How to start yoga well?

 At what age to start yoga? What postures to adopt? How to start yoga at home? Check out our comprehensive guide to getting yoga started.

Are you looking to tone your body, gain flexibility or release tension? Yoga is definitely for you! To get started safely, Emma Champion, yoga teacher and ambassador of the Yoga Searcher brand, gives us all her advice. 

How do I get started with yoga?

Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Hatha, Bikram, or Iyengar: there are many types of yoga targeting various needs. To calm your tensions, reconnect with your breathing, or gain tone, each yoga practice is different and it is important to find the one that suits you before you start. "The advice I will give to a yoga beginner is not to stop at a first experience," explains Emma Champion, who also recommends "testing different classes to find out which one suits you best". Always favor yoga classes corresponding to your level, that is to say, level 1 or beginner. To start, a 60-minute session is preferable, less, it is too short for a complete practice and more, it can be a lot. Also, you will get more benefits from doing yoga every day rather than 1h30 every 15 days. Do not forget that the internet is full of good addresses. Take a look on the Web to find the perfect yoga for you.

How to start yoga at home?

Taking a class is necessary to learn the basics of yoga. However, it is not imperative to go to a gym since it is now possible to practice yoga at home. Thanks to online classes, on YouTube, or via applications, yoga becomes accessible to all, thus facilitating its practice by novices in the field. Among these free or paid applications, we like Daily Yoga with a real personal trainer, 5 minutes of yoga for a quick and effective session, as well as Down Dog Yoga to vary the workouts.

Can anyone practice yoga?

Emma Champion's answer is unanimous: 'of course, yoga is adaptable to all bodies'. Whatever your level in yoga, just find the class that suits you, according to your desires and needs. It is a discipline that can be practiced every day, by both men and women. The same observation about the ideal age to start yoga: there is none because this sport can be practiced by everyone, whether you are 20 or 50 years old. Moreover, yoga is even recommended for seniors because it can be very gentle on the body. Anyone over 60 will turn to Hatha yoga or Yin yoga, offering a calm pace and slow stretches, perfect for avoiding injury.

However, note that there may be contraindications for some yoga postures. "It's up to the teacher to inform you during the practice," says Emma Champion. Thus, if you are new to yoga and suffer from pathology or pain, do not hesitate to take a physical class, in order to inform the teacher of your physical health.

What postures to start yoga?

For beginners, Emma Champion advises practicing 'sequences of movements coordinated with breathing. Soliciting a large number of muscles of the body, they allow to let go and offer a full awareness of the movement. "To begin with, I would advise knowing the sun salutation A then B"," explains the yoga teacher who recommends this easy posture in the morning to give 'good energy to start the day.

For the more novices, start with the pose in a suit or Sukhasana who learns to sit properly. If the exercise seems simple, it is important to practice this position because sitting well allows you to enter meditation thanks to the immobility established. It is also an ideal posture to start the day: it offers calm and serenity essential to connect your body and mind.

Finally, among the best exercises to start yoga, there is also the posture of the cat, ideal for strengthening stretching, and relaxing the body before training. Repeated several times, this posture relieves back pain and improves flexibility without pain.