Top Yoga Mistakes You are Probably Doing

Sharon Moore November 04, 2013

Yoga is well-touted for its amazing health benefits. It has been scientifically proven to improve balance and flexibility, boost brain health, strengthen immunity, and promote well-being. You probably have tried practising yoga several times already. But the question is – are you doing it right? Check if you are guilty of some of these most common yoga mistakes:

You are holding your breath.

Uh-oh, this is something you don’t want to do. Proper breathing is an integral part of yoga. Without constant breath, your muscle fibres won’t get enough oxygen to perform at their best, and support your body weight and make you stretch out comfortably. Keep your lungs open, and breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.

You’re practising right after finishing your meal.

One of the reasons why people practise yoga is to improve blood circulation. But if you do it when your stomach is full, most poses you are going to try are going to be uncomfortable because most of your blood is delivered to your stomach to process the food you just ate, leaving your muscles lacking enough blood supply to perform properly. Give your tummy at least one or two hours to digest food before starting with your yoga practice and choose meals that are high in fibre and protein (these will give you a boost in energy).

You are focusing too much on perfecting your pose.

Just because you can’t perform the pose like your teacher does, doesn’t mean you are not doing good enough. People differ in terms of flexibility. If you are new to yoga, it is normal not to perfect most of the yogic poses, especially the advances ones like the headstand, peacock and one-legged king pigeon. The good thing is that every pose can be broken down into what’s more comfortable for you, with the guidance of your teacher. Over time and with constant practice, you will be able to perform yogic poses more accurately.

You are pushing yourself too hard.

Whilst some forms of physical exercise require you to push yourself to sweat ‘til you drop, the opposite is true in yoga. If there’s pain, it’s either you are suffering from muscle sprain or injury. The saying “no pain no gain” doesn’t apply to yoga. This ancient practice is all about awareness – listening to your body’s signals and responses. It’s about making connection with your body.

You’re picking the wrong spot in class.

Most yoga students choose to stay in the first row so they can see the instructor. But most yoga teachers roam around to assist other students. Try the next-to-back row. Since some poses require you to face the back of the room, staying in this spot guarantees that you will have someone you can follow without looking over to the side or towards the front and sacrificing your posture.

You’re skipping the warm up.

Just like other exercises, you also want to do some ‘warm up’ before proceeding with your yoga practice. You can try any quick warm up routine that will raise your body temperature and boost your blood flow.

You’re skipping the ‘cool down’.

Cooling down is equally important to warming up for a safe and effective yoga practice. Cool down routines include counter poses that are designed to allow static muscles to stretch and soften. This prevents dizziness or light-headedness which occurs from a sudden drop in blood pressure after a workout. Cooling down after a yoga session also improves your flexibility, which adds to the benefits you can get.