Start your yoga practice! 3 reasons why Ashtanga Yoga is the perfect practice for beginners

For many of us, the past year has brought its fair share of stress, anxiety and mental health concerns. As we come out of lockdown, many of us are looking for ways to make changes that improve both our mental and physical health.  

 You might have heard that practising yoga is great for improving mental health, fitness and flexibility but with so many options out there, and little time to investigate, knowing where to start can seem overwhelming.

 I’ve been teaching Ashtanga yoga in London for the last ten years and I want to share with you why I think it’s the perfect way to start exploring the benefits of yoga.

 To begin with put aside any images that pop into your head of young bendy people with their legs behind their heads. This is how yoga is presented online and in the media, but in truth represents a very tiny percentage of those who practice and benefit from yoga. 

 I’ve taught practitioners of all ages, from those in their teens up to their 70’s. Ashtanga can be taught as both a chair and mat-based practice. You might ask yourself how that can possibly be true given the images that pop up in a Google search of Ashtanga yoga but here’s why Ashtanga is the perfect practice for you as someone new to yoga.

Three is the magic number (Tristhana)

In the words of De La Soul as well as for Ashtanga practitioners three is the magic number. 

 In ashtanga, we focus our attention on three main points (you might hear this called “tristhana” but don’t worry about the technical terms just yet). These are breath, yoga postures (asana), and looking place (drishti). We always practice them together and this is the first thing you’ll learn.

 We combine our breath with movement in what is known as vinyasa. The looking place is exactly that, where we focus in each posture. It’s designed to focus our attention so we don’t get distracted by the person next to us (or the dirt under the sofa if we’re practising at home).

As you can see, it’s not about doing advanced postures or building an intense practice. You’ll simply learn to do these things together: breath, move, look. Over time, and practice of these three things you’ll develop more focus, and increased awareness of your body. The great news is this awareness will transfer into your daily life, improving your relationship with yourself and your interactions with others.

Adapt the practice to suit you

 The postures we learn in Ashtanga are grouped in set sequences, so each posture prepares the body for the next. This way, you can build strength and flexibility gradually at a pace that suits you. With an experienced teacher, you’ll learn how to adapt the postures to suit your individual needs. There’s no one size fits all formula here.

Learn to practice by yourself

 Not only will your strength and flexibility improve, but you’ll also commit the sequence to memory. 

After just one class you’ll begin to develop the tools to practice independently meaning when you’re short of time you don’t always have to attend a class. You can roll your mat at a time that’s convenient for you and practice for as little as 15 minutes a day. It’s this little and often approach to practising yoga that reaps the most benefits.

Improve your mental health

Learning to control your breathing is one of the most positive steps you can take to improve your mental health. By training our bodies as we do in Ashtanga yoga to take longer deeper breaths we’re initiating a parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) response. This is sometimes called a rest and digest response because among other things the PNS stimulates our digestion and relaxation response so we feel better and sleep better.

 You can use the breathing practises you learn not only during practice but throughout your day. In particular, you’ll learn a simple breathing technique called Nadi Shodhana or alternate nostril breathing which has been proven to reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety.

So to conclude if you’re looking for a yoga practice that will:

1) improve your mental health

2) ability to focus

3) flexibility and strength  

Bonus

4) that you can do independently anytime or anywhere….. 

Then Ashtanga really is the practice for you!

Come along to Astanga Yoga London in Euston for your beginner's intro session