A Beginner’s Guide to Yoga

In our last issue we looked at stress and how it can slowly degenerate your bodily systems by shutting them down in preparation for a fight or flight response. If you haven’t read it yet, then click here to learn more. Yoga is a method we use at Mount Sinai’s Department of Rehabilitative Health, to help patients alleviate stress and tackle long term health problems. It also focuses on preparing patients to develop mobility, flexibility, and range of motion. We have set up some basic yoga tips so that even if you don’t pop in to see us – you can participate.

 

Firstly, you need to ensure you are in the right environment. Practicing yoga in your office isn’t going to be beneficial if you are constantly interrupted by impromptu meetings and telephone calls. Our first tip is to practice in a quiet environment where you are unlikely to be disturbed by others.

 

As we are trying to disengage from the world, it is important ensure that there is nothing that could possibly interrupt you. Our specialists frequently report people struggling to maintain a good temperature. If you are too cold or too hot and the environment is a distraction, then it would be wise to adjust it. This will make the session more effective than otherwise.

 

One of the easiest positions for beginners is the corpse position (otherwise known as the dead pose). This will give you a great entry into yoga that you can try this afternoon – or whenever you can gift yourself the time.

 

• Lie flat on your back. Stretch your arms out, spelling out the letter T. We recommend, for comfort reasons, that you place a suitable pillow under your head and/or knees.
• Close your eyes and begin to enter a relaxed state of mind. The essential part here is to form a clear intention to yourself that you intend to relax. Begin breathing deeply and exhale at a rate of 1:2 (e.g. 1 second inhale 2 second exhale).
• Lightly contract muscles and relax them. This can begin with whichever muscle group you desire. A great focus is on muscles that are particularly tight or stressed – only you can really know that. For example, you tighten your shoulders periodically and then release them. Tighten your quadriceps, then release them. Your buttocks… Continue going through all your muscles periodically from your feet to your head.
• You will at this stage begin to defuse bodily tension. After you have completed these fairly simple exercises, you can happily remain lying in a state of relaxation for as long as you desire. We recommend practicing between 10 to 30 minutes for practical reasons – if you can do longer then great.
   
  If you are considering yoga classes Mount Sinai offers classes with certified yoga teachers (CYTs). Please contact us on (212) 241-6321) to see if we can further help.