Yoga : Online Yoga Course for Beginners

A very good explanation of yoga, its history, varieties, and its benefits, which is very beneficial for beginners. But, what really makes it shine for beginners, is the classes that build us up from using the simple corpse pose to sun salutations to various classes that gradually incorporate more advanced postures. With an emphasis on paying attention to how your body is feeling at any given moment. If you feel pain, do not over extend something, and hurt yourself. As beginners, we are given a full explanation of how to the perform 65 unique yoga poses within and an explanation of their benefits. This helps the beginner pin point what will best serve them in their needs, both in interest and healing.

I have taken a few yoga classes, and this has helped me really understand and appreciate it so much more. I now have something that I can go back to when I forget a pose or want to improve on one. I really like how everything is taken from a basic understanding of movements and is then brought into the actual movements itself. Movement and breathing is emphasized through out, which is really important to getting the full benefits of yoga. There are also many poses like the peacock that I was amazed to learn about because the body seems completely supported by the arms. Thank you Libby!

This is another wonderfully developed course by Libby Seery! She is a practicing psychotherapist, counselor, therapeutic life coach, founder of Renaissance Life Therapies, and an all around wonderful loving person who is devoted to serving others. I can personally attest to the amazing support that she gives to her students.

Yoga for Beginners introduces yoga to us with 13 lectures, and then eases into practicing meditation (lectures 14-20), then warming up (lectures 21-26), then performing various yoga classes (lectures 27-34). There are more than 45 downloadable files, including: lectures, yoga pose instructions, and yoga pose illustrations.

Section 1 introduces us to yoga. We learn who this course is intended for, what this course teaches us about yoga, and who are instructor is. We learn that the word yoga is a Sanskrit word meaning to unify. Yoga is an classical Indian science of unifying our mind and body as one. Yoga practice involves three main elements: breathing, meditation, physical and mental exercise. The exercises of yoga are meant to prepare the body for meditation, which enables the mind to find relief from stress and anxiety. We learn that the Sutra is a philosophical guide for yoga, and about the six different types of yoga. We are given some preparatory information before practice, such as what to wear, and not to eat before practicing. Finally, we learn that yoga is not a religion, but a practice meant to help the student become spiritually aware.

In the Second section, we learn about the positives of practicing yoga. Yoga helps us have better sleep, inner calm, a better sense of what our body needs, promotes happiness, and better health. Physical Benefits include: flexibility, muscle strength, better posture, prevents joint cartilage damage, protects the spine, increases bone density, promotes better circulation, and helps the lymphatic system ward of disease. Yoga involves 5 practices for a healthy mind and body: exercise, meditation and positive thinking, breathing awareness, relaxation, and a healthy diet.

In the following sections, all of the yoga poses are described very thoroughly through instructional narration to help us more accurately perform them.

We learn what to do before we begin practicing yoga in section 3. For starters, it is good that we understand that the best time to practice yoga is a personal choice based on lifestyle and our own needs. There are seven primary movements in yoga: circumduction, hyperextension, abduction, adduction, flexion, extension, and rotation. A yoga session may included warm ups, standing poses, seated poses, twisting poses, prone poses, inverted and balance poses, back bend poses, finishing poses, and what the benefits of each type of pose brings us. A very important note: we are cautioned to always favor the technique of a pose as opposed to overstretching, straining, and injuring ourselves. Finally, we given some useful tips about how to get the most out of our yoga experience, these include: keeping and open mind, wearing comfortable clothing, drinking lots of water, warming up, smiling, using a long breath in unison with yoga postures, and only pushing a little further than we are comfortable with.

Section 4 introduces us to yoga essentials. After a session, we relax the body by using the corpse pose. While in the corpse pose, we sequentially move through our body, tensing a body part then releasing that tension. This brings us to a deeper sense of relaxation. It is recommended to spend ten to fifteen minutes after a yoga session in meditation. Meditation is recommended, but not mandatory to practicing yoga. When practicing meditation, we will sit or lay down in whatever position is most comfortable for us. There are three meditation in this section, which will helps us relax even further, releasing agitated or distracting thoughts. First is the breath meditation, simply focus on your breath. Second is the Japa Mala using prayer beads. Third is Japa using a reoccurring chant.

Sun Salutations are explained in section 5. These are yoga poses that help us warm up and gain focus for a yoga class. In an introduction class for Sun Salutations, we are taken through 5 seated/laying poses meant to calm and ground us for the more energizing Sun Salutations. Before we begin the Sun Salutations, we are introduced to the 14 poses that will be used in each. There are 3 different sun salutation sequences. Sun Salutations all have a continuous flow to them and an almost symmetrical balance of poses from beginning to end, so that the pose you begin with is the pose you end with.

There are many classes in section 6 that will encourage us to experience the full range of yoga poses. Our first class is a gentle basic class which will take poses that can all be performed in a laying position or sitting position. The next class for us takes us through 6 seated poses, which will give us a good grounding in yoga as well as a sense of inner calm. In the standing class, we will learn 8 poses that are good for strength, focus, and balance. The seated and standing class has 15 poses that nicely flow from each other and combine the benefits of the former two classes. For the inversion class, we will practice 6 poses that help us in becoming more balanced, strengthen our concentration, and facilitate better circulation. By performing the first extended class, we can keep feeding our interest in yoga with 9 new different poses. In the last class, extended 2, we perform a very advanced session of 14 poses with quite a few challenging poses.

The final section, section 7, is a conclusion of all the material that we have learned. Thank you, Libby, for this wonderful course!

l’esperienza di questo corso on line è stata utile per l’apprendimento di alcune posture che precedentemente non avevo approfondito e per chiarire le diversita’ tra le varie filosofie dello Yoga.

Really enjoyed the course, which was clearly explained and nicely paced. I found the course stimulating and informative, I have done a number of on-line courses and this is my favourite company / organisation. As a result I have since signed up for a number of courses, I love studying and teaching, these courses could be addictive .. great fun though .. knowledge is power … i highly recommend these courses. Thank you.

the course is very basic . I think that some updates could be used to keep the learner safer in the real life yoga classes.
my suggestions:
.Modifications for beginners to reduce risk of injury
.intro to poses in all posture…..seated, standing, prone, lying, etc.
. some intro to sanskrit names of poses
.an intro yoga class video
Thank you

I enjoyed the course and found it to be informative, clear and helpful. I especially enjoyed the sections that were delivered via video, rather than pdf or slides. If I could change one thing, it would be that all sections were delivered via video, or video plus slides (and PDFs being reserved for the resources section).
Thank you!

Was a basic course. I would have got more out of it if there was an actual person carrying out the poses rather than just pictures.