Pushing Your Limits: Tips for Supercharging Your Yoga Practice During the Pandemic

There are many reasons to practice yoga, among the top being stress mitigation. If you’re a business manager, you’re acutely aware of the need to shred the stress; those holding leadership positions often experience high levels of stress due to myriad operational responsibilities and the constant attempt to have a healthy work-life balance. This is likely a factor in why, according to a recent Yoga Journal survey, just about 20 million Americans practice yoga currently, a figure projected to keep growing every year.

Some practitioners are happy at the beginner or intermediate levels, but others are interested in getting to an advanced level, particularly studio owners. However, with limited time or an inability to attend in-person practices, it can be difficult to progress. But there are some ways you can take your practice to the next level—such as creating a space to practice at home, buying accessories to enhance your practice, and other ideas courtesy of Sewall House.

 

Take Yoga Home With You

If you truly want to advance your yoga practice, then you should incorporate it into your daily life. One of the best ways to do this is to create a yoga space in your home. Housing.com offers suggestions for some easy ways to do this; start by designating a room as a yoga-only zone, and fill it with soft, natural lighting and calming, earth-inspired decor. When practicing at home, you should use a mobile app that is in line with what your studio instructor has been teaching. In this way, you can remain on track but can still try additional or more advanced poses.

When you’re practicing at home, make some whole-house improvements to clear out negative energy and help you relax, because feelings of stress can be harmful to your practice. Open your windows and blinds to let in some fresh air and natural light. Go room by room decluttering and tossing belongings you no longer have use for. You can also take a step further by going through your personal documents (which can really get messy!) and digitize them. Free tools online let you easily combine PDFs, so you can keep related documents together in one place.

Whether at home or in the studio, no practice is complete without a yoga mat. A quality mat strikes the right balance between providing an experience as close to nature as possible and delivering a high-performance surface that is safe, durable, comfortable and reliable. Look for a design with fabrics that help increase a sense of grounding during your practice while providing other natural benefits such as antifungal and antimicrobial material.

 

Move Your Body From the Comfort Zone

While yoga is known for its relaxation benefits, it can also tone your muscles and ramp up your heart rate when practiced properly. You can get the most out of your yoga workout when you focus on yoga practices that deal with strength training or cardio intensive styles. If you’ve chosen a strength-focused yoga style that incorporates poses such as the plank, tree, and handstand, you could push yourself a bit by holding the pose just a bit longer than you usually would. Just take care that you are in alignment and at the right strength level for the pose, or you run the risk of injury.

 

Make Necessary Changes to Your Practice

This may or may not surprise you, but it’s recommended that you practice yoga on an empty stomach. This means you should have your last meal at most two hours before you practice. This way, you’ll experience the full beneficial effects of the session, because you won’t be bloated or feel excess pressure on your stomach when you do certain poses.

Interestingly, Isha Foundation states that an empty stomach isn’t just beneficial but essential to practicing hatha yoga. Additionally, while it’s a common belief that equipment such as blocks, straps, and bolsters should only be used by beginners, that’s not necessarily the case. Using those tools can help you get into a more advanced pose without hurting yourself.

 

Dig Deeper Into the Practice

While there are definite benefits to attending yoga classes and practicing at home, it’s believed that yoga practitioners become better by gaining a better understanding of what yoga is about. You can do this by reading books that explore the beginnings of the practice, as well as ways in which yoga can influence your overall health. You can also research yoga retreats from Sewall House, as these will help you focus entirely on your practice and give you access to instructors that you might not have learned from before.

There are a number of ways you can boost your yoga practice during COVID-19. As you apply some of the tips mentioned in this article, you should see the desired effects. Just be sure to move at your own pace and don’t mistake caution for fear.

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