Yoga can be a really challenging type of exercise for beginners. This is mostly due to the fact that a full-body workout requires a great deal of skill. In addition to excellent physical fitness, which involves strength, good stretching, and the ability to keep your balance, breathe properly, and “be in the moment” will also be needed.
For example, if you do CrossFit but have poor stretching, even the simplest poses can become a problem. However, even if you haven’t done any sports before, with regular practice, you can still be successful in yoga.
Why Is Yoga Challenging for Beginners?
So there are three main reasons why it’s hard for beginners to start a yoga practice:
- Apparent ease. People who don’t know much about yoga often see it as a kind of stretching with elements of Eastern philosophy and complicated names of poses (asanas). However, without regular practice and, therefore, the discipline of mind and body, it may be quite difficult to achieve success;
- Desire to instantly achieve perfect results. One of the first things to keep in mind for beginners is that you shouldn’t compare yourself to Instagram posts. It will take at least 3 to 6 weeks of regular practice for you to get your first results in improving your physical fitness and body image. And for sufficient mental preparation, it may take a few months to take control of proper breathing and maximum concentration;
- Using yoga as part of a weight loss program to a deadline. While it’s true that practicing yoga does result in a strong, flexible body and good posture, it’s nothing like stretching combined with breathing exercises. First and foremost, it’s about improving your mindfulness.
Training your body and mind separately is barely a good idea; yoga combines a trained body and your desire to improve. Even if you choose power yoga (also known as Vinyasa yoga, a fast-paced style that’s focused on building strength and endurance), you can’t do without practicing proper breathing, mindfulness, and focusing on what’s going on with your body.
That said, don’t get upset if you can’t do even the simplest pose the first time. It’s quite natural that you will need to repeat each pose many times until you achieve the desired result.
Another serious misstep that can reduce the effectiveness of yoga classes is the desire to practice too intensely and be better than others. To get better at it and avoid severe pain, you must “listen” to your body and mind in the first place. And, of course, no excessive loads.
It’s important to stay long enough in each pose to be able to observe your sensations. Also, keep in mind that yoga is a cooperative way to improve your body and mind. Thus, everyone in the group has to support each other.
Why Yoga Can Be Hard Physically
Even if you think you’re in a good shape, yoga can still be challenging at first. That’s because, most likely, your body is not used to moving in certain ways. How much physical effort you will need largely depends on the style of yoga you choose.
For example, if it’s power yoga, you will definitely need a certain level of fitness, including the following components:
- Strong body;
- Excellent flexibility;
- A sense of balance;
- Physical endurance.
You will also need enough joint mobility for proper stretching.
Accordingly, there are several reasons why yoga can be quite physically challenging for beginners:
- Strong but not flexible. For example, if you do CrossFit and, consequently, have a strong body and sufficient level of endurance, even the simplest asana that requires good stretching may still be quite difficult to hold;
- Excellent flexibility, but no strength. Yoga is not an option for stretching, so you’ll need to train physical strength, stamina, and a sense of balance for poses like the “plank,” “plow,” or “headstand”;
- No physical strength, endurance, and flexibility. If daily physical activity is not your healthy habit, you can’t do without muscle tension. In this case, you will need to develop all the necessary skills, starting with the simplest poses. This will help you reduce the risk of injury and gradually increase the level of acceptable physical activity.
All yoga poses require a certain level of fitness. For example, the “happy baby” or “downward-facing dog” are soothing poses aimed at increasing relaxation, stretching your back, and building upper body strength. However, they can be quite difficult for beginners simply because the body is not yet used to unfamiliar loads.
Why Yoga Can Be Hard Mentally
Yoga is not just physical exercise aimed at developing strength, flexibility, physical endurance, and a sense of balance. You will need to simultaneously train your mindfulness, as well as concentrate on your breathing and the sensations of your body.
