Six Yoga tips for the New Year and how they can change your LIFE in Little Italy

Yoga is a key step to breaking old cycles and habits in addition to helping you feel better by nurturing your mind and body. If you have tried to enter or learn a yoga lesson yourself, use this New Year to allow Yoga to show you its magic. Through this practice, people have found strength, faith, composure, and discipline under challenging situations, and you can become one of them!

What you do in your practice is only your own, and what you feel during the learning and stretching of a class is what is most important. Forget about stereotypes—” you have to look like this,” "only flexible and thin people can do it," and so on— as Yoga aims to link your breath to movement so you can improve your life slowly and profoundly.

Here are some realistic and mindset tips that will help you start your yoga journey!

Stop comparing yourself with other people.

The slowest mental torture you can inflict on yourself is to compare yourself with others. In yoga class, you will see that everyone cares about their own company and struggles hard, just as you are; all of them are looking for a better way of life. Everyone's' got their own vibe, so you haven't got to compare it to yours. See Yoga for what it is, which is never about failure, only growth.

Strength, power and versatility live inside you.

Yoga does not mean "powerful enough." It does not want to make you "cool," it wants you to push your body towards its best and improve your inner abilities. 

Disconnect to reconnect and feel.

When you wish to reconnect, you must remove your face from your phone. Instead, stay tuned to what you hear and feel, not to just what you see, for at least one hour per day, and note that life is exactly that, what you hear and feel. This exercise will motivate you to practice yoga and, of course, to be more  conscious of your surroundings. 

Take your yoga practice outdoors.

A four-wall room is, without a doubt, an excellent way to practice yoga, more if the teacher knows how to set a nice environment. But, once in a while it would also be nice to practice with your eyes closed in an outdoor place, such as parks or beaches —or even at home. We all need to breathe fresh air and take a break from any squared room. 

Concentrate.

You have to reflect on what you’re doing inside the four corners of your mat. Yoga is perfect for getting into your inner center, and for this, you need to remember to take a deep breath and exhale all that you don't need. Stay alert and create an image inside your head that is optimistic and inspiring for you, which will help you alleviate your stress. You're more than necessary in this world, and this is your bridge.

Unroll your mat at the right time.

You will be sore during the first year if you’re new to yoga, so forget about trying to be number one, and being hard on yourself, you only need to set your goals and unroll your mat whenever it feels right. 

Advice: The Mysore Ashtanga Yoga is perfect for beginners because it only takes 20 minutes. As a new Yogi, this practice is important, and some tutorials are also recommended.

In essence, don't force your body to do anything it can't. Your body is a valuable asset you need to look after; you'll know when you're ready. Take care of yourself in the meantime and avoid any possible harm. Enjoy every session and change your life as much as you can. Begin your Little Italy yoga classes today!!