HEALTHY LIVING

I had to start my practice all over again in my twenties when I realized that, while I was very bendy, I was not benefitting from the longer holds that required strength. In short, I learned that I needed to focus on building strength first (especially in my legs) if I wanted to progress with more bendy and advanced poses

9. Avoid drinking water during your practice. While it is important to stay hydrated, drinking water during your practice can affect what’s meant to be happening inside your body. A vigourous sequence will heat up your body and that temperature should be maintained throughout the practice. Drinking water during a yoga flow will cool down your temperature and affect your experience. It is much better to drink water about an hour before your practice, and then drink water again after you’ve finished your sequence.

10. ALWAYS focus on your breath. There are many breathing rhythms in yoga but the most important one is to be aware that you are breathing while doing a pose and/or sequence of poses. It is amazing to discover, once you bring mindfulness of breath into your practice, just how often you tend to hold your breath. The general rule is that you should always be able to breathe comfortably and regularly when doing yoga. Don’t get caught up on whether or not your breathing ‘right. ’ Your body intuitively knows how it should breathe but, for those of you who want a basic guide, you should (and will likely naturally find) that you exhale when moving into a pose and inhale when coming out of a pose The breathing should always be easy and natural when holding a pose.

11. ALWAYS start and end your practice with Savasana. Also known as the Corpse or Sponge pose, Savasana is a pose you should never skip. In fact, no practice is complete without doing Savasana as this is where the real quieting of the mind and overall integration of body-mind-spirit occur. Time spent in Savasana shifts your body away from the sympathetic nervous system to the parasympathetic side, enabling you to experience a sense of calm at both the start and end of your practice. Considered a restorative pose, it will bring your entire body into deep relaxation and therapeutic healing Taking 5 or 10 minutes at the end of your practice to come to rest in Savasana will help you process and assimilate all that you experienced ‘on the mat’ in your body, your mind and your spirit. While I know it is tempting to quickly get off the mat when the poses are done and move into the day’s demands, Savasana is an actual pose (probably the hardest one to do) and not taking the time to do it properly to end your practice and leave you feeling rattled for hours after practice.

In the words of yoga teacher, Eoin Finn, “Missing Savasana is like taking the time to mix a cake batter but not stick it in the oven to bake.” I agree with Finn and believe these tips serve as ingredients to making an incredible yoga experience. Just make sure you take the time to do Savasana and bake. Enjoy!

Next week we will look at best Yoga etiquette practices, stay tuned!

Heidi Pfleger has been a Yoga Teacher and Wellness Coach for more than 30 years and a student of yoga since the age of five. Born and raised on a farm in the Paris area, Heidi ventured further afield to study Yoga around the world in her twenties and has since been sharing her experiences and continuing in her studies both on and off the mat. Heidi offers regular yoga classes and individual sessions as well as wellness coaching sessions and retreats throughout the year. For more information on her programs, contact Heidi at 519-755-1447.