A Word of Caution

For those of you who are new to Yoga & are just starting out, I suggest you follow the tips outlined below to avoid any injury:

1. Always start with a warm up. While ‘Surya Namaskar’ itself is considered as a warm up exercise, I would still recommend that you do the warm up sequence you learnt (warming up the neck, shoulders, chest, back, waist, thighs, calves, ankles) before proceeding to do the Sun Salutation
2. The key aspect of Yoga is ‘awareness’- awareness of the body & breath. As you do your practice, lock your attention in your body; focus on your breath, on the muscles being stretched. Become totally involved in what you are doing. There is a very interesting quote by Julie Martin (a yoga teacher) that says “Can I still listen to the dialogue between the breath & the body? That’s what my practice is – it’s a long conversation between my breath and my body. And if I keep my mind out of the equation, I’ll have a much better ride”. Throughout your yoga practices, attempt to fix your attention on the movements of the exercises & do not allow the mind to wander
3. Do all the movements in a slow & controlled manner. Try to move in & out of postures slowly & gracefully. Do not be in a hurry
4. Never jerk, strain or force yourself to get into a position that your body is not ready to get into. Just go as far as you comfortably can & hold in that position for a few seconds. This ‘holding’ over a period of time, will impart the flexibility you need to get into the more ‘extreme position’. So be patient & stay with your practice no matter how slow the progress
5. Listen to your body’s pain signals. In case you feel pain while doing some posture, then adjust your posture in order to minimize pain. Don’t push yourself mindlessly. Of course if you are just starting to exercise you will experience some pain in various parts of the body in the first week of your practice which will go away in subsequent weeks
6. Be regular. Try to practice at the same time & place each day. This will help you note your progress. Mornings are the best time to practice as stiffness in the morning tells us where our body needs more attention. Later in the day we lose that sensitivity as our body starts to feel more flexible  

Resolve to enjoy your practice each day, staying in the moment, and letting go of all expectations that may come in your way of having an enjoyable & relaxing experience.