How often do I hear from friends and acquaintances that they have tried yoga but did not like it? “Yoga is not my thing,” they say, implying that their first (and most likely last) lesson was unpleasant for them. Why? Because they “tried” to do yoga.Since it’s trendy, because the neighbor across the street is married, and because Instagram is full of gorgeous photographs from yoga studios, they didn’t know that the first rule of yoga is that you can’t do yoga on the spur of the moment. I was the same myself. It took more than three years before I found my direction in yoga.

Yoga is a philosophical doctrine about the health of the soul and body. It encompasses much more than only physical activity. Trying to do yoga is not the same as trying to do Pilates or Zumba. Yoga is a bitter and robust experience. Yoga can give you a slim body, a calm and clear mind, solid nerves, and iron self-control. And most importantly, yoga can provide you with health and happiness. It is worth taking four crucial steps before giving yoga to change your life for the better.

Step 1. Find the right motivation.

Yoga is not a sport of high achievements and not a method of losing weight. If you go to yoga to become the best student of the year or lose a couple of kilograms, know that this is a false path. It will not lead you to yoga or your goals. Yoga is love, not aggression or demand. The right motivation to learn yoga is love for yourself and the world around you. By loving yourself the way you are at the moment, you will be able to achieve great success in practice.

Yoga is not only asanas (poses) performed on a mat. Yoga is a philosophical and practical system related to the development of a person and his complex physical and mental recovery. As you know, we feel the most outstanding psychological comfort and the most powerful surge of strength when we help others. The right motivation to learn yoga is the desire to make the lives of people around you better. For loved ones, you can be an example. They will see how yoga transforms your life. You can become a teacher for them. You can dedicate the practice to them, give them the positive energy you have accumulated during the lesson, or share the knowledge received from the teacher.

Step 2. Find your direction

While one of my instructors used to say, the path to enlightenment is irrelevant. According to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the primary objective of yoga is Chitta-vritti-nirodha (removal of mental fluctuations) or the attainment of a “natural state of mind.”During the existence of yogic teaching (more than 5000 years), many yoga directions and schools have. Some are more ancient and canonical, and some are more modern and adapted. There is something to choose from it. If possible, it is worth trying each classical yoga style to come to your own. But it also happens that intuitively you can already understand from the description, which corresponds more to the inner essence – I urge you to read about each in detail. My friends, and yoga teachers, kindly helped me describe my directions in the way they feel and see them – after reading each one, you can already catch the mood of the practice.

Hatha Yoga

The main direction of yoga, on which all other principles. Literally, “Hatha” is translated as the union of the sun and moon, strength, and flexibility. The Hatha Yoga school includes various authors’ directions: Iyengar yoga, Shadow yoga, etc.

Ashtanga Yoga

Like the man himself, an eternal, constant process of personal evolution. And evolution is a voluntary matter, and as Christ said: “I do not want sacrifice, but love.” To live, you need to be strong. Strength is necessary for every aspect. To endure loved ones, weather, illnesses, age changes, sleepless nights, doubts, misery, not to “go” from happiness, to correctly identify yourself and your place in the world – you need strength.

And the power always comes from a SINGLE source for all people, and it does not matter whether you are a religious comrade or a “canonical” atheist.

Practice is one of the ways to get rid of illusions. It is finally escaping the “realm” of the mind. Since we live inside this kingdom, it is almost impossible to convey this in words. The style is strict. Exciting. It was explicitly separating the “grain from the chaff.”

Vinyasa Flow Yoga

Creativity, diversity, the balance of statics and dynamics, effort and relaxation, and complete contact with the body through breathing are how I see Vinyasa Yoga. Of course, each practitioner develops their style and vision of Vinyasa.

Kundalini Yoga

They often start practicing with it, although, to be honest, severe Kundalini is instead the last step for sophisticated yogis. Its popularity among beginners is because Kundalini yoga works faster than other schools; the first lesson is enough (with diligent execution, you can “fly away”). However, sometimes classes last for three hours. The master of Kundalini Yoga, Yogi Bhajan, left behind the whole teaching about human life, so when you come to a class on Kundalini Yoga, be prepared for the fact that you will end with theory in full.

Step 3. Find your teacher

First described in the Yoga sutras and Upanishads, sacred texts dating back thousands of years, yoga is transmitted from generation to generation via the practice of discipleship. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of a yoga teacher or guru as a special mission that comes with a sufficient deepening of knowledge in yoga – to teach others. Those who have deeply learned yoga and whom it has helped to change our lives have an irresistible desire to share our knowledge with others. That is why anyone cannot become a real yoga teacher. It must be a person of an enlightened mind who lives by yoga.

On the other hand, the Upanishads and gurus are no longer the only sources of information about yoga. There is also youtube, colorful books, and thematic sites. Is it possible to master yoga on your own? Somewhat no than yes. First, you may quickly run out of fuse. The first difficulties you encounter in practice can quickly demotivate – after all, no one can cheer you up or give advice. Secondly, no scripture, no video can provide a complete understanding of the construction of asanas, the technique of proper breathing. If you have enough willpower and perseverance to practice on your own, you can easily injure yourself or get used to performing asanas incorrectly. Misinterpretation of the practice will not bring its main effect – therapeutic. And then you will be disappointed and quit classes.

Yoga implies complete trust in the teacher. But if the teacher does not give you actual or false knowledge, it can discourage the desire to practice for life. I urge you to approach the choice of your guru with all responsibility because your interest in yoga practice and your health and state of mind will depend on it.

Step 4. Inlay Yoga into your life

Yoga will become a sparkling diamond illuminating your everyday life if it into your habitual life. Yoga is by no means a cult or a religious sect. The practitioner strives to get a new quality of life by continuing to perform critical social roles for himself. The most challenging thing for a modern person is to find the time. Yoga does not exist without physical exercises and meditation. Canonical yoga schools (for example, ashtanga) call for regular practices – at least five times a week, but other schools offer to practice only when you want to. How to optimally add exercise to your schedule? 

Some yogis practice asanas at sunrise—some practice at sunset. Time for meditation can always be entered into your schedule, for example, meditating at work at lunchtime. And can practice yogic breathing (pranayama) regardless of what you are doing here and now. Yoga is a more conscious experience of the experience of your life and the experience of your actions. Each of the steps of yoga that you will bring into your life will help you to cope with daily tasks more successfully. You’ll see.