Tips & Prerequisites For Practicing Yoga

• Every day you should practice Yoga for at least 30 to 45 minutes to get maximum results.
• The best suited time to practice is early morning hours, but it can be practiced in the afternoon after following food restrictions.
• Food restrictions - stomach should be empty while practicing, that is you should consume solid food 4 hours before practicing and liquid 2 hour before.
• Place should be spacious, clean, airy, bright and away from disturbances.
• Yoga should not be practiced on bare floor but keep mat or carpet below.
• Clothes should be comfortable, loose, and clean. Undergarments are necessary.
• Yoga prefers vegetarian diet. But avoid spicy and hot diet as much as possible.
• Women should not practice Yoga during Pregnancy and menstruation.
• One should have faith in Yoga and what he is doing.
• Yoga is different from exercise as it doesn't involve speedy movements, but instead very slow and steady movements.
• Yoga helps achieve relaxation which reduces stress & strain.
• Very few calories are consumed during Yogasana practice and metabolism rate of the body also drops,
  which means reduced Aging Process.
• Less food is required as digestive power is increased.

• As with any lifestyle change or physical exercise programe consult your physician before you begin your Yoga practice.
• The most appropriate time for practicing Yoga is in the morning, before breakfast. This is because it is the time, when our mind is calm, composed and fresh and the body movements can be performed, with considerable ease and vigor.
• Every day you should practice Yoga for at least 45 to 60 minutes to get maximum results.
• To get started, you need to have the urge and confidence in yourself.
• To practice Yoga, the place chose must be calm, quiet, ventilated, dust free, and also distraction free.
• Before you start practicing Yoga, it is very important for you to clear your bowels and bladder as well as clean your nostrils and throat of all mucus. You must also drink a glass of lukewarm water.
• Yoga should not be practiced on bare floor but keep mat or carpet below.
• Clothes should be comfortable, loose, and clean. Undergarments are necessary.
• Yoga must energize and not cause weariness and depression.
• You must take breaks in between, if a particular step or exercise proves tiring.
• Food restrictions - stomach should be empty while practicing, that is you should consume solid
  food 5 hours before practicing and liquid 2 hour before.
• Women should not practice Yoga during Pregnancy and Menstruation.
• One should have faith in Yoga and what he is doing.
• Yoga is different from exercise as it doesn't involve speedy movements, but instead very slow and steady movements.
• Yoga helps achieve relaxation which reduces stress & strain.
• Very few calories are consumed during Yogasana practice and metabolism rate of the body also drops, which means reduced Aging Process.
• Less food is required as digestive power is increased.
• While performing Yoga, your breathing should be long and deep. You must remember to keep your mouth close and inhale and exhale, only through the nose.
• Remember, while doing yoga, you should not get a feeling of pain or discomfort. If you do, you are not doing it in the right manner or you need to adjust your pose to suit you better.
• If you are a beginner, do not just impinge on doing the tough tasks. Remember, you need to always begin with the easy postures and then, proceed to the difficult ones. You should follow the graded steps of Yoga.
• Completely avoid junk food and canned food, eat smaller portions of food, chew slowly avoid eating out. Eat fruits, carrots and nuts when you feel like snacking.
• The quantity of food should be such that it satisfies your appetite. Over eating and fasting should be avoided. At the same time, you must try to avoid stale food.
• Eat small meals at frequent intervals. Eat slowly, that gives our body time to tell us that it is full before we've eaten more than we need.
• Eating salads is a healthy option, but don’t replace your meals only with salads.
• Avoid too much of deep fried, oily, spicy or fried foods. Include good proteins in the form of pulses, sprouts, milk, eggs.
• The most important nutrient that is always forgotten is water. Drink sufficient water daily to keep yourself well hydrated. On waking up drink 1-3 glasses of water. Clear your bowels before doing yoga
• Have fixed timings for lunch and dinnertime difference between meals must be at least 4 hours.
• Avoid drink water during meals or immediate after meal, give interval of 15-30 minutes. 
• Take a glass of fresh lime juice in lukewarm water along with a spoon of honey (once in a weak).
• People who are used to drinking bed tea may take half a cup of tea but gradually try to avoid taking tea before yoga practice.
• Do not eat and don’t take bath 20-30 minutes after the yoga class.
• You have to eat an early dinner (low calorie and low fat) and sleep early every day, so that you get
  7 to 8 hours of sleep.

Few benefits of Yoga is discussed below

• Yoga culture mind, body and spirit. Asanas culture the body, the Asanas are meant to be the steady comfortable postures. 
•  The forward bending asanas contract the lungs to eliminate stored toxin airs, improving blood flow to the brain, thus enhancing memory power. The Abdominal organs get thorough massage enhancing the blood circulation and increasing the activities of digestive organs and glands.
•  The backward bending asanas give good stretch and flexibility to spine giving better circulation of the blood to spine, giving stretch to lungs and enhancing oxygen intake thus improving the quality of oxygenated blood. This would intern supply good quality of nutrients to all organs of body.
• The Inverted Asanas work against gravity thus giving a soothing relaxation for Heart and other vital organs. All the blood that has been accumulated in remote corners is drawn out to the lungs and are recharged with fresh oxygenation and circulated. Thus toxins are eliminated.
•  Through regular practice of Asanas, diseases such as Asthma, Diabities, Arthritis, Hypertension, and Obesity can be kept out of your life.
• Meditation techniques bring relaxation to mind, increasing will power, memory, concentration thus bringing better quality of thoughts and more goals focused in life. The Mental stamina and strength is enhanced. Anxiety, Depression, Phobias, and Neurosis etc can be overcome with regular practice of Yogic techniques.
• Relaxation techniques provide proper rest and calmness stillness of mind and body thus enhancing the health.
• Kriya (cleansing techniques) provide regular cleaning of the vital canals/passages thus removing unwanted deposits of toxins. 
• Yoga in general keeps you fit, energetic, attain good stamina and health. The aging process is prolonged by enhancing luster of skin, thus bringing more self confidence and fewer dependencies on others. Man is running behind money at cost of health, but later spends all money to recover the health. Hence the wise choice would be to become self disciplined, invest your time on health and stay fit, enhance immunity against various diseases. 

It is time to realize this important message and learn the ancient practice that is easy not dependent on any tools or equipments, all it requires is awareness, self discipline, right knowledge of Yoga. Learn it once and stay Healthy.