That said, beginners may sometimes face the following psychological difficulties:
- Being unaccustomed to deep breathing. One common mistake, often made by novices, is that they use “shallow” chest breathing. However, to fully oxygenate the body, you need deep, diaphragmatic breathing, more commonly known as “belly breathing,” which helps to restore emotional calm and reduce stress levels. Additionally, you should also inhale and exhale through the nose, which can be a tough thing to do during physical activity, especially for beginners;
- The “wandering” mind issue. If you are just getting into yoga, you may find it difficult to concentrate, to be “here and now.” Meditation is an important component of yoga that can help you stop the endless “inner monologue” throughout the day. One of the main goals here is to ignore distracting thoughts that prevent you from focusing on what you are doing and feeling at the moment;
- The desire to get great results quickly. Since a lot of people often think that yoga is an advanced version of stretching combined with breathing exercises, they often expect to get results in 1-2 workouts. Accordingly, inflated expectations that steal away your joy often become the reason for quitting, as it seems like it just “doesn’t float your boat”.
Additionally, certain yoga poses, combined with meditation and breathing exercises, can also become a challenge for beginners. However, these exercises help understand which parts of the body require increased attention.
So the main rule is to compare your progress only with your own results at the start, without comparing yourself to other group mates. This way, you will be able to track your real achievements.
The second rule is not to turn yoga into a competition. The purpose of such practice is self-improvement, including enhancing the level of empathy. In other words, it’s not supposed to be: “Wow, I did this faster than anyone else! I’m super flexible!” but rather “Hey! I did it! And now I’m going to show some support to the person next to me, and I’m going to be happy for someone other than myself”.
How Long Does It Take for Yoga to Get Easier?
The exact answer to how quickly you can get your first results depends on your initial level of physical and psychological fitness. On average, you will need:
- 3 to 8 weeks of regular practice to notice lasting changes in flexibility, stamina, and balance;
- 20-25 minutes per session (at least) for beginners, 4 sessions per week, with gradually increasing to 1.5 hours per session;
- 10,000 hours of intensive practice to reach the “advanced” level of yoga.
That is, beginners will need about 16 sessions to feel confident. It also depends on what style of yoga you choose. If you start with Power Yoga and later add “softer” yoga styles like Anahata or Kundalini, make sure that you consider each of the styles individually.
Assume you do “gentle” yoga every day, plus, practice power yoga or AntiGravity 3-4 times a week. In this case, you are more likely to succeed as you are combining “soft” yoga with intense workouts every week. This way, yoga will gradually become your everyday habit and cease to be perceived as stress by your body.
Tips for Beginners to Help Overcome the Feeling That Yoga Is Hard
The most important thing to do for a beginner is to find a way to get rid of the fear. For this, you need to collect as much information as possible to feel confident. Also, learn to motivate yourself to practice regularly and get everything you need to exercise.
Basic recommendations for starters:
- Start practicing in a group of people with an experienced yoga teacher. Even if you’re planning to include yoga in your list of home workouts in the future, it’s best to start with a professional who will help determine your physical fitness level and recommend the most suitable yoga style and training intensity for you;
- Sign up for a group for beginners. Even if you’re in a good shape, you will still need to get useful information and instructions on proper breathing/holding poses, which are not available in more “advanced” groups. This will also reduce the risk of injury, and you will quickly get your desired results;
- Do not rush to the next level. Yoga is not a sprint. It might take a little longer to master each pose so you can enjoy new sensations, remain calm, relaxed, aware, and in tune with yourself;
- Don’t be afraid to try other yoga styles to find the perfect one for you. If there are several yoga studios in your city, you can compare each of them and choose the most suitable style. In addition, you have the opportunity to compare the style of each studio and choose the one that inspires the utmost confidence in you;
- Be sure to let your teacher know about any difficulties you may face. This will help your teacher train you and provide useful recommendations. After all, only in this case, your teacher will know which poses are too difficult/easy for you and adjust your training program accordingly;
- Make yoga a habit. Even if you initially practice 1-2 times a week, it should become an enjoyable ritual for you. After all, this is all about self-development, which means yoga and preparations should become part of your daily routine.
Be patient and pay maximum attention to the very process of yoga practice. Only then will you be able to truly enjoy your yoga sessions.
Conclusion
There are two main mistakes that beginners often make when practicing yoga:
- Yoga seems too difficult and intimidating;
- Yoga seems deceptively easy, especially if you’re good at stretching.
To avoid disappointment in yoga classes, in both cases, it’s a good idea to collect as much information as possible and start with the easiest poses.