To get the best results from any practice, it is important to follow its rules. In the same spirit, if you are a yoga practitioner or starting a yoga practice, it is essential to follow the rules for yoga.
When we say rules for yoga, we are going to focus on:
– What are the essentials for yoga to work?
– What goes a long way in making a beneficial yoga practice?
– And what can be a hindrance in your yoga practice?
Certain basics, if not taken care of, can either nullify the hard work you put into your practice or can make it very difficult.
Likewise, the knowledge of certain essentials like how a yoga practice should begin and end, can amplify the results multiple times.
So, it is of great importance for every yoga practitioner to take care of certain dos and don’ts.
Here are the top 20 of them, from generic to technical – each of them equally important for great results.
Not to mention looking at your phone, talking, or going through the lunch menu in your mind while practicing – those do not even make it to the list.
Table of Contents
Rules for yoga – 10 things you should do
#1. Accept your strengths and limitations
Approach your yoga practice from a point of complete acceptance of your body – strengths and limitations. We all have them. Work with them and not against them.
Be mindful of your body type, injuries, or any other conditions.
Be gentle and patient with yourself. The goal of Yoga is to know yourself, and if you cannot develop a sense of acceptance, knowing cannot happen.
This doesn’t mean you should not start Yoga if you think you are not flexible, but start it because you are not. Work closely with yourself and through it, you might find other treasures.
#2. Eat at least 2-3 hours before practice
I have done handstands on a full stomach, and I can tell you it is not a nice feeling!
I realize that is an extreme, but you do not want to be feeling heavy, dull, or uncomfortable while in an Asana Practice.
If you are practicing Asanas in the morning, eat at least 2-3 hours before sleeping. Preferably, a meal that is easily digestible and vegetarian. Both quantity and quality of food go a long way in the results of your practice.
For example, eating proteins at night can result in stiff joints the next morning. Eating too much carbohydrate may bloat you – making you unfit for a yoga practice.
#3. Pick a time for practice and stick to it
The most important aspect of a yoga practice (bodily or other), is to discipline the mind. To start living a conscious life instead of a compulsive one, driven by whims and fancies of the mind.
But to discipline the mind, you need to be a hard taskmaster.
One of the most accessible ways to discipline the mind is the discipline of time. Start your practice at a fixed time every day and do not leave your mat before the scheduled time.
The mind will resist and present many obstacles, but you must cross them to become the master of your mind through your practice.
#4. Choose an uncluttered and well-ventilated space
The ancient text of ‘Hatha Yoga Pradipika’ mentions that a Yogi lives an aloof life so he can practice away from the din of the city.
For people like us, who still love this world and its din (no judgment at all!), having an aloof space itself can go, a long way. If possible, with natural sunlight but not too windy as that is not conducive to the practice.
So if you are doing Yoga at home, it can be an east-facing room, the lawn, or the terrace. In the case of being in a group studio class, maintain body and breath awareness and be with yourself. Advanced practitioners can close their eyes as well.
#5. Be mindful from the beginning to the end of an Asana
The process of moving into an Asana is ‘Poorvang’ and coming out of it, ‘Uttarang’. Both hold great importance.
Use your body and breath correctly going into a posture, and you can achieve it easily. Likewise, respect your body while coming out of the posture and you can keep doing it. You must have heard of people jumping out of Asanas hurting themselves and not wanting to try Yoga ever again.
Also, always be aware of the coming out breath and follow-up postures. The whole process makes a posture complete and effective.
#6. Maintain the awareness of your breath – inhalation and exhalation
The body has its ways of telling you what is going on inside and whether you should continue it.
Pain, for example, is one of those blessings.
If not for pain, we human beings would not know where to stop, not just in an Asana, but also in life.
Breath is another way the body speaks to you.
Be aware of your breath and you will see how your body is coping with a certain Asana. It even gives you hints of how you can modify your posture to improve your breathing.
Be aware of it and see it transforming as you further in your yoga practice.
#7. Practice proper sequences as per your body
This is my favourite example and I cannot quote it enough.
The spiritual teacher Max Strom quotes in his book ‘Life Worth Breathing’ – ‘If practicing postures until we are super strong and flexible were enough to make us into masters of life, then people would be flocking to the athletes in Cirque du Soleil to seek spiritual advice’.
This is not to underestimate the power of yoga asanas but to avoid falling into the pit of thinking that accomplishing complicated Asanas alone will make you a great Yogi.
A simple shred of ego can shake your accomplishments in a second.
Simple-looking postures can work on your energy centers way more than handstands.
Go with a proper sequence, and do not be obsessed with one thing only.
#8. Prefer morning for your yoga practice
One of the most common questions people ask is whether they can do Yoga in the evening.
The answer is yes. However, the most dynamic time to do Asanas is in the morning between 6-10. This is because the earth element is active at this time of the day. Any kind of movement will give great results, for all kinds of practitioners.
Evening 6-10 pm is also governed by the Earth element, but some Asanas including backbends and handstands can hinder your sleep. That makes this time slot limited as compared to the morning.
Watching your eating habits during the day for an evening practice can be a challenge too. Mornings are pretty simple for almost everyone in that aspect also.
Also, you will see that your bends and twists, all are deeper after emptying your bowels in the morning. If you practice yoga in the evenings, because of normally warmer temperatures, the bends may still be good, but the energy still moves better in the mornings as the channels are clear.
So, unless you have no choice, go for mornings as your practice time.
#9. Practice regularly for the best results
I cannot emphasize the importance of practice enough.
To quote one of my favorites – ‘I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times’ – Bruce Lee.
Only regularity in practice fine-tunes you to a certain level that nothing else can.
