Tips on Advanced Yoga Postures

Yoga has been proven to aid many of the body's ailments as well as help to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Beginners start with simple poses designed to help teach breathing techniques and extend endurance. Regular practice of basic yoga poses builds the strength and flexibility necessary to perform advanced yoga poses. To reap the full benefits of advanced yoga poses you must focus, stay consistent and use a real instructor.

Focus

• Advanced yoga poses require a great deal of focus. Mentally being in tune with the movements you are about to execute is important because of the intensity of the poses. Take a few moments before beginning to center yourself and go over a few basic poses to limber up. Yoga instructors and publications such as "Yoga Journal" recommend several pre-pose stances as a way of focusing the mind and body. Keep your mind focused on form and fluid movement. Meditation required for advanced yoga poses begins with intense focus.

Consistency and Regularity

• Once a course of study has begun in yoga it must continue at a slow and consistent rate. Do not move onto a new skill until the first is completely mastered. Advanced yoga poses require a complete mastery of all basic yoga asanas and poses. Balance is a major part of every stage in yoga and is the determining factor of mastering the pose. Some poses will prove easier to learn, while others are tedious and difficult. Apply dedication to the slow process of learning, and avoid missing sessions.

Live Instructors or Classes

• Yoga instructional DVDs are a tool that is meant to teach the basics of yoga, breathing techniques and form. Take a yoga class with a trained instructor to add the benefit of experience. Yoga instructors physically assess each stage of development for accuracy. A live trainer will give immediate feedback necessary for progression. Advanced yoga poses are precise and hard to accomplish. Use DVDs to study form and posture. They also make a useful tool to fill in for missing sessions or for added practice. Trained, live professionals, however, are the only option for expert feedback on your performance and guidance on how to improve and perfect.