Yoga tips to make the best yoga experience

Sip on tea to calm the mind. You’re already tense and you’re trying to do something difficult in Yoga. Practice mindfulness meditation with your breath and calm your mind with a tingling orange tea infusion – gin infused tea called “Back to Life” gives a jolt of energy and settles your nerves.

Break wind with your toes. Yoga is a complicated experience, one that will definitely not win your perfect scores. Break a sweat or two by gently rubbing your feet together to create warm sweat. Then reach your toes and gently give yourself the shimmy of an inverted lunges. You’ll feel lighthearted as you do the V-sit.

Bend your knees. Don’t forget the baby girl pose. The best stretch is naturally when you balance on your forearms with one hand behind your back. Take the other hand and look up and down to “spring” your knees to the side. You’ll also keep the pressure off your back and it’s an excellent reminder to keep practicing yoga.

Stretch with your fingertips. Your hands can hold the pose for a minute without any strain to your wrists. Try handstands with your fingertips in the air.

Set a timer to prevent any tension in your legs. You can do this in a single position of yoga. Take a wrap around your knees to spread your legs and let them curve out in front of you. Then allow your knees to fill with air, allowing your thighs to nearly touch. Take a nice deep breath and release into the stretch. You can do this for at least three breaths, making it an easy stretch.

Ground your back on your palms. Your mother taught you to ground your back with your hands. The better you are at it, the better you’ll be at yoga. Standing on your palms allows for great stability. With the palms on the floor, adjust your knees, knees away from your stomach, place your hands gently on the floor behind your back, and slowly do a deep yoga Bikram Kama on your knees.

Pick up a fold. Any class will lead you to a few hot stretches, like a Turtle Pose, Warrior Two, or Terrace Pose. Have a fun twist on it. As you are on your back, imagine an important paper folding into a shape that you can fold. Then, you bend your knees towards your body and do another variation on the exercise – the mail fold.

Dive into the bath water. This is one of the best ways to practice your breathing. Count to three. As you try to ease your breath into a deeper mode, try to “breathe” as close to the floor as possible. Do a wavy down side for 45 seconds.

Warm up your lungs to boost breathing. Sitting up in your chair, what are you doing with your arms? You’re doing nothing. Stand up and take a few deep breaths in your arms to fire your lungs up. Try to do three to five deep breaths as you exhale.

Float in a pool. Slide back and forth on your knees in the shallowest part of the pool. While you float, tell yourself you’re going to breathe in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. If you can, try to breathe with your hands. This will instantly double your inhalation rate, and be a great way to reduce tension in your diaphragm.

Doing yoga has a purpose beyond just having a good time. Take control of your body, hands, and mind, and you’ll have a way to maintain a good, complete workout without being overly sore or exhausted for days on end.