Dear Wanda, Yoga FAQs
I am a beginner Yoga student and I am not very flexible. How often should I practice Yoga?
Tracy, SheungWan.
Dear Tracy,
Most beginning Yoga students will find that they’re not very flexible or performing some of the asanas can be difficult. As with anything new, effort, perseverance, guidance and practice will help you make the progress you are looking for. In my experience I have found most students will make sustainable progress by practicing at least two to three classes per week. However for many new students one of the biggest obstacles in planning or attending two to three classes each week is the mental battle they conduct with themselves. This battle or conflict generally is in regard to how limited their abilities are and the daunting task that lies ahead.
An easy solution for many students has been to supplement their classes at the studio with short, daily Yoga practices at home. What they have found is that attending even just two group classes weekly in concert with fifteen or twenty minutes at home daily provides remarkable results. Also many students with busy travel schedules find the routine of fifteen to twenty minutes of self practice daily while away from home will ensure they maintain their level of flexibility.
Hello I’m 39 years old, approximately 70lbs. overweight and looking at starting Yoga classes. A few of my friends who currently do Yoga have suggested I should not start Yoga classes until I lose some weight. Are they correct? Helen, Sai Kung
Dear Helen,
They are absolutely wrong! Over the many years that I’ve been teaching Yoga I’ve had many overweight students who do very well in their Yoga practice and weight loss goals. They find that the more gradual weight loss they can experience from doing Yoga brings them to a much more balanced weight which they find easier to maintain. Of course in the beginning the additional weight they carry can prove challenging in many poses as well as adding stress to certain joints.
I would say that one of the keys to a successful Yoga practice would be to understand that much like life, Yoga is a journey. We do not arrive at our first Yoga class expecting that we have traveled to the end point. Like any journey we should enjoy the trip, make note of the low points and of course the high points, they are what makes each of our journeys unique and special to us. My advice beyond that would be to start off slowly with good direction from your Yoga teacher in a class small enough where you will get the individual attention you need. As far as frequency of your practice my suggestion would be two to three classes per week and an additional fifteen to twenty minutes of home practice per day.
I’ve been doing Yoga for just over twelve months now and I am having a problem with my meals. I take a 730 evening class twice a week and find it very uncomfortable if I eat a heavy meal before class. On the other hand I feel I am starving if I do not eat until after class. What should I do?
Robert, Kowloon.
Dear Robert,
This is a very common problem and no matter when you practice Yoga, you will want to make sure the food you have eaten has moved along the digestive tract far enough that your stomach is empty. Practicing on an empty stomach will make inversions and forward bends more comfortable. Also when there is little food in the digestive tract and waste in the bowels, energy moves more freely throughout the body.
Energy in one of its five forms called prana, is extracted from the air we breathe in normal respiration. The expanded breath capacity during pranayama boosts the energy supply and works as a direct substitute for the energy one would normally derive from food. For this reason it is common for accomplished yogi’s to eat less food. As a Yoga practitioner you may experience that to a lesser degree, finding your need for food is reduced immediately after class and for a few hours thereafter.
Having said that, here is a plan for practicing Yoga in the evening.
- Eat your heaviest meal midday.
- At least two hours before class eat something light so your stomach will be empty by the time you get to class. Look for foods that are easily digested like soups fruits and vegetables. Avoid dense foods such as fried foods, meat and heavy grains.
- After class, be sensitive and determine whether you’re actually hungry or merely eating out of habit. If truly hungry, eat another small, easy to digest meal waiting at least twenty minutes after the class is ended.
Namaste, be happy and well.
Wanda Hewitt is the Director of Yoga Education at Yoga Limbs. Yoga Limbs is family run and operates two locations in Hong Kong. Check out www.yogalimbs.com or call 2525-7415 for more information on learning or practicing your yoga skills.