Make The Most of Your Yoga Practice

When we started FitBites in 2014, we did it with the practice of yoga in mind. Our original range including Maca Mantra, Acai Asana and Spirulina Stretch, was a big hit, and even though we’ve grown that passion for a good stretch has stayed with us.

Yoga is great for keeping your muscles and joints toned and active, but it works wonders on your energy levels, too. Depending on the style, yoga can help to get you moving and motivated, or wind you down ready for bed. You’ll get a clear head from yoga, as well, which is great considering how busy most of us are these days.

These are our top tips for getting started and getting the most out of your yoga practice.

Buy a yoga mat

The simplest advice in the world, but a mat is so important. Not just for safety and comfort, but for getting into the zone. When you unroll your mat you’re making a commitment to spend some quality time looking after yourself. The mat is where you focus only on yoga, nothing else.

Try it at home

If you have to commit to a class right off the bat, and that class isn’t what you were hoping for, or they move at a pace which doesn’t suit you, it can be a little off-putting. Joining a yoga class is fantastic later on, and a great way to socialise, but we recommend starting out at home. Choose a few videos and work through them, finding your way into the flow.

We love the selection at YogaTX — fun, challenging, easy to follow along with.

Go until you feel the stretch

When you’re starting out, there’s a tendency to do all you can to match the instructor’s pose exactly, even if it means being painful bent out of shape. Perfect posing is not the point of yoga. Yoga is a self-care exercise, and the right pose is the one which feels good to you. If that means you’re only half as deep into the stretch as the instructor, then that’s where you need to be.

Breathe into movements

Don’t hold your breath, that’s the opposite of what yoga is supposed to be. When we can’t quite get into a certain pose, sometimes we hold our breath and force our bodies into that movement — that’s bad.

Breathe to lengthen out, then exhale as you sink into your pose.

Enjoy yourself

The most important thing to remember with yoga, is to enjoy yourself. This is time you’ve given yourself to take care of your body. It’s 30 minutes to an hour at most, so relax, focus, and enjoy it.

Visit the FitBites online shop to buy the original range, or check out our new flavours.