Before we get into any of the meditation and the physical practice, there's one major thing that we've got to address here.

It's your breath.

No, I'm not saying we should check if there's garlic or flowers coming from your breath (although that would be very magical of you).

What I'm talking about is Effective Breathing to maximize the benefits you can get from practicing Yoga.

In my experience: BREATHING TECHNIQUE IS THE MOST OFTEN OVER-LOOKED PART OF MOST ONLINE AND IN-STUDIO CLASSES

Many teachers fail to teach you this and it's shocking to me how many students come to my retreats and classes never realizing this.

More often than not, the class has loud music with fast rhythms, distinguishable lyrics that tend to distract even the teacher because they trigger thoughts and memories around them.

This is actually rather distracting and potentially dangerous because it all takes away from your attention to the body.

If you're lucky, your teacher will play slower-paced music that's in line with the natural pattern of your breathing. If the track has lyrics, hopefully they're indistinguishable, or they're intentionally curated to go along with a topic the teacher is trying to address.

So, why is proper breathing such a big deal:

1. It builds natural heat from within your lungs and throat, which circulates throughout the inside of your body.
2. It's the most accessible gauge of how you're doing. Choppy breath? You'll need to ease up. Fluid breath? You're on point.
3. When your breathing is solid, you can't help but focus on it. Or, better yet, when you focus on your breath, it will be solid as the rest of your body engages in the practice. It's literally a full-on meditation while you move.