How to start practicing yoga: advice from a yoga teacher

Starting yoga is an increasingly frequent choice, and with good reason. Practicing yoga has many advantages, such as a better connection with the body, decreased stress, improved flexibility, strength and endurance. Faced with benefits of this magnitude, more and more people are choosing to start doing yoga.

Finding a yoga studio and a gym that offers group or individual courses is becoming easier all over Italy but, at the same time, such a wide offer could confuse you if you are a beginner.

Maybe you are wondering where to start for practicing yoga : better a studio or a gym? Is it better for group or individual yoga classes? And what are the risks of practicing yoga at home?

Before leaving, there can be many doubts, and that’s why we asked a yoga teacher, Angela Casadei, to answer the most frequently asked questions of those who want to start doing yoga.

Angela Casadei is from Romagna and has been a yoga teacher for three years; she lived abroad for ten years, working in hospital as a neurology technician but in 2018 she decided to return to Romagna and open her yoga studio, Yoga in Salotto .

Before becoming a certified teacher, Angela practiced yoga for many years. She began the practice when she was 17 and was diagnosed with a herniated disc: after several failed therapies, they advised her to start doing yoga. A precious advice, which has allowed her to gradually improve her physical health, even if it is only for a few years that her back has found peace because – she tells us – “it is not only the physical part that impacts our body, but also the emotional one.

We interviewed Angela to clarify some of the aspects to consider when she decides to start practicing yoga. Despite all the benefits of the practice, in fact, it is important to choose the yoga course and teacher with awareness.

There are many types of yoga but specific preparation is required to teach them. What is the typical path, if any, to become a yoga teacher?

The best path is to choose a long-term training school. You often hear about weekend-long yoga trainings, but those are fine for upgrades, not becoming teachers!
It is important that the training program contains a good section devoted to human anatomy as well as internship hours.
If you also want to transmit the most ancient and profound part of the discipline, retreats in Ashrams in India are a plus.

What are the benefits of yoga?

The benefits are many, and certainly the most visible and tangible are those on a physical level because the body stretches and stretches.
As you go into the practice, you learn to understand that yoga in reality is a lifestyle capable of making changes also to the way we face the day. Embracing the philosophy of yoga allows you to live a more peaceful and joyful life.

Are there any risks or aspects that should be considered before starting yoga?

The first thing I recommend is to talk to your family doctor and check your health status.
It is true that some yoga styles are not of high physical impact, but it is good to follow a personalised path if there is were particular pathologies that require more care and attention.

What is the best age to start practicing yoga?

Tao Porchon-Lynch, the oldest yoga teacher in the world who passed away a few years ago at the age of 101, started practicing yoga when she was 40. There is no better age to start. do yoga; yoga is a state that we carry inside… we just have to rediscover it.

It is increasingly common to find yoga classes in our cities: they often take place in specialised centers but also in more generalist gyms. Do you have any tips to learn how to choose the perfect yoga class for your needs? How do you make sure that we are relying on a competent yoga teacher in the face of an increasingly wide range of courses?

It’s very difficult. Personally I do not like large classes, so if a person has never practiced yoga I do not recommend multilevel courses and especially with a large number of participants.

Finding out about the yoga teacher is always a good thing. I recommend talking to the teacher before taking part in a class: the care he will put in listening to you, he will also transmit it in teaching the practice.

We often hear that yoga is a practice for everyone, is it really so?

Yes, that’s right, but not all teachers are suitable for all practitioners.
In my opinion it is important to find the teacher who helps us find our personal practice. It may happen that we reach a point where our yoga practice is no longer in line with that of the other people in the course: in these cases it is right to direct the practitioner into the hands of another guide. If we think about it, even at school it works like this: after elementary school we go to middle school, then to high school and so on. Why should it be different in a path as delicate and personal as that of yoga?

Some types of yoga involve more complex athletic positions, which require the presence and guidance of a teacher. What do you think of yoga classes at home? Are there any risks? Do you have any advice on this?

Online lessons are a double-edged sword: in some cases they are fine, in others they should be used sparingly.
If you really can’t do it in any other way, I recommend taking some live lessons, even private , with a teacher to understand how to best perform a more “advanced” practice.

What advice would you give to parents who are looking for a yoga course for their children?

The same ones I would give to an adult practitioner: if the teacher does not inspire confidence and acceptance, she is not the right person for you.
Talk to your children to see if they are happy; if not, change. The practice of yoga is an exchange: if you are not feeling well in the room, the exchange does not happen and you end up doing some stretching, only with more complicated names!

Have a nice job!