How to practice Yoga Online?

Discover some tips to practice Yoga Online and avoid any injury.

Practicing Yoga Online has become normal. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions applied to sports centers and Yoga studios, both teachers and students have had to adapt to the circumstances and practice yoga at home .

One of the fundamental principles of this ancient practice is adaptability : that is why body flexibility is worked on a lot. Although in the past the teachings were transmitted from teacher to disciple, from the orality and the face-to-face act, currently the situation forces to practice Yoga Online .

Many may think that through the digital world the essence of Yoga is lost. However, if one finds a good teacher , who knows how to cross screens with his energy, his magic and peace can remain intact . After all, the teacher is a simple guide: the true master of the practice is the practitioner himself. Thus, the Online format forces the yogi to redouble his attention and concentration and use his own intuition as a great ally .

Below you will find some recommendations to maintain an adequate sadhana and practice Yoga Online without losing your real goal.

• You are your own teacher : when you practice Yoga Online, you really realize that the true teacher is yourself. You must have all five senses alert . It is important for this to develop awareness of the body: that in each posture, one strives to feel all the parts of that temple . And not only the areas that work, but also those that are relaxed. One must be curious enough to experience the pose from a deeper level of consciousness. If the Yoga Online class is deferred, you will not have someone to correct you verbally: that is why it is essential that you do your little scan in each asana . How are my shoulders? Are they relaxed or tense? And my neck? Do I feel the stretch the teacher talks about? Am I able to feel if my back is upright? And my legs, are they active or asleep? How is the grip of my little toes: relaxed or stressed? If the practitioner has been with his routine for a very short time , and is unable to be aware of things as subtle as the level of pressure of the big toe on the ground, it is advisable to practice live Online Yoga classes ; even, if possible, completely private and personalized. This will give you a stable base where with time and perseverance you can carve out your own sadhana .

• Observe your vital state before practicing : dedicating a space of time to contemplate the state of mind in which one is before the practice is essential to be successful in sadhana . Because? Because in this way one is aware of what the body really needs that day , and not what the mind demands to raise its own self-esteem. The practice of Yoga should not be cultivated to feel more beautiful or better, but to accept yourself as you are and understand your real nature: that you are a being of peace and unconditional love. Therefore, listening and observing the body is essential; that will guide us when choosing the Yoga Online class. A good yogi is one who decides the content of his practice based on his physical and emotional state : there may be a person with a very advanced practice, who can achieve the most complicated postures, but if one day he wakes up with a migraine or fatigue and decides push your body to the limit with an advanced class, you will be a mediocre student. You will not have understood the purpose of the practice and, furthermore, you will be exposing yourself to a great risk of injury. Yoga is for healing, not for creating more stress and anxiety. Choose your class according to your real needs. Don't run, don't be in a hurry. Listen and enjoy .

• Be a disciplined student : another great recommendation when practicing Yoga Online is to follow the guidelines stipulated by the teacher. The practitioner must be humble and curious enough to listen to the instructions and advice of the person who has devised the class . Not just out of respect. But to avoid injury or tearing. Verbal adjustments are a great treasure : they help us expand our body awareness and understand the posture from another perspective. It is also important to read the description that accompanies the video : it usually awaits valuable information. Practicing Yoga Online opens up a world of great variety: but to progress in sadhana, less is always better than more . Going little by little, doing class by class, level by level is more useful and effective than wanting to cover everything and get lost in the abundance of digital content. Not everything found on the Internet is professional : one must not only be a disciplined learner, but also a critic. Developing the ability to know if a content is of quality or not is very important to avoid getting injured. In order not to get lost or fill up with concepts that create disorder and do not offer good support.

• Practice with assiduity and kindness : Finally, it is essential to be assiduous and compassionate. Practicing daily is ideal (and it does not mean practicing Dynamic Yoga 7 days a week , but combining dynamic practices with more relaxing and restorative classes, and sequences only intended for pranayama or meditation). Only constancy, repetition and compassion can help the yogi to evolve. There is pain, there is desolation, there is frustration and above all effort. But all that can be transformed into lightness, clarity, lightness and presence . The sacrifice that one makes when practicing Yoga is not in vain: that time is golden. It is vital food not only for the body, but for the heart . If there are very busy days, nothing happens: 10 minutes of meditation is enough to refocus and align with our inner being. Each step taken, whatever its direction, brings us a little closer to union. To the expansion of our individual consciousness. To the liberation of the mental dialogue.

Every day offers us the opportunity to wake up : either by practicing Yoga in person or Yoga Online. Everything that is happening has a secret meaning : maybe it is to have more time for your sadhana. It may be to teach you how to create your own sadhana. Maybe in the end, Yoga Online will help you to be more independent, intuitive and compassionate .

Make the corner of your house where you carry out the practices of this ancient philosophy a space of peace and well-being . A place to heal.

Mae Knapnougel