Yoga Tips

Optimizing Your Yoga Practise in a Group Setting

Arrive a few minutes early to class.  Enter the yoga studio quietly and use this time for a few moments of meditation or gentle stretching to help get you centered and ready for an optimal practise.  If you arrive late, find a place at the back of the room unless otherwise instructed.  Never enter or leave during invocation (opening chant or prayer), meditation or Savasana (relaxation Corpse pose).  If you must leave, please do so as quietly as possible.

Practise on an empty stomach. It is recommended to wait at least 2 to 3 hours after eating before practising yoga.  If absolutely necessary, have juice or fruit, or very light food.  Refrain from sipping water in order to maintain the internal heat you are creating.  Drink plenty of pure water after class.

Wear comfortable clothing. The clothes you wear to practise should allow for freedom of movement without restricting stretching, breathing, digestion, or circulation.

Purchase a yoga mat. Having your own yoga mat serves you physically, energetically and hygienically.  If you happen to forget your mat, you can rent one for a minimal fee.

Alert the teacher to any injuries prior to class. This will help me know how to adjust you or offer a modified pose when possible or to advise you when to refrain from a certain pose for your own safety.

NAMASTE

Bring the spirit of Namaste into your practise. The Sanskrit word Namaste, said both in greeting and departing, offers love, service, compassion and respect.  Translation…”I salute the divine light within you, where you and I are eternally one”.  By bringing these qualities to your practise, you are honouring the true spirit of yoga.

Leave all cell phones outside the yoga room. This is for your own sake as well as everyone else’s and to avoid the day that may eventually come when you forget to turn it off and have to submit to holding plank pose for an extra 10 breaths!

Remove your shoes before entering.  As well as honouring the Eastern tradition of removing your shoes, you help keep the floors, where you’ll be practising, clean.

Please be sensitive to other people’s sensitivities.  Refrain from wearing any fragrance to class as many people suffer from allergies.

A clean yoga mat is a happy yoga mat. Please clean your personal yoga mat periodically to avoid unpleasant odours and the accumulation of bacteria.  You will extend the life of your yoga mat with proper care and will help maintain good gripping ability.

Pay attention to detail. By maintaining good awareness throughout your practise you will enrich and deepen your yoga experience.  Yoga is more than a series of physical poses.  It is a healthy state of mind blended with a soft open heart.  It is respect for the space and people around you.  Yoga is an attitude of humility and service.  Through your graceful presence and generous spirit you become and integral part of an inspiring and rewarding group experience.

Bring your yoga experience with you wherever you go. Overcoming challenges we may face on our mats can be reflected into our lives. Remember to try to bring your blissful yoga experience off the mat and into your day.  Let’s try to carry that renewed sense of peace, accomplishment, strength and love, we built in our practises today, with us wherever we go. Show your Lusciousness to the world! Pass On Your Yoga Glow!