There is no better time to get into yoga. With numerous benefits for the mind and body, yoga is an excellent workout for people of all ages, body types, and fitness levels. So if you are looking to get your body moving and heal your mind, why not try taking a yoga class?

There is no need to be intimidated. Yoga is for everyone, and all levels, bodies, and abilities are accepted. To help you prepare for your first class, we’ve compiled a list of tips to help you get comfortable on the mat and build some basic yoga skills.

Prepare for class

For your first yoga class, prepare by eating a light meal and dressing in comfortable clothing that you can move in. No need for fancy yoga duds—wearing shorts and a t-shirt or tank top is completely fine. You should also come prepared with your yoga mat, a water bottle, and a towel to wipe your sweat if desired.

Your instructor will provide directions for every pose throughout the class, but you may want to consider familiarizing yourself with some of the basic poses in advance to feel more prepared and confident. A quick YouTube search beforehand will tell you what you need to know.

Master your breathing

Much of the power of yoga comes from breathing. Focusing on your breath helps you stay present in the current moment, allowing your mind to relax and sharpen. Breathing also helps the physical aspect of yoga. When you sync your movements with your breath, it will enable you to deepen your stretch and increase the impact of each pose.

As a beginner, focus on mastering the basic yoga breath, called ujjayi pranayama. In ujjayi pranayama, you simply breathe in deeply through your nose and then back out, also through your nose. Seems easy enough, doesn’t it? 

Of course, the breathing gets a little trickier once you begin to breathe and move at the same time. So don’t worry if you periodically forget about your breath throughout your practice—just return to it when prompted. Once you get the hang of it, your breathing should begin to sound a bit like ocean waves crashing on the beach.

Let go of expectations

We often come into new workout routines with high expectations for ourselves. You may have decided to take up yoga to lose weight, tone your body, or master the impressive poses you’ve seen on social media.

However, you are much more likely to be successful in your practice when you let go of those expectations and simply embrace the experience as it comes. In your first yoga classes, try to avoid worrying about how you look or comparing yourself to others. You also should not be afraid to take breaks and adjust poses as needed to fit your body and abilities.

Focus on enjoying how the practice makes you feel and look forward to progressing on your journey in your own time and your own way.

The sun shines on your skin. You close your eyes and feel your skin cells come to life like a salsa dancer on an overpacked dance floor. You sink into your chair and every thought melts away like a dripping snow cone.

Being outside whether for your daily dog walk, to get your tan on, or playing your favourite outdoor sport, can have a hypnotic-like effect on our mind, body and soul.

These days we are inundated with mental health information and online influencers urging us to get outside and enjoy what mother nature gave us. But why? What’s actually behind the brouhaha of the benefits of getting outside?

When we look beyond the magical properties of nature’ we find there are a few key factors at play.

Increased movement

Yes we’re referring to movement and not physical exercise. Exercise can often be a scary word because we all have our preconceived notions about what it means and how we do it. So the key factor here is getting out to get moving. Whether you’re out for a leisurely stroll, tossing a frisbee at the park, or canoeing at Dow’s Lake, you’re not binge watching another television series on the couch, and that’s what counts. The allure of the outdoors, especially when it’s warm out, reduces the barrier to getting excited about going out and getting more movement.

Opportunity for connection

Even if physical distancing restrictions are in place, being outdoors gives us another way to connect with friends and family. Whether we take the time to stop and chat with a neighbour, research shows that even being around others without interacting can help to reduce feelings of isolation. Isolation is found to be one of the key contributors to poor mental health.

The power of Vitamin D

As Canadians we spend a lot of time indoors. This means that we get less exposure to sunlight. When we get less exposure to sunlight, our body doesn’t produce as much Vitamin D. Beyond absorbing Calcium, various research findings show that there is a link between levels of Vitamin D in the body and experience of low mood or Depression. 

So just by throwing on your runners and stepping outside you’re taking literal and metaphorical steps towards boosting your mood.

Focusing on the present is easier

When you’re outdoors there’s so many different ways to engage our senses; birds chirping, the bright colours of growing flowers, the aromas of a BBQ hard at work. With these natural attention grabbers, we can easily attune our focus to what we notice around us. Being present, or mindful, is not about meditation, it’s about keeping your attention in the here and now. This becomes easier to do when we get outside. Quick how to: Pick a spot to observe and try to notice what you see, hear smell, feel and can possibly taste.

Less tech temptation

Being in the present moment is easier when we are not surrounded by the pings of our electronic devices. Being outside and leaving the tech at home reduces distraction while trying to engage your senses in nature.Doing this connects us to our roots of humanity and the natural world around us. When we get outside, we reduce the temptation to scroll, snap or tweet (assuming you haven’t brought your laptop with you).

Research shows that all these factors have a significant impact on our mental, physical and spiritual health. The context of being outside (regardless of the weather) is what allows all these elements to naturally come together for a one stop shop of wellness.