Get advanced in your yoga practice by breaking some of the bad yoga habits that we all have.
Yes, we all have some of the other bad habits. The same implies even when we practice yoga. Though according to sage Patanjali, there is no right or wrong mentioned in Yoga Sutras while practicing yoga. But, improving some bad yoga habits which enrich your yoga practice is not a bad idea at all.
“Yoga is to stop the modifications of the mind – Yogah Chitta Vritti Nirodhah” – Yoga sutras 1.2
To achieve this we need to be more centered and poised. This cannot be done merely by 1-hour practice on the mat but by understanding that our other habits of life also affect us.
Implementing yoga in lifestyle is an important change we need to make to break bad yoga habits.
Practicing yoga helps us to be virtuous with the tradition of Yamas and Niyamas. But to do so there are some daily yoga habits we need to change. This will enhance our practice and lead us to better results faster.
Let’s dwell into what are those bad yoga habits that doesn’t help us to get advanced in yoga and we should break them immediately.
Bad Yoga Habits That You Should Avoid
1. Comparison:
When you bend forward in pashchimottanasan or padahastasana; for once you must have seen the practitioner in the neighboring mat if he is reaching to the toes or not. Of course, we see others and learn.
But many a time we are completely occupied comparing with others while we practice. This may motivate us but there are chances that one gets demotivated as well. This can lead to negative feelings as well which is not the true motive of practicing yoga. So, the comparison is not a very good idea!
2. Pushing Beyond Self Limits:
Stretching in yoga is good but stretching beyond your limits can be harmful especially when you are a beginner.
Moderation is the key says yoga philosophy is many different phrases and aphorisms. The same moderation is to be applied while practicing yoga asanas as well. If we push ourselves more than what is required we may get injured and we need to avoid this bad yoga habit.
3. Don’t Skip Savasana:
Oh, it’s late let me skip Savasana today– this is something done many times. Savasana is thought of as asana that is of no use or is optional. It is very important to do savasana each time because it calms one down. We do series of asanas every time, ending the class with a savasana is to calm the mind and end it well.
Want to experience yoga as advanced yogis? But new to yoga? Know these most helpful yoga hacks to prepare yourself for the first yoga in order to look like advanced yogis.
4. Not Being In The Moment:
Being in the present is the salient feature of yoga. We generally live in the past or future, while yoga teaches us to be in present. In our daily yoga habit we think of everything else as soon as we step on the mat, isn’t it?
5. Using Your Phone:
Our phone is our favorite companion– we are so used to this habit that cannot even leave it when practicing yoga?
We keep checking the phone when we get notifications, or sometimes even without it.
Whether we practice yoga at home or studio, we must avoid phone asanas as it is key factor to distract our mind and attention. We have to train ourselves to get over this bad habit which even leads to bad yoga practices.
6. Listening To Loud Music:
Music is one of the ways to calm the mind. There are ways to meditate on the sound. There is even a type of yoga known as ‘Nada Yoga’.
Agreed, but listening to pop and loud music while practicing asanas is taking us away from doing ‘Ekatatva abhyasa’. It is said that we must do one thing at a time, mindfully and that is yoga.
Instead music, prefer sound therapy like OM to enhance your yoga.
7. Not Focusing On Breath:
Breathe is the ‘Prana Shakti’ means ‘Life Forces’ that we often ignore. But yoga is the way to feel it consciously.
While teaching yoga we often see students not breathing consciously in asanas. This bad yoga habit can lead to problems like feeling hypoxia or getting cramps.
No doubts! Deep breathing makes yoga intense and meaningful. In order to level up in yoga, we must learn to control over breathe. These breathing exercise are the wonderful tools that many yogis use to relax their mind instantly.
8. Don’t Be Lethargic:
Lethargy is a bad yoga habit. ‘Alasya’ or laziness is one of the hurdles in the progress of yoga says Sage Patanjali in Yoga sutras.
Laziness is a bad yoga habit which we need to get over to reach higher goals easily.
9. Don’t Skip Yamas and Niyamas:
Yoga means asanas- yoga means union of mind, body, and soul – this is something known by all. But, there’s a lot before and after this as well. Also, how to achieve this unity has many ways. Out of which two steps before asanas are Yamas and niyamas. These are to be practiced too.
10. Don’t Skip Pranayama:
Pranayama are working not just on a gross level. They work on the subtler level too. Pranayama are important to re-energize ourselves before we start to meditate.
How To Break Bad Yoga Habits?
Do you know that yoga’s maximum benefits doesn’t hide in how we twist our body and make the perfect move but on how consciously we live in that pose.
Some bad yoga habits doesn’t allow us to dwell into deep divine oceans. Let’s know how we can break them to allow divine energy flows through us.
1. Read More Books on Yoga:
Reading more books on yoga will help you understand the depth of yoga. It will help you get the daily yoga habits in place. It is important to know what is required to get the mind centered. This will reduce the distractions and lead to discipline.
Enhance your everyday practice with these most impacted yoga books by great spiritual leaders.
2. Meditate Each Day:
Meditation will help you to reduce negative thoughts, and bring positivity in life. It also energize your mind and body so you can get over all the bad yoga habits easily.
3. Live A Yogic Lifestyle:
It is necessary that we not just limit ourselves to one hour of yoga practice on mat. When we get yoga in our daily routine we see tremendous changes and experience maximum benefits. It also drills us to reach the higher goals of yoga and imparts spirituality.
4. Try To Understand Your Body:
With meditation and mindful practice of asanas, awareness of your body increases. This increase your interest to practice as the experience changes. One can even read books on anatomy and yoga asanas. Once we understand our body, we are less likely to injured in yoga due to some bad perception.
5. Eat Sattvic Ahar:
“As is the food, so is the mind.” – is not only a modern-day quote but also mentioned in Bhagavad Gita shlokas.
Bhagavad Gita is an age-old scripture in India – A book on yogic life. If we eat sattvic food our mind also gets sattvic.
A sattvic mind is someone who thinks clearly, decide quickly and the decisions are more virtuous. So, eating a sattvic aahar will help you to think wise by breaking all of your bad yoga habits.
How Can I Make Yoga A Habit?
Motivation is required to do anything and everything. How can we get this motivation?
- By knowing the importance of yoga and its benefits. Once we know the benefits, there is a will that automatically encourage you to practice yoga daily.
If you are looking for some yoga inspiration, start reading, ‘Autobiography of A Yogi’ for great encouragement.
- Additionally, Discipline is something that stays with us for a longer period even if the motivation is gone. So being disciplined about practicing yoga is the requirement to make yoga a healthy habit.
- We must learn to make yoga a lifestyle. The way we eat, the way we think, what we watch, what we listen to impact our practice a lot. So, all of these needs to be in check.
- Moreover, Getting on the mat is one of the easiest technique we can follow to make yoga a habit.
- We mustn’t judge ourselves tagging us good or bad. The above habits ain’t an act of evil but merely something avoidable.
- Avoiding these bad yoga habits can help us reach deeper goals of yoga.
- Being mindful in yoga and getting over these distracting hurdles will reach us to beautiful goals of yoga-like being centered, focused, calm, stress-free, free from stress-related disorders, connecting with oneself spiritually, being more virtuous, increase in kindness and happiness. The benefits of the daily yoga are many, we just need to follow the right yogic habits.
Which bad yoga habits you were having as a new yogi and how you break them? Share your experiences with us to enlighten others spiritual path.