Daniel Paris Guide to Yoga
Thinking Outside the Mat
This guide has been created to help you build a personal practice. Each chapter explains a different element of a session and introduces fundamental scientific concepts behind the Yoga for no Yogi method.
What are your wellness goals?
Congratulations! You have decided to begin a yoga practice. Firstly, you need to set wellness goals to know the class that you fit-in and the pose sequences you need to practice at home.
The beginning of any practice
Before getting into poses, you will need a few minutes to prepare your mind and body. It is crucial to increase oxygen levels, stimulate blood circulation, and elevate body temperature. Such conditions are necessary to explore your full physical and mental potential.
Going with the flow
Most yoga styles include flow in their practice. It creates body heat by stimulating your cardiorespiratory system and the autonomic nervous system, resulting in maximum muscle performance and acute mental focus.
Take a stand
After finishing your yoga flow, your body will be warm and your mind clear. Now is the moment to get into high-intensity poses. I refer to such as standing poses. They are essential to muscle growth and flexibility.
Seated poses and muscle toning
As muscles fatigue and body energy decrease, you move to less intense poses. The truly difficult task now is to keep the mind focused. You need to become very sensitive to reset muscle tension.
Ground your self
When energy levels are low, it is easier to stay in soft poses. As you bring your body closer to the ground, poses are less physically demanding. But be aware, your mind will try to wonder.
During a deep stay of relaxation, restorative poses can be very powerful. They are a big part of my practice. These poses accelerate muscle recovery cycles, help to regulate your sleep, and are a great gateway to meditation.
Savasana is the ultimate yoga pose. That fact that it is simple does not make it easy. The first part of your practice is a metaphor of all things you can do and control, all "posture" you can adopt in life when facing specific situations. Savasana reflects the exact opposite.