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Mats can be as basic or as complex as<br />
you want, and they can be under $20<br />
or upward of $50, depending on the<br />
brand or thickness of the mat. The<br />
final decision is up to you and your<br />
budget.<br />
Next, you will need yoga<br />
appropriate clothes. Don’t think you<br />
have to buy name brand yoga pants or<br />
tops. Yoga really only requires clothes<br />
you can move and feel comfortable in.<br />
Whether that means a baggy t-shirt or<br />
a slim tank top, yoga is about making<br />
you feel good, so wear what you feel<br />
most comfortable and agile in.<br />
Last, have a towel and some water<br />
handy– yoga does get sweaty!<br />
Types of Yoga<br />
Decide what type of yoga you<br />
want to do. There are many options,<br />
but there are three types of yoga that<br />
are most popular: hot yoga, ashtanga<br />
yoga, and vinyasa yoga.<br />
Hot yoga has become popular<br />
recently because it is a useful way<br />
to sweat out impurities. In hot yoga<br />
studios the air is usually set to around<br />
93 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit.<br />
Ashtanga, similar to teachings of<br />
ancient yoga, uses specific sequences<br />
of posture. It is appealing because<br />
every time you will do the same poses<br />
in the same order. This can help your<br />
yoga practice become muscle memory<br />
and more of a stress reliever.<br />
Lastly, vinyasa yoga is a Sanskrit<br />
word meaning “to place in a special<br />
way.” Vinyasa is similar to Ashtanga<br />
in that it has the same poses in the<br />
same order. What makes it different<br />
is that it is slower and more flowy,<br />
allowing you to pay more attention to<br />
your breathing.<br />
Besides these three, there are<br />
tons of other kinds of yoga you can<br />
experiment with.<br />
You can also practice yoga in<br />
different settings. Yoga can be done<br />
anywhere, but most people either<br />
choose to do classes at a gym or<br />
studio, join a group in a nearby park,<br />
or just practice it alone at home.<br />
Breathing<br />
Before starting to practice yoga, it<br />
is important to understand breathing.<br />
Gail Connell states that breathing is<br />
the most important part of yoga.<br />
To practice correct breathing,<br />
breathe in and completely fill your<br />
chest. Once the chest is filled to<br />
maximum capacity, completely<br />
exhale through the nose. This is one<br />
of the most basic types of breathing,<br />
although there are many others.<br />
Because it is the most basic type of<br />
breathing, it is a good beginning<br />
breath for those wanting to start yoga.<br />
Poses<br />
After having learned a little bit about<br />
yoga, we can now look at some poses!<br />
These are some of the most basic<br />
poses. They can assist beginners in<br />
their first few yoga sessions.<br />
Cobra<br />
Child’s pose<br />
Downward dog<br />
Warrior<br />
Triangle pose<br />
Photos by Emily Heath
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