast, yoga will make you want to barf. I think it is because you spend so much time with you head below your waist. Being upside down with a full stomach? Not fun.
Consider a morning practice
In addition to making it easier to practice on an empty stomach, morning practice offers other benefits. The kind of yoga you are probably going to be doing if you are pursuing fitness and weight loss will leave you feeling both relaxed and energized. It is a wonderful feeling to take into your day. In addition, research shows that people who exercise in the morning are more likely to form and maintain a strong exercise habit.
What I do is lay out my exercise clothes by the bed and zombie into them as soon as I wake up. Once I'm dressed for yoga, I usually do yoga.
Exercise to exercise?
Yoga on its own offers fantastic, full-body fitness benefits. But especially at the beginning, if you are not very fit yet, you might find the kind of yoga that you would do to get a good cardio workout to be very challenging. That's OK, and if it works for you, that's all the better, but especially if you are starting at a low level of fitness, consider finding a cardio supplement that works for you. When I was starting, I was also doing a step aerobics routine. Something simple like that might be a good way to build stamina while you build yoga skills, so that you can move to a vigorous yoga practice more quickly.
Of course, my mother complains, "Why do we have to exercise in order to exercise?" If that is not something that works for you, go with building your strength and stamina though the sun salutations and other components of yoga, and it will all develop over time.
Learning balance
As a final thought for this post, remember that yoga is about balance. Balance between building strength and relaxing. Learning to remain calm while in a physically challenging or uncomfortable position.
And balance between understanding where you are now and where you can develop to in the future.
Don't let yourself be discouraged by new vocabulary or things that look complicated. Jump in. Try it out. Enjoy it now. Use beginner modifications, shifting into the more difficult variations when you are ready. Don't compare yourself to others. This is not a competition and there is no such thing as a "perfect" pose. But also don't go too easy on yourself. You want to challenge yourself to grow into postures, to get more from them over time. You will be amazed at how much you can learn about a simple, basic pose like Down Dog or Standing Forward Bend as you work on it for weeks and months.
So! I hope you found this helpful! Over the next few days, I'll try to track down links to the various component postures of Surya Namaskar A, and next week, I'll get something up about Surya Namaskar B!
Namaste.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-21 09:58 pm (UTC)I believe we may have been offering suggestions to the same person *g*. I found a few more YouTube vids which also do a good job of showing various modifications:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yybin68HdM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwchmTZv0f8
no subject
Date: 2010-02-09 01:50 pm (UTC)