Stu Girling interviewed Joey Miles on YouTube. Joey Miles is an Ashtanga yoga practitioner and teacher. He shared his top 10 tips. I liked them all, # 7 is my favorite tip.
Here they are, the top 10 tips by Joey Miles:
Tip # 1: Right ambiance and attitude
Accept what is. Every day is different. Lately I started especially relaxed with not much effort. This made it easier to begin. To have a clean warm place is recommended.
Tip # 2: Listen to your breathing
Yes, yes, yes. Deep breathing can be exercised also in daily life.
Tip # 3: The movement follows the breathing
To check this is a very good tip. The breathing guides through the practice.
Tip # 4: Think of the foundation
This tip helps to perform the asanas.
Tip # 5: Think of the stabilization, be conscious of the center of your body
This tip also helps to perform the asanas with ease. That is if one body part moves out of the center, another body part has to compensate this movement. Coming down from headstand with straight legs is a good example.
Tip # 6: Be conscious of the 6 directions (up and down, forward and backward, left and right)
Also this tip stabilizes the pose.
Tip # 7: Go back to ease. Relax the face the hands and the feet
This is my absolute favorite tip. To be relaxed in an asana is the final goal. One must be relaxed in order to communicate to the body that it’s safe to stretch. Breathing evenly and a smile on the face tells the nervous system that all is OK.
Tip # 8: Practice at the same time and the same place
Better a practice in the evening than no practice at all. Of course if it’s possible to practice every day at the same place and at the same time makes it easier. Building routines is a key to success.
Tip # 9: Not everything must be understood
The teacher has spoken.
Tip # 10: Do savasana for a long time.
For every 30 minutes asana practice, stay 5 minutes in savasana. That is if one practices 90 minutes, it’s recommended to stay in savasana for 15 minutes.
To focus every other week on one of these tips will improve every practice. The tips are very fundamental. They are collected by someone who has an advanced practice.