Yoga Teacher Reveals: What I Wish I Knew BEFORE Starting Yoga

Transcript

if you are someone who's always been curious about what yoga can do for you but you've never tried a class before perhaps you've just never been able to make it a habit then now is the perfect time hi everyone my name is Joelle I initially had a lot of trouble getting into yoga myself and now I'm a yoga teacher I have over 200 free classes here on YouTube and in this video I'm going to share my five top tips to help you finally start a yoga practice that works for you tip number one you do not need to be flexible I hear this all the time I'd love to do yoga but I'm not flexible well good news you don't have to be the great thing about yoga is that it truly is for everyone so all you need to do is figure out the type of practice that works for you with that being said I know very well that when we begin practicing yoga it's likely that we're going to come across other people who will make certain poses that feel very challenging to us look easy and it can be really tough not to compare our practice to theirs this was actually one of the things things that held me back for years but the truth is that we can never know what's going on in somebody else's body maybe somebody grew up doing gymnastics maybe somebody else is just coming off of an injury maybe a third person's hips are simply more externally rotated than yours the point is it doesn't matter please don't let the level or ability of someone who you probably don't even know stop you from trying something that you're curious about and that you may find so much benefit from tip number two yoga is not just about splits and headstands in my opinion there is no one definition of yoga because in the modern world the truth is that the word yoga much like the word beginner has come to mean very different things to different people for some people yoga is all about achieving new exciting and fancy postures for others yoga is more about introspection and calm and mindfulness and for some it might simply be about staying healthy and in shape this is where finding the right teacher comes in because no matter who you you are there is a yoga teacher out there for you but finding them can sometimes be tricky where do you start well you could certainly join a local yoga studio or a fitness center where you feel comfortable signing up for your first class or you also have the option of beginning at home perhaps starting right here on YouTube by searching keywords like yoga for beginners or yoga for foot pain or any other key terms that make sense to you I started learning yoga on YouTube myself and believe me there is plenty here to get you started realistically finding the right teacher for you will probably involve some trial and error and that's okay nobody starts out knowing how to do a downward facing dog or what does lizard pose look like and those things may not even end up being important to you so be willing to give a few different teachers a try and over time you'll almost certainly find some favorites yoga tip number three you do not need 200 leggings start small really there is nothing that you need in order to practice yoga you don't even really need a yoga mat yes you'll probably want one eventually but you can also just get started by throwing on a comfortable outfit and searching keywords like yoga in bed or chair yoga or standing yoga or really any number of other terms just to get yourself started and build up a little bit of momentum and motivation until you feel ready to invest further also you do not need to start out by doing an hour-long class I would have been so intimidated by that in the beginning start with 5 or 10 minutes and I promise if you do so regularly you will be amazed at what a difference it can make in your body and mind yoga tip number four watch out because yoga really might change your life no matter who you are starting a yoga practice will probably not be exactly what you expect it to be you might get into it for instance to help improve your flexibility and find that over time you are getting stronger too or perhaps you find that it's really helping you manage aches and pains better than ever before you might find yourself breathing better or being more patient or perhaps just being more open to other opportunities that you're also curious about so rather than rolling our eyes at all of this why not embrace it and have fun along the way yes building up flexibility and strength will take some time but there is no wrong time to start taking care of yourself and the fact that you're still watching this video proves that you are ready and that now is a great time for you to get started which brings me to tip number five find your why there's a huge list of reasons why somebody might decide to start practicing yoga what's yours because really identifying why you personally are interested or curious about yoga will help you stick to it and really turn it into a habit that fits your lifestyle for example if somebody's recommended yoga to you to say help your hip pain then start by searching 10 minute yoga for hip pain or if your why is that you're looking to become more flexible then search beginner yoga for flexibility if you're looking to learn some arm balances then look that up the better you acknowledge to yourself what you want to be in it for you the more likely you are to follow through and the more likely you are to go from being somebody who is curious about yoga to being someone who practices yoga and if you do want to jump start your yoga practice then I would love to invite you to my free challenge which is open to all levels and is a great way to get yourself started you can click right here to sign up and get started and make sure that you to my YouTube channel as well so that we can continue to practice together