Yoga at home: 6 common, but avoidable mistakes

The ancient practice of yoga is great medicine for the body and mind. However, for amateurs and professionals alike, it requires a lot of attention on concentration, breathing, twisting, bending and inverting to completely engage the body, mind and soul into the practice. With the kind of detail that goes on to the practice of yoga, mistakes are inevitable. While some mistakes may hold back the progression, others can cause more harm than good.

Let’s take a look at the common 6 mistakes that people make while practicing yoga at home:

1. Wearing unsuitable clothing

   While practicing yoga at home, it might be tempting to start the practice in home wear, but it isn’t always a good idea. If the clothes are too tight or ill-fitting, it can cause distraction during the practice. Therefore, it is always recommended to indulge in some trial and error before selecting the right yoga clothing. Also, it is important to wear clothes that are made with light fabric and feel good on the skin.

2. Not using props

   It’s easy to overlook the importance of props while practicing at home. Yoga props like blocks, straps, belts, etc. support, enhance and deepen the practice. Props help a yoga practitioner to master postures that demands balance and flexibility. They also help in building muscles and deepening twists. Props help yoga practitioners to gain the sensitivity of a pose while acquiring the benefits and not overdoing it.

3. Avoiding warm-up

   The idea behind warming up the body is to introduce it gently to what is required from it. There are different ways to warm up the body like light stretching, light jogging, brisk walk etc. Warming up boosts the cardiovascular system gradually increases the blood flow and raises the body temperature. This lessens the risk of injury and reduces muscle soreness.

4. Inconsistent practice

   In the present day world, nearly everyone is leading a busy, hectic and distracted life. A person has to constantly juggle professional work, household chores, family responsibilities and other tasks. With so much to attend to, it can be challenging to maintain a consistent practice. This makes progress difficult and reduces the beneficial effects of yoga on the mind, body and soul.

5. Practicing yoga over a full stomach

   Yoga should never be practiced on a full stomach. When there is food in the intestine, it takes up space, making it difficult to perform forward bends or twists. Shoulder Stand or Headstand also gets difficult in full stomach. The other concerning thing is that yoga when practiced with a full stomach, can make a person feel nauseous or cause vomiting.

6. Using a low quality mat

   It’s perfectly fine to start yoga practice with an inexpensive beginner’s mat, but clinging to it for years can slow the progress. An old yoga mat can bunch up, not stay flat or even cause a person to slip because of less grip on the surface. Mat issues can be distracting, prevent achieving the fullest of poses, and also cause injury.

The last word

While it is advisable to perform yoga under an experienced and trained, authorized yoga instructor, but still there are chances of mistakes due to lack of clarification. Therefore, always clear your doubts with your trainer.

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