How To Practice

With Forceful Tranquility, you have powerful yoga methods at your fingertips. Before you start practising, read this page to learn how to make use of the site in the best possible way.

 

Sessions

The heart of Forceful Tranquility are the sessions. This is what sets Forceful Tranquility apart from other online yoga sites and yoga studios. The sessions are long yoga classes that combine different kinds of yoga methods in a sequence.

The sessions provide a pedagogical progression that allows you to ease into more and more advanced techniques. When you do new sessions for the first time, they should be done in order but you can always go back to earlier sessions later.

10 sessions are planned for each of the three levels: foundation, intermediate and advanced. Currently, the foundation sessions are completely ready. The intermediate and advanced sessions are still in production. I will start publishing intermediate sessions from March 2019 onwards.

How often to practice

To obtain a tangible and lasting effect I recommend you do a minimum of one session per week. One session per week is enough to allow you to slowly progress through the sessions.

Doing two or more sessions a week will have a greater impact and make you more comfortable with the practice. You can do up to one session per day. However, do not jump into an intense practice but gradually increase your weekly practice hours so that you have the time to get used to it.

Practising yoga and meditation is a long term project. It is a habit for life. You only benefit from it for as long as you keep doing it so you want to stay motivated. Do not push yourself to practice so much that it becomes a burden for you. Find a level that harmoniously fits your life situation and your motivation.

 

Regularity

Regardless of the intensity of your practice, be regular with your sessions. Regularity makes it easier to keep up with the practice and it gives stability.

 

When to move on to the next session

I recommend you to take your time to get comfortable with each session. Do each session as a minimum three times before moving on to the next. I recommend most practitioners stay with the foundation level sessions for at least half a year.

 

Preparing for a new session

Each session comes with an overview that outlines the main practices. Below the overview, new techniques are described. Study this material before practising a new session for the first couple of times. During the session carry the exercises out to your best understanding. If something turns out to be unclear, go back and look at the description again after the session.

Keep in mind that sessions that