Q：Is yoga practice suitable for a pregnant woman?

A: Generally speaking, a pregnant woman can practice yoga. In fact, in some foreign countries, yoga has become a regular course for pregnant women. However, there are some cautions they should observe. It is generally believed that a woman should start practicing yoga over half a year before her pregnancy. According to some people’s opinion, it is not suitable to practice yoga in the first and last 3 months during pregnancy. But other people regard yoga to be suitable for the whole pregnancy period. I would rather agree with the first opinion which suggests not practice yoga in the first and last 3 months during pregnancy, for safety is the most important thing. As for the effect of yoga, yoga practice is helpful to the development of fetus and the normal labor. It reduces physical response caused by pregnancy, relieves physical and mental pressure and decreases psychological problems. When practicing yoga, a pregnant woman should be very careful. Postures with big intensity or causing compression to abdomen should be avoided. Each movement should be done in a peaceful and calm mood. It is very important to remember not to hold breath. The suitable postures for a pregnant woman are Utthanasana、Virasana、Leg Cycling、Leg Gyration、The Butterfly Exercise、relaxation、Ashwini Mudra. Finally, for the reason of safety, we suggest that she should first seek advice from her doctor, and then decide if it is suitable for her to practice yoga.

 

Q: I work in office. Everyday, I have to sit in front of my computer for a long time, which makes me feel very tired both physically and mentally. I wonder if yoga can help me.

A: Of course. The reasons you feel tired might be that you work too much under excessive pressure, your work is dull, your working environment is not good and so on. For such problems, yoga asana and pranayama would effectively help you release your weary in body and mind. Yoga asana serves to regulate our body and solve our physical problems, including problems of muscle, joints and bones. Through the practice of pranayama, our lungs get sufficient oxygen for the body, which stimulates blood circulation and delivers more energy to different parts of body. As a result, our body dispels tiredness and keeps refreshed and energetic. Moreover, pranayama helps to adjust vegetative nervous system, which has the effect of stretching blood vessel and comforting mood.

 

Q: Why do I feel exhausted after my first time of practicing yoga?

A: This problem occurs to those who seldom practice yoga. If you are healthy physically and have no disease, then your practice might be too intensive for you. True yoga is not aimed at consuming energy, but accumulating energy. During your practice, you should act according to your capability and try your best. You should also try to make your breathing in harmony with your movement, which helps to avoid the problem you mentioned. If the same problem occurs again in the future, you can practice Abdominal Breathing Exercise for more than 15 minutes, or you can also choose relaxation. If you haven’t learned the above methods, you can take a rest or have sufficient sleep, which also release your tiredness.

 

Q: Which postures help to rectify bow legs?

A: You may practice Tadasana. First, spread your legs to the width of your shoulders. Second, try hard to tighten and lift the muscles on your thighs and shanks. Finally, fix your knees in the correct position. Do it for 5 minutes each time, and your will see the change.

For thick shanks of muscular type, we suggest Should Stand and Leg Cycling. You can lie down and practice Leg Crossing Exercise. Remember to tighten your legs when practicing the above postures. Besides, postures that stretch legs, including Triangle Pose and Revolved Side Angle Pose, are good choices for you. After each practice, don’t forget to massage your shanks.

We don’t suggest Standing Strength Exercise and Strength and Balancing Exercise.

 

Q: Are there any postures suitable for those who have just had an operation? Or how long should they wait to practice yoga?

A: For people who have just had an operation, we suggest them practice yoga after having their stitches taken out. However, they should avoid Backbends or over stretch postures in the beginning. When the cut has completely healed and no pain and discomfort are felt, which take at least 1-2 months, they can start all-round practice.

After operation, the healing of outer skin is faster than that of muscles. Besides, hypodermics needs time to repair.

 

Q: Why do I feel discomfort or even pain all over after practicing yoga?

A: Our human body is a self-protective organism. If you force your body to stretch for dangerous postures when it is not soft enough, the conditioned response of muscular contraction will cause harm, sometimes it can even be very serious. Please communicate promptly with your teacher about your body response, and he/she will give you advice. However, it is normal to have slight ache after yoga practice.

 

Q: How much time should I spend on practicing yoga asana?

A: Whatever exercise you choose, it is impossible to maintain permanent health through little and temporal practice. So is yoga. The more you practice, the more you benefit. In yoga practice, the purpose does not lie in practicing yoga asana, but in what yoga brings you in your long-term practice.

 

Q: Is it proper to ask “which posture can cure a certain illness”?

A: Yoga is always a comprehensive thing. Such idea as “a certain yoga posture can cure a certain illness” is not practical. However, yoga teachers can design a series of movements to help you get rid of your illness or alleviate your pain.

 

Q: How long should I wait to take a bath after practicing yoga?

A：Generally speaking, your blood capillaries dilate when practicing yoga. Therefore, if you take a bath right after the practice, it would be easy for cold evil to encroach your body. You should rest for at least 30 minutes. Hot Yoga makes you sweat a lot and consumes a lot of energy. After practicing Hot Yoga, you should have a rest before taking a bath. If you really need one, you should not spend too much time on it, so that your body won’t feel ill.

 

Q: I have never practiced yoga before. Will it be suitable for me?

A: In fact, people at any age and in any health condition can practice yoga. The purpose of yoga is not forcing your body to practice various exceedingly difficult movements, but increasing your physical movements and restoring all your body functions.

 

Q: I’m afraid my body is not so flexible. Can I practice yoga?

A: You question points to the most common misunderstanding, which prevents many people from practicing yoga. In fact, yoga practice has nothing to do with your physical flexibility. It aims at making your body strong and flexible. Above all, you should practice yoga in a correct way and try your best, so that you may completely benefit from it. It is not that you practice yoga because your body is flexible, but that your body is flexible because you practice yoga.

 

Q: Is yoga a kind of aerobic exercise? Does it help to lose weight?

A: Yes, you may say that yoga is a kind of aerobic exercise. No matter how your physical condition is, you will find yoga quite challenging with each posture has its own flexibility, strength and balance. Through practicing yoga, your whole body from skeleton to skin can get adequate exercise. Besides, it can strengthen your willpower, patience and mind. It also helps you lose weight, build muscle, gain energy and increase flexibility.

 

Q: What’s the benefit of practicing yoga?

A: Yoga brings you much benefit, such as

·improving strength and flexibility,

·releasing pressure and accelerating blood circulation,

·increasing energy to make you feel vigorous,

·improving immunity (e.g. reducing or eliminating illness),

·relieving symptoms of many chronic diseases (such as arthritis and hyperthyroidism),

·increasing the flexibility of joints, exercising muscles around joints and improving compression resistance,

·reinforcing body functions, and reducing the probability of injury and recurrence of old wounds.

 

Q: How often should I practice yoga each week? How long should I spend on each practice?

A: Yoga is a lifetime exercise. So you’d better practice it every day. However, the accelerated tempo of life and work in modern times makes it difficult to spare one or two hours each day for yoga practice. Nevertheless, remember that to practice yoga 20 minutes each day is much better then to do it 3 hours once only each week.

 

Q: What preparation work should I do before practicing yoga?

A: Before practicing yoga, you should keep your stomach empty for 2 hours and drink a small quantity of water to evacuate free radicals in your body. Besides, you’d better have a shower or clean your feet. Keep yourself warm. You can bring loose-fitting cotton clothes with you (e.g. leisure wear or sportswear).

 

Q: What should I pay attention to when practicing yoga?

A: Don’t force your body for quick results. Practice each posture in the course of nature. For beginners, it is fine to try your best, and there is no need to do each movement fully. As for the exercise ground, it should not be too hard or too soft. The best way is to use a yoga mat. Or you can lay a blanket or a large towel on the ground, as long as your knees won’t hurt when you kneel down. As for your clothing, you should not wear close-fitting clothes and ornaments that bind you, such as waist band, belt, watch, necklace and earrings.

 

Q: I’m such a lazy person that I don’t like doing exercise. Will it be beneficial if I practice yoga occasionally?

A: Yes. Our yoga course is not only an exercise, but a profound subject. It is worth costing you a lot of time. You can experience the change occurs to you during your yoga course.

Whenever you have any questions on yoga practice, feel free to contact us through this email: info@yogasummit.com.cn.