From my own experience, a regular yoga practice transforms your whole personality.
On the other hand, an irregular practice leaves you in the middle of nowhere. And trust me you don’t want to be in the middle of nowhere, it is not a nice feeling.
#10. Always end your practice with Shavasana
One of the most difficult Yoga poses of all? Shavasana, The Corpse Pose.
It took me years to develop the kind of awareness where I could feel how even a small part of my body was still tense in Shavasana. Sometimes it was my left shoulder, neck, and sometimes lower back.
It is not easy to let go.
Shavasana develops your body awareness immensely.
Also, always end your practice with Shavasana to practice the art of relaxing your body consciously.
Rules for yoga – 10 things you should not do
#1. Do not include fast and unmindful movements into the practice
Yoga is a deeper science where we access our body and minds from a place of stillness.
Therefore, do not warm up with jerky or fast movements before you start your yoga practice, it’s a bad idea.
In fact, most respected Yoga schools start their sessions with Shavasana – simply relaxing in the Corpse pose.
Similarly, once the practice finishes, it is of immense importance to minimize any movements. The whole point of Asana Practice is to make the body fit for sitting still and that is exactly what you should be doing too.
Finish your practice by sitting still in a steady cross-legged posture like Sukhasana or Padmasana and observing the breath.
#2. Do not make the practice about your ego
Are you that person who feels ashamed because she is stiff?
Or are you the one who must do it better than anyone else?
Even worse, are you the one who goes for a headstand variation instead of a simple one, just to flaunt her skills?
Your practice is exclusively yours – it is for you and through you. Do not make it about other people. Do not make it about a certain idea.
Remain centered and with yourself.
#3. Do not wear tight or synthetic clothes
There have been a lot of changes in the traditional way of practicing Yoga.
While some of them are workable, others can stop you from deriving the maximum benefits.
An example is synthetic clothing.
Organic clothing is the best to keep the prana (energy) flow optimum while practicing Yoga. Together with maintaining the right kind of energy required for yoga practice.
Ideally, it must be un-stitched, as are the traditional Indian wear – Men’s Dhotis and Women’s Sarees. However, for all practical purposes, you can go for a breathable fit made of pure cotton.
If thinking on a higher budget, raw silk is great. For colder regions, pure wool is an option too.
#4. Do not wear too much jewelry
A yoga practice done the right way and with the right intentions stimulates certain internal energies.
Wearing metals or even energy stones like crystals without the proper prescription can give rise to conflicting energies while you practice Yoga.
Wearing any jewelry or metal on high-energy places in the body like the navel, which is where all the energy centers meet, is a definite no.
Dormant energy centers like ear lobes are OK.
Personally, I don’t take a chance, as I want to explore my highest potential.
#5. Do not drain your energy in a hurry
Trying to achieve the wheel pose in one day? Think twice.
Injuries are common in Yoga because people tend to overdo themselves in a group setting. To the extent that even the best of practitioners lose themselves in a moment of ego.
Do not exert yourself in a yoga practice, you are not supposed to do that.
Yoga is about enhancing your energy, not wasting it.
Be patient with your body and your practice. Go slow and with regular practice you will surprise yourself with what you can achieve. Accept it with grace.
#6. Do not practice asanas when sick
I repeat, the goal of yoga is to enhance the energy – to a certain level. And boy is that a level!
So, performing Asanas while sick will not help you.
It may so happen that the instance of sickness becomes very rare in your life because of regular practice. But if you do fall sick, do not practice Asanas or even any intensive breathwork.
#7. Do not go on a guilt trip for skipping the practice
Oh the guilt of not practicing, my whole day gets ruined sometimes.
The thing is I am not alone.
A lot of people in our tribe develop a special attachment – to their practice.
I am sure it’s the same for people who work out, run, lift weights, etc. You know what I mean.
The purpose of Yoga, however, is to let go. So, let it go if sometimes you are not able to practice to your heart’s content. If you are visiting family or your work takes precedence and you practice 1 hour instead of 2, it is OK to compromise sometimes.
#8. Do not take a cold shower or consume cold drinks after practice
The Asana practice finishes and you are ready to jump in for a shower…
Give it a break.
You just mobilized your whole body, externally and internally, with deep stretches and spinal bends, creating a certain level of warmth.
Do not vanquish the fire suddenly by putting water on it. Not just shower but also avoid consuming cold food and drinks after yoga practice.
It can cause conflicting Prakriti and may turn out bad for health.
#9. Do not mix mind with practice
I have had my share of students who read so many books that even in the middle of Asanas, they could not resist asking questions.
‘In my book, this Asana is given like that’, or ‘In my book this Asana should not be followed by the Asana you just told’.
And while it is a complete pleasure for me to try to resolve all the queries a practitioner has; I did not feel right.
Because Asanas are places where you should be going inside yourself, trying to listen to your body. While being technical is good, being in the moment is of utmost importance.
Do not let the knowledge you have acquired become the dictator of your practice.
#10. Do not destroy your practice with ‘Tamas’
I shall not use the word ‘Do Not’ in this case, because I ‘Do not’ want to spawn extreme emotions.
However, there is a certain quality every substance brings with itself.
In Yoga, we call them ‘Gunas’.
Through yoga we are trying to raise the level of our ‘Sattva’ quality – the quality of purity, stability, and harmony.
Drugs and alcohol have the exact opposite qualities. They dull the faculties of your mind.
Avoid them if you are or want to become a yoga practitioner. It won’t be difficult for you to spot the difference.
Conclusion
I hope these rules for yoga will elevate your practice so you can keep moving on to the next level.
I wish you a wholesome practice, and looking forward to hearing about things that you have followed in your yoga practice that you swear by!