Pilates may have stolen our attention in recent years but yoga is still one of the best low-impact exercises you can do for building full body strength and cultivating calm. Regular yogis tend to be great examples of the ’improved vitality’ that yoga’s said to promote, while various studies have found that yoga might be a useful tool in managing depression. It’s also an accessible form of movement that can be done pretty much anywhere, so long as you have something comfy to wear.

However, if you’ve only just come to yoga, your practice may serve as a sharp reminder that you’re not as flexible or strong as you want to be. Or perhaps you find that the moment you get on the mat, your mind is flooded with an ever-growing to-do list. 

If this sounds like you, here are five steps to improving your practice.  

Choose the right kind of yoga for your goal

There are more than 100 different types of yoga, so there’s a style for all goals.  Age, size and fitness aren’t barriers either, as there are modifications for most yoga poses. The thing you need to think about is what you actually want to achieve with your practice.

Do you want to reduce stress and anxiety? Are you looking for a full body workout? How about reducing injury risk in your running or gym work? Once you’ve figured out the purpose behind your yoga journey, it’s time to start trying different styles.

There are four distinct avenues to choose between:

1. At home practice
2. Classes at a gym
3. Studio classes that offer a variety of styles 
4. Classes in a niche-studio, offering a specific style of yoga (like ashtanga yoga and kundalini yoga)

Each avenue comes with a unique set of benefits and challenges, so have a think about which one would suit your needs and intentions best. Often the only way to know for sure is to try a session out, so it’s worth experimenting with yoga style and setting.

Teachers will also have a major impact on your yoga experience, so be open to new classes until you find one that truly speaks to you. 

Read up on the philosophy of yoga (it’s not all about the poses)

 In the West, most of us think of yoga as being about exercise and meditation, but stretches are only a very small part of the practice. Yoga asanas (the flows) are just one of eight paths that make up yoga more generally. ‘Yoga’ is means ‘union’ in Sanskrit, and it’s all about bringing together the physical, mental systems of the body.

Apart from the asanas, the other seven paths of yoga are made up of: 

1. Yamas (attitudes towards the world)
2. Niyamas (attitude towards ourselves)
3. Pranayama (breath work)
4. Prathayara (withdrawal of the senses)
5. Dharana (concentration)
6. Dhyana (meditation)
7. Samadhi (enlightenment)

By helping a friend, focusing on your breath while sitting on the sofa, speaking your truth or learning a new skill, you’re technically practicing yoga.

There are plenty of resources online allowing for deep-dives into the yogic world. If you find this stuff fascinating, there are also loads of books to introduce you to the topic. Autobiography of a Yogi, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice are all highly regarded reads within the yoga community. 

If you’re not interested in the spiritual aspects, that’s OK; everyone’s entitled to take from yoga what they need. This openness reflects the essence of yoga – it’s an inclusive activity, left up to individual interpretation.  

Focus on feeling, not perfection

If you’re a perfectionist who always tries to do the hardest version of an exercise, yoga might be a really challenging activity. Rather than forcing your body into a picture-perfect position, try scaling back each pose until you start moving for you and not someone else’s gaze. A big part of yoga is working on your relationship with your mind, recognising which thoughts serve you and which ones you should aim to let go of.

The first mental challenge is around letting go of what a pose or flow ‘should’ look like. Allow the mind to be led by the body rather than vice versa. 

By shifting your mindset, your practice will go from an experience of self-judgement to one of deep connection. It’s at that moment that you’ll start feeling into that ‘zen-ness’, which will leave you craving more.  

Learn to love (or tolerate) the things you loathe

The poses, exercises or practices we want to avoid are usually the ones we need the most. Challenge yourself to stay in savasana if you’re desperate to get back on your phone or check on the washing; hold that chair pose for two more breaths if the thought of it makes you want to squirm. 

By breathing through the discomfort, you can push through mental barriers. That inevitably leads to feelings of empowerment and autonomy, and the reward of exercising that mental muscle will benefit you both on and off the mat. 

Embrace the art of letting go

If you step onto your mat and do the best with what you’ve got, whatever follows will feel right. What that looks like will vary from day to day, so being able to let go of any expectation is going to mean that you enjoy and get the most out of your yoga practice every time you do it.

Tuning into the present, sharpening all senses and being mindful of each breath, movement and feeling that arises during your practice helps you to get (and stay) in a flow. 

By figuring out what you want out of yoga, reading up on yogic philosophy, favouring feeling over form and pushing through limiting self-beliefs, your practice will become uniquely yours. And that’s when the magic connection will happen. Your practice will be what you make out of it, so go create your own fortune and prepare to reap the rewards.  

Images: Getty