Yoga Tips for Beginners: What To Know Before Your First Yoga Class

Yoga Tips for Beginners: What To Know Before Your First Yoga Class

If you’ve been thinking about getting into shape, you may have considered taking a yoga class. Yoga can be a great way to either get in shape or maintain your level of fitness. It builds strength and flexibility while simultaneously allowing you to focus on your breathing. By practicing yoga, you learn how to control your breathing, even during some rather challenging poses. This in turn helps you in virtually every other area of your life, as it allows you to remain calm and stay in control of your emotions. Yoga also helps you become more in tune with yourself. Therefore, you have the chance to reap both physical and mental benefits of practicing it.

Here are some top yoga tips for beginners:

Pilates vs Yoga

Pilates vs Yoga  – Which is Right for You?

Since I was given the opportunity of growing up overseas as a Missionary girl; I learned at a young age to value the art of learning to understand where concepts originated from – so that would include the practice of Pilates or Yoga. I can share with you what I have learned so far and maybe you might be able to add something of value to your own experiences and journey.

Hot Yoga vs. Vinyasa Flow: What to Expect

I’ve done both Hot Yoga and Vinyasa for over ten years. I cannot imagine one without the other. I was fortunate to acquire a taste for both - and they are acquired tastes. I enjoy warm rooms and hot rooms, never cold rooms – that’s where I draw the line. Fortunately, Sunstone offers hot, warm and ambient classes! Here's some of my take-aways:

Yoga on the Road

Even dedicated yogis struggle to maintain their practices when they travel. Most of us only manage a quick standing bow for a photo! It’s a shame, because time away is often when we need our practice the most:

Calm Flow: Finding Mindfulness

Exciting news: as of August 8th, our new Calm Flow class, formerly offered only at the Southlake and Alliance studios, is available at McKinney, Frisco, Mockingbird, Preston Forest, Prestonwood Place, and Uptown! Calm Flow is a moderately paced, restorative 60-minute vinyasa class practiced in 90 degree heat. The class combines the flowing connectivity of Power Flow with the deliberation and static sequence of Hot Yoga, helping you control each thoughtful movement. Not only is Calm Flow a great counterpart to more demanding classes, it is also an opportunity to listen to your body. Your teacher will encourage you to stay with your breath and to focus on recovery instead of full exertion in every posture. With no expectations and nothing to prove, you are free to simply explore.

Yoga vs. Fitness

Get out of the box: Yoga vs. fitness – Are you achieving your absolute best?

If you would have asked me ten years ago – “Do you prefer yoga or fitness?” I would have said, without hesitation, “yoga”. That’s it, end of story. Fitness wasn’t even on my radar (Ok, maybe for a little while in college I got into circuit training, but it never got very serious.)

Personal Transformation Through Yoga

I lived with depression, anxiety and poor health throughout my teenage and most of my adult life.  Even through all of that I knew that I needed to make positive changes in my life but I did not know what, where or how to begin to make those changes.  Yet this unexplainable feeling deep within me knew that I needed to start this journey as soon as possible. I was guided to a lady who practiced yoga and meditation and she shared with me the benefits that she had gained from years of practice. So I began to research both subjects

Say Hello to Yoga Core

Our Yoga Core Series (previously called Wood) is the perfect performance-enhancing complement to your fitness practice. For years, Sunstone has helped its members improve their balance, core strength, and overall fitness with this unique class, and now we're taking it to the next level! It's still the great blend of Pain-Free Yoga™, Pilates, and resistance stretching that you know and love--but with a few twists.

Many Different Types of Love

It would appear there are many different types of love.

Most of us have felt the thrill of new love: that exciting rush of a new relationship. Parental love is, at its best, unconditional, all-encompassing, unending and at times, overwhelming. Sibling love is perhaps as powerful as parental love, though sometimes tumultuous and unpredictable. Love between friends, both male and female is usually a more patient, supportive love. However, are these many versions of love really any different?

Why Hot Pilates? And More!

I am very excited for Sunstone to be offering Hot Pilates (previously called Metal)! The postures Sunstone offers in our Pilates series are dynamic movements that complement the more static nature of most of our yoga postures. The dynamic movements of Pilates challenge the muscles, cardiovascular system, and mind in new and complementary ways. In our hot yoga classes we generally (not always) get in a posture and hold a static position. In contrast in Pilates, we generally stabilize our ‘Pilates Core’ (abdomen, back, inner thighs and buttocks) and making a controlled but dynamic movement.