HOW OFTEN SHOULD I DO YOGA?

How often should you practice yoga? This could be a very short blog post, because the answer is of course: Every day! But in reality, this question is much more complex than you might think. Because it depends on what  you mean exactly with this question.

Do you think...

➕ "How often should I take a yoga class?"

➕ "How often should I practice yoga to notice changes?

➕ "How often should I practice to get 'better'?"

or 

➕ "What is the minimum number of times I should practice yoga to see physical or spiritual change?"

We could go on like this forever. Let's start with how often you could actually practice "safely" each week. You know your body best. A rule of thumb is that a healthy practice for Vinyasa Yoga is usually 3-5 times a week. This way you definitely have enough time to recover. Because yes, yoga can also be quite strenuous and demanding. If you want to get stronger, you need to rest. 

Are there people who do yoga 7 days a week without any problems? Of course. There are also people who practice twice a day - do that too if you feel good about it.

But what is the real reason you do yoga? Do you want to burn some extra calories or get stronger? If so, you can also do cardio or lift weights. Many people do yoga as a workout. That's a good start and reason, but the benefits of yoga go far beyond that!

Here in Europe (or in the "West"), yoga is more associated with physical practice, whereas it was originally intended as a way to connect body and mind.

Do yoga when you feel like it. Enjoy the mental and physical benefits - but yoga should never be a compulsion, but rather a relief for you. Sometimes we don't feel like doing yoga either. But when we do it, we are glad that we found our way to the mat. 

*Source & inspiration:
https://oneflowyoga.com/blog/how-often-should-you-practice-yoga