Do you want to start regular yoga practice, but you don’t know how, and you are over 50 years young?
If you have pain, and you are stressed on a regular basis and you don’t deal with this now, do you know what stress will do to your body? Negative stress can lead you to be irritable, have anxiety, depression and can lead to burn-out distress.1
Here is what Dr. Sat Bir Singh, Director of Yoga Research at Yoga Alliance says:
“Practicing Yoga will reduce stress and get enough sleep, and both of these will improve your immune function and give you a better resistance to infectious diseases.2
Before I did my yoga training and started my regular yoga practice, I had no specific plan of practicing yoga or any form of movement. I would just watch various exercise videos at different times and do the workout, but this process did not help me as I had no guidance as to how to start or what exactly to do to get the full benefit of the practice and to see and feel the results. After I did my yoga training and learned how to go about setting up a regular practice, I was then able to set up my space and be able to start off slowly with the practice and see results. I used to have pain in all different parts of my body because of stress. I had a “frozen” shoulder at one point which took about 6 months of therapy to relieve the pain. It was terrifying for me at that time as I thought I would never get the full use of my arm again. I also had back and knee pain and did therapy for these issues. The therapist told me that I had to start doing some form of movement daily or I would always be in pain and in her office. So, I started practicing yoga movements as well as yoga philosophy and other healing modalities and now I have no pain, and I know how to handle stressful situations, and I have a more positive outlook on life.
So, today I am going to share with you how to get started with regular yoga practice, especially if you are over 50 years young. By following these five tips on a regular basis, you will begin to see and feel more awareness in your body.
Please note – You should always check with your medical doctor before practicing any form of exercise that is out of your normal routine.
So here are the five tips:
No. 1: Make a Choice.
The first thing you need to do is to make a choice to start regular yoga practice. A choice is something you choose to manifest. This choice helps you to set your focus because your mind will get distracted with everything else going on around you and so setting this choice focuses your mind in the right direction and you also give yourself permission to live this choice. So, making a choice helps you to focus which helps you to achieve your desired goal. If you do not focus on what you want, you will end up wasting your time and energy on the many distractions that we are faced with in the modern world. For example, when you are at a buffet there are lots of choices, at that time and it would be impossible to eat every single dish in the buffet (even though some people will try!), but you must choose.
No. 2: Set an Intention:
Setting an intention will root you into a deeper purpose of why you are doing this. For example, you can set an intention to have a satisfying practice – You can have an intention to cultivate a regular yoga practice to draw a particular quality into your day or to get the “best” out of a particular seminar or workshop. The definition of “intention” is a thing intended, an aim or plan. Your intention focuses your attention to make things happen. Setting an intention provides you with accountability and allows you to be in control of your personal choices for your own life. Also, when you set an intention and you complete it, this can give you much satisfaction and you are empowered to continue and set more positive intentions.
By setting an intention you can think of a quality or virtue that you would like to draw through your practice but also in your everyday life. Maybe you want to be more present or you want to be able to more freely let go of things that are not serving you. You can start with this on the mat in the way you are practicing and then this will flow off the mat into your everyday life.
No. 3: Create an area just for you to do your practice.
You can set up an area just for you to do your practice. You may not have enough space at this time, but you can carve out an area in a corner of your room that you can use when you are ready even if you must move stuff around when you are practicing and keep that space just for you. Creating an area that you can go to on a regular basis keeps you anchored and grounded, and you begin to look forward to doing your practice, so you are constantly getting motivated.
No. 4: Protect yourself during your practice
My mantra for my students is “protection, prevention and safety.” I always emphasize the importance of safety. To protect yourself you need to move mindfully and by moving mindfully you will naturally feel more confident while doing your practice.
In your practice to create a safe practice you can use “props.” “Props” in yoga helps to keep you safe and protected. The “props” that are utilized in yoga are for example, yoga blocks, blankets, pillows, and bolsters.
You can start off with two blocks, a yoga mat, a small pillow, and a bolster. You can use a larger firm pillow to substitute for a bolster. The blanket you can use to protect your knees and to lay on top of your mat to keep you feeling comfortable and relaxed. The block can be used to stabilize a pose for example “low lunge” where you use the block to hold your back straight and keep you aligned. A small pillow can be used to lay your head on when you are doing, for example Savasana and to place under your butt when you are doing meditation as you need to elevate yourself to prevent stress on your knees during meditation.
As you keep doing your routine and keep adding on, you will see where you can utilize the “props” to aid you in doing the poses and to create a support space within your practice.
No. 5: Start off your slowly
Remember, this is not a race. This is your self-care for your body. You can start off slowly by practicing two yoga poses and a simple calming meditation a day for a week and then adding another pose for the next week. Here is the link for the Calming Breathing Exercise.
Be patient with yourself and remember that there is no perfection, just do the best that you can in that moment. You can get up to four or five poses that you feel comfortable doing and you are beginning to feel awareness in your body and continue to practice these poses until you feel that you can add more. Just make sure you are ready and feel comfortable and pace yourself as you are not in competition. Be mindful of your body and how you are feeling before moving to add more poses.
You can start with Bridge pose and Cat/Cow pose. Here is the link to a short gentle yoga flow for beginners.
Bridge Pose
When you practice the amazing Bridge pose, you are massaging and stretching your chest, neck, spine, and hips. You are strengthening your back, buttocks, and your hamstrings. You are improving the circulation of your blood and you are alleviating any stress or mild depression. Of course, you set up your area with your mat, blanket and set your intention for a successful practice.
To do this pose you lay flat on your back with your hands at your side on your mat placing your blanket on top of your mat for comfort and a small pillow to rest your head on for stability. Bend your knees and place your feet out at a hip width distance apart. Your feet should be flat on the floor. You then take a deep breath and slowly raise your hips up (as if a string is pulling you up by the hips), hold for two breaths and then lower your body. You can do this two times or more if it feels comfortable to you.
Cat/Cow Pose
When you practice the Cat/Cow pose, you increase the flexibility of your neck, shoulders, and spine. You are also stretching the muscles of your hips, your back, your abdomen and your chest. While you are doing this stretch you are activating your tail bone and releasing tension in your neck and upper back.
To do this amazing pose, get on your hands and knees, keep your knees hip width apart. Keep your palms flat on the mat and be aware of the alignment of your back. Imagine that someone could have teacups safely on your back. Aim for a straight back. You can now breathe in and push your chest out, then breathe out and curve your back. So, you continue to breathe in and out, pushing your chest out on the inhale and curving your back on the exhale.
So, you can start off with these poses for the first two weeks and then add another pose for the next two weeks.
Indeed, you are now fully aware that starting a yoga practice is not a difficult task and it is well worth it because of the huge benefits you will achieve in your self-care for your mind, body and spirit. It will take some time to achieve momentum, just get started and keep going and there will be days that you do not feel like doing anything, but follow your intuition and listen to your body. Some days you may just need a little more rest. But keep practicing and focusing on being aware of and listening to your body. When you do this you will become more mind/body aware and then you will be elevated for even more self-care practices.
Finally, I would love to hear from you if you practiced any of the tips I have outlined here and what have you done so far to begin your yoga practice. You can email me at Kerrinesyogamindset@gmail.com.
I teach a gentle form of Vinyasa and Restorative yoga to persons over 50. If you are interested to delve into a yoga practice and would like some guidance, please get in touch with me at Kerrinesyogamindset@gmail.com and please click this link to see my private service offers.
Kerrine Ramsey, January 6, 2023
Registered Yoga Instructor – Yoga Alliance ID No.: 361392
Certified Traditional Reiki Practitioner
Certified Magnetic Mind Coach
