You’ve probably heard enough about the psychological attitudes to inculcate as you start out on the yogic path (you can check out the articles on yoga and meditation on this site for some pointers too). You’ve heard over and over that as you roll out the yoga mat, you should leave aside your worries and stress from the day, negative feelings and unfinished to-do lists. But below are some of the more practical things you need to leave behind for your yoga-asana practice that you have probably never heard about:*
*these tips are from Sadhguru and you can read more detailed explanations in the following articles: http://isha.sadhguru.org/blog/yoga-meditation/demystifying-yoga/clothes-to-wear-to-yoga/ and http://isha.sadhguru.org/blog/yoga-meditation/demystifying-yoga/shouldnt-drink-water-during-yoga/
- Leave behind the synthetic tank tops: yoga practices should be done in loose clothing ideally made of organic cotton or silk. You should avoid wearing synthetic materials that don’t allow you to breathe and move freely.
- Leave behind the Evian – this may come as a surprise (how many times have you had to skirt past water bottles when making your way across the yoga studio?) but you shouldn’t drink water during yoga practice. This is because your practice is generating heat or ‘ushna’ and you shouldn’t be dousing it with water.
- Leave behind the towel – this one comes at a slight risk for the body-conscious but here goes anyway: it’s not advisable to wipe off your sweat during yoga practice. The sweat generated during your practice carries certain energy and it’s actually recommended that you rub it back on your body or let your clothes absorb it. In fact water is known to hold memory (take a listen to this if you want to know more) and so it seems logical that we should want the water generated through yoga-practice to stay with us for as long as possible. For the same reason, you shouldn’t take a bathroom break during your practice either.
- Leave behind the accessories – it is recommended that you don’t wear any objects on the body except for a ‘rudraksha’ if you normally wear one. Metal especially is not conducive to energy flow so definitely take off those finger rings, watches and bracelets and yes, even the spectacles. But don’t worry, you can leave your earrings on – ear lobes are considered to be a dormant part of the body.
Hope this article has left you more Yoga-Wise. Happy yoga!
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