Yoga for beginners

Thinking of hitting the yoga mat? Check out these 5 top tips about yoga for beginners

Yoga is praised for loads of reasons: from helping you find a state of relaxation, to boosting flexibility and suppleness in your muscles and joints. Whatever your goal, we think yoga can pretty much benefit everyone. If you haven’t tried it yet – and you really should – we’ve rounded up five quick tips that could help you find your first yoga class a little less daunting and a lot more manageable. Have fun!

1. Stay hydrated

When compared to HIIT classes, sprint sessions and spin, yoga might not seem that strenuous. But certain styles are pretty challenging and you definitely need to stay on top of your water intake to max the benefits. ‘Any yoga practice you decide to embark on will require good hydration whether you’re breaking a sweat or not,’ says yoga instructor Naomi Costantino. ‘You’ll be twisting, stretching and compressing the body, allowing it to really start moving oxygen, blood and toxins around. You’ll need water to make the most of this by flushing them out and rehydrating after.’

2. Don’t go mad

Yes, yoga is a gentle form of exercise, and it certainly has a sense of calm about it, but don’t take that as an excuse to go mental. ‘Yoga is about opening and understanding the body, and letting your breath guide you,’ Naomi explains. ‘Aggression and having a competitive attitude is a fast way to injury.’ Try not to push the stretches too far when you’re first starting out, and let your body get used to the movements you’ll be familiarising yourself with over the weeks.

 3. Find your style

Not all yoga styles are the same, and if you’ve tried a class that you didn’t exactly love before, it’s worth giving a different one a go. In fact, different styles suit different goals, so be patient. ‘If you’re coming to yoga to relax then I would choose a beginners’ Hatha yoga, Iyengar or restorative yoga class over a dynamic form,’ advises Naomi. ‘But if you’re into vigorous forms of exercise, try a Vinyasa Ashtanga-based yoga class.’ It’s also important to find a teacher you’re comfortable with – if they make the class enjoyable for you, you’ll keep coming back.

4. Rest when you need to

Even though yoga can be slow-paced, it’s completely okay to rest during a class, just like you would in a regular workout. In fact, it’s encouraged in some classes to come into a child’s pose at any point between postures if you need to catch your breath. ‘Child’s pose is calming and allows you to rest,’ says Naomi. ‘Coming down to the ground and closing your eyes is the ultimate surrender and gives you a lovely release through the spine.’

5. Just do it

There are plenty of DVDs and YouTube clips out there that can help you familiarise yourself with poses and sequences before you take yourself to a class, but it’s really not that scary, in fact a group setting makes the class far more enjoyable. ‘Being in a group and trying new stuff out while a teacher leads the way and encourages you is way more fun,’ Naomi adds.