7 Tips To Take Your Yoga Practice To The Next Level

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Yoga has grown in popularity. It is an excellent method of cultivating the mind-body connection while also offering a chance to increase physical form. Just like with any type of exercise, however, you can reach a plateau where you seem to get stuck. Instead of finding frustration at that point, try out a few tips to help you breakthrough and take your yoga practice to the next level.

1. Hit the Books

Reading up on yoga theory and philosophy allows you to uncover an amazingly complex school of thought and belief. It can give you a better understanding of the body mechanics behind your favorite flow sequence. Learning the why behind what you are doing can also help you improve alignment and posture. There is a right and wrong way to do each yoga pose. If done correctly, your body bends into the pose, stretching and growing. If done incorrectly, you can get seriously hurt.

2. Enroll in a New Class

Even if you practice yoga every day at home and go to a regular class each week, there is so much more you can learn. Try a new class or enroll in a specialty workshop. Sometimes you can gain tremendous benefits from learning a new way to do things or hearing a new instructor’s perspective. This is also a great way to get fresh feedback on your form. While practice makes perfect, reinforcing poor posture and bad body alignment is not helpful.

3. Embrace Clean Eating

Yogis have embraced clean eating for centuries, well before it became a popular trend. They regularly eschew animal products and aim to eat foods that benefit the body and mind. That’s a pretty tall order to fit into your busy lifestyle, so give yourself some leeway. Le-Vel Thrive reviews show that adding supplements can help you meet your nutritional needs and give your energy a healthy boost.

4. Stay Hydrated

Water is important, and it is one of the simplest ways to clean up your food intake. Experts recommend that you drink about eight glasses of water each day, although your actual fluid requirements will vary based on a number of factors. Try to drink regularly throughout the day instead of gulping it down in spurts. Carrying a refillable water bottle around can aid in this goal. It gives you a convenient way to measure how much water you are drinking while making sure you are never without a cool and refreshing sip.

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5. Let Your Body Lead

When you practice, and you should be practicing to advance your yoga form, try not to lead with your mind. Set an intentional focus on throughout the session and then let your body and breath take charge. Relax into each pose, feeling the stretch and alignment. Become aware of how it feels in each part of your body. Let your breath set the pace. If you are in a class where everyone is moving and breathing together, you may need to step aside and find your own rhythm. After all, hyperventilating because you are trying to match someone else is neither relaxing or a good way to grow your yoga skills.

6. Go on a Retreat

This may seem like a luxury that can be easily dismissed by budding yogis. However, a yoga retreat is an investment in your self-care and personal development. You will get to meet others who are on similar journeys, explore how your practice influences your everyday life and, possibly, find a renewed sense of purpose toward it.

7. Turn Your Focus Inward

Close your eyes for a change of scenery. This will really challenge your balance in standing postures. It will also help you relax and feel the movement throughout your entire body instead of focusing on a specific place in the room. After all, yoga is about cultivating internal awareness and harmony, not thinking about the space you are in.

Embracing the philosophies of yoga can help you break through the obstacles in your practice. Working to learn about and understand the philosophies that drive the form and opening yourself up to new perspectives can take your practice to the next level.

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