Online Yoga: Do and Don'ts

To help make the most of your yoga practice

So you’ve decided to start Yoga to feel better and healthier? Congratulations! That’s the first step and it is in the right direction. I would like to point out some “Do and Don’ts” to help you stay on the right track.

Listen to your body

I bet you have heard that before! But what does it really mean? Rather than trying to explain, I would like you to close your eyes. Don’t try to control your breath. Just sit and focus your attention within. Become aware of your body, scan it. How does it feel? Scan your whole body: your legs, your hips, your torso, your shoulders and neck. Is there any tension anywhere? Can you feel what your body needs? Can you feel what your body wants? Does your chest want to expand and take a deeper breath it? How is your energy level? Are you stressed or anxious?

If you are practising on your own - maybe using Taming the Walrus video collection - ask yourself: ‘What do I need today?’ Do I need to rest and restore? Do I need to strengthen or stretch? Then choose one of the videos available. And remember that while doing a sequence, if you feel like staying longer in the pose, then pause the tape! Or you might want to skip a pose. In this case, you should go into child’s pose until the next one.

If you are doing a live class - maybe one of my classes- remember the teacher is in fact a facilitator! If you feel that a pose is not right for you, don’t do it! And always remember that “No pain no gain” is wrong! You should not feel any pain. If you do, come out of the pose. Feeling a stretch is fine of course but you should never feel pain.

Hold the pose and relax

The aim is not to be able to do this or that pose! Of course it is nice and it feels good to realise “waoh I can do the wheel!” It is of great benefit for the self-confidence. However, as stressed in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, the aim should be to find stability and pleasure in the pose.

My teacher in India once told us that to become a Great Yogi you should be able to hold the same pose for 3h48, finding stability and pleasure! No worry, you don’t have to hold the pose for that long. I don’t know anybody who does but trying to relax in the pose should be a high priority.

Don’t judge yourself

One of the many advantages of online yoga - especially practicing with a video - is that participants not less tempted to compare themselves with others. They tend to focus on themselves.

We are all at a different stage on our yogic path and we all have different bodies, different challenges. What matters is that we are practicing right here, right now. We should be very thankful to our body to allow us to do so. Your body is your temple.

See you on the mat!