General Guidlines For YogaAbhyas

When i first started training as Yoga Instructor, one questions that constantly nagged me rather confused me was about what exact guideline should i follow to practice Yoga in the right manner.Is it ok to eat right before i do yoga, what are the  right kind of clothes to wear,whats the  right time (i am not a morning person so i just wanted to know if i could do yoga in the evening),Can i go to the gym and do yoga the same day, do i have to take shower before doing yoga? I took my questions to my teachers and they gave me some guidelines to follow which i have been passing on to my students as well. Here are some i would like to share with everyone who wants to start their yogic journey to good health but are confused as i was.

Guidelines:

1. Place and Surroundings - The place that you choose to do practice Yoga should be quite,airy and well light,insect free ( you don't want to be in an asana trying to shoo a nagging fly away that would be so injurious to your and  the fly's health).In short the place should make you feel cheerful and if you lack such a place you can create one by using incense or fragrant flowers etc.
2. Suitable time and the Condition of the Stomach- Its considered best to perform Yogic practices on an empty or light stomach. Usually early morning or post dawn morning are considered best time to perform Yogic practice,but if you can't find time during those hours,you can also perform Yogic practice during evening on light stomach or any other convenient time. Generally allow 4 to 4 1/2 hrs to pass between heavy meal and  doing yoga
3. Dress and Seat- For Yoga its best to wear something that is light soft ,clean and one that will allow easy body movement. The seat used to practice Yoga should neither be too soft nor too hard
4. Physical exercises, sports and Yoga- Although all these activities compliment each other, one should not practice them together, Let at least 20 to 30 mins time interval to pass between the practice of physical exercises /sports and Yoga.
5. Suggested Yoga Schedule-  Not all of us have been gifted with the most flexible and healthy bodies hence when you start practicing Yoga,start with pre-preliminary or preliminary course which contain easy and basic practices that are designed to prepare the body and mind for the various essential bends ,twists and stretches . Its always harm full to try some kind of new physical practice or exercise on our own. This can lead to injury so its advisable to first start Practice of Yoga under the careful eye of a Yoga instructor. And last but not the least your doctors consultation on whats right and whats not for you is most important. What might suit one person may harm the other. But you can with the help of your instructor customise a Yoga program for your needs.

These guidelines made life and practice of Yoga easy  for me. Hope it does the same for you. Here is to staying safe and healthy

SG