Blog

Yoga for Beginners

by Chelsea on

I remember the first time I stepped into a yoga class. I was absolutely miserable. I couldn’t understand it. Why in the world would people want to spend their time in silence, contorting their bodies into awkward positions, and make bizarre breathing sounds for an entire 90 minutes? My mind was racing and my body was restless. What am I going to eat after I get out of this joint? How in the world is she able to bend like that? I wonder how much more time we have in here? These are just a few of the thoughts many first timers and experienced practitioners encounter during a yoga class. I would be lying if I said that some of these thoughts no longer exist even eleven years into my yoga practice. I would not be telling the truth if I said I physically get on my mat for an hour every day and encounter bliss each time. The truth is our yoga practice is just that, practice.

Yoga can be as simple and as rewarding as we want to make it. Although the appearance of a complicated posture can be beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, I often get frustrated when yoga magazines, yoga apparel advertisements, and the media miss the simplicity of yoga by displaying only the most advanced postures. Yoga is for everybody; however, many first timers become discouraged because they are unable to perform a yoga posture “just right”.

This section is dedicated to those who are beginning a path of yoga, curious about the practice of yoga, or ready to transform their yoga practice in order to go deeper. This section will offer tips in order to sustain your practice, suggestions for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and advice for practitioners with specific ailments. This is a section dedicated to community. I encourage your questions and feedback. If you have any tips for new and old-school yogis please send an email to chelsea@chelsealovesyoga.com.

Peace,

Chelsea

5 Comments

  2. I am so inspired Chelsea!! I love your blog!! I am going to come see you soon!!! I need to lose these last 7 lbs. of baby weight!! P.S. Love the Home Page ‘pose’….how in the world did you contort your back like that? 🙂

  3. I didn’t feel miserable right away but yesterday I hated it and today I dread stepping on the mat. Deep down I know this is something I want to commit to but I have huge resistance. I feel lazy (not to mention fat) and chatturanga dandasana just plain hurts!

    Any thoughts?

    1. I think that it is perfectly “normal” Bajo. If you are really just beginning your practice and you literally “hated” the experience, then maybe you want to shop around for a more comfortable fit in terms of style and teacher. It sounds like you want to stay committed to giving it a try and you seem to have the “truth” part down as far as your honesty about how you feel. I hate to sound cliche’ but transformation doesn’t always happen over night. I would begin by not only looking at the good things that you noticed about the experience, but the good things you notice within yourself. Although it is powerful for us to be honest about how we feel about ourselves, I think it is imperative for us to use compassion as we do it. As far as “hurting” in any posture, I would definitely talk with teacher about alignment and make sure that you are approaching the asana safely and/or learn modifications. Stick with it sis! Would love for you to share your story as you progress. Namaste

Comments are closed.