Yoga means union. During an asana practice, this union is between breath and movement. Strike a balance between both to ensure a correct and complete practice. Add to that the emotions that affect your practice and the thoughts that drift in and out of your mind – Achieving a perfect session is not always possible, but here are some tips to help you feel amazing about it all!

Practice balanced Vinyasa. If you have done a lot of forward bending poses and lunges don’t forget to include back-bends such as cobra, bow, camel and such. For example all your downward dogs should be offset and balanced by an upward dog at some point. Yoga is not about focusing on one body part. Whatever you do, it is a full body workout and only then will you see the real benefits.

SuryaNamaskar is a great example of alternate breath flows and complementary postures. Done smoothly, it can also double up as a warm up plus exercise when you do not have a full hour to dedicate to asana practice. With every change in pose, notice if the front of your body feels open or closed and that is generally a good guideline to breathe in or breathe out. Breath should be always gentle, deep and continuous – do not hold your breath unless you are practicing that style in particular with a trained teacher.

Pranayama is key. Broken down it means gaining control/ having rules (yama) over breath/ life energy (prana). Start your practice with warming breathing exercises like Bhastrika and Kapalabhati. This cleanses the nasal passage and also helps to warm up the body especially before a morning routine. On especially hot days, include Sheetali pranayama to cool down the body and not increase your pitta dosha.

Chanting OM at the beginning of your practice after setting an intention, and at the end after Savasana is a great way to focus ones attention inward. It is also a wonderful feeling to have the vibrations of the ‘mmmmm’ sound gently caress our insides and leave us with an improved blood circulation due to the calm pulsation created by the sound waves.

Be kind and gracious to yourself. Have a non-compete clause with yourself or others. Let go of the ego and allow yourself to reap the benefits of your practice without being critical or judgmental of your body or thoughts. At the end of the practice dedicate your efforts to the universal OM or to your guru or any person who you hold in high regard and visualize that they are giving you their blessings for continued determination to the path of a yogic life.