We all have bad habits. So we can have bad habits when practising yoga.
For a more effective practice, the following bad yoga habits should be changed.
1. Stop comparing yourself with others
It is easy to compare your one pranayama with her arm balance when practising. But the truth is that their practice has absolutely nothing to do with yours. You are on different mats and on a completely different journey. You don't know how long she has been working on her flexibility or how long he has been working on his strength.
Although it may seem that the grass is always greener on the other side, this is not the case. The grass is greener where it is watered. So devote your time, energy and attention to your own practice and see how it blossoms.
2. Resist pushing yourself beyond your limits
Respect your body, respect your mind and respect your soul in your yoga practice. Too often, practitioners get overzealous and push themselves beyond their physical limits, which can lead to injury. If you really respect and listen to your body's cues, then you will know exactly what your body's limits are. Never go beyond your limits. Simply allow them to expand with time and patience.
Our bodies know themselves best. So be sure to listen more to your body's internal cues than to your teacher's external ones to know exactly what works for you and what doesn't. Always make sure to follow your internal teachers more than your external ones to ensure your body is safe.
3. Stop focusing on the end goal
Many of us are goal oriented. For example, we want to do handstands or arm balances or splits. But when we focus too much on the end goal, we lose the value of the journey.
Enjoy every moment of the exercise. Learn to observe your growth and progress from the times you fall. If you really enjoy the whole process, you will get to the end goal much faster.
4. Get out of your head
As one of the most common yoga habits, many gassers spend a lot of time in their practice in their minds rather than their bodies.
Get out of your head and into your senses.
The beauty of asana practice is that it allows you to get out of your mind and into your body, flowing to the rhythm of your breath. Move and let the vibrations of your practice reverberate through your physical form. The effect will be more than you can imagine.
5. Please don't skip the stretcher pose
Stretched corpse pose is the most important and most difficult asana. In other postures we need to focus on alignment cues, worry about balance and positioning, whereas in stretcher pose there are no such external distractions.
6. Please do not hold your breath
Breathing is a form of life energy and in our daily lives we often hold our breath. Holding your breath during practice is detrimental to your inner energy flow. Physically, it deprives your body of oxygen. Energetically, it deprives you of subtle physical energy.
7. Stop practising telephone asanas
Whether you practice yoga at home or in a yoga studio, we all check our phones during our practice. This is one of the worst yoga habits ever!
Our time on the mat is the time to unplug and get out of our minds and into our bodies. The phone will distract you from your practice.
Break your bad yoga habits and watch your practice blossom
Your yoga practice is a safe space for you to be yourself on the mat.