Tips for People Just Beginning with Yoga

Getting Started

• Be sure to wear the proper clothes. Clothes should allow for freedom of movement yet not be baggy. If you are new to yoga and taking a class, your clothes should be form fitting enough allow your instructor to evaluate your posture during the poses.
  
  
• Have a yoga blanket handy to keep warm when meditating during the corpse pose.
  
  
• Have the appropriate space for your yoga practice. The ideal setting should be well ventilated, have natural light and be free from distractions and interruptions. Let the answering machine take your calls during this time. Practice on a carpet or a mat long enough for you to stretch out on.
  
  
• Have a focal point, such as a painting you especially enjoy or an attractive plant, for balancing exercises that require a fixed gaze.
  
  
• It is generally suggested that yoga be performed on an empty stomach -- prior to a full meal or at least an hour or two after eating. Personally I don't know that I ever go two hours without eating, so I just do the best I can and try not to practice right after a large meal.
  
  
• Avoid stimulating poses during the evening. These include the sun salutation, the standing poses and backward bending poses.
  
  
• Pay attention to feelings of pain. Yoga is not about competitiveness. Move through the asanas at your own pace. Never force or pull your body into any position that feels uncomfortable. Pushing yourself into a painful position is risking injury. To avoid pain, and in fact use yoga to reduce any pain issues you may already have, see our section on yoga therapy.
  
  Pain is a signal that needs to be analyzed and interpreted. It may mean your body needs work in a particular area, but also that you need to proceed with caution. With yoga the benefits develop over time. Remember that muscles that have been restricted in movement or atrophied from underuse over a period of years are not going to be transformed overnight.
  
  
• Practicing the asanas does not require any special diet, but if you find out you enjoy yoga, you may find it interesting to read up on the traditional yogi diet.

Online Books

There are a number of yoga books that are out of copyright in the U.S. that have been put online in their entirety. The books below are available compliments of Project Gutenberg. Please note the books below are all ones I believe are out of copyright in the United States. If you live outside the U.S., check the laws of your country before downloading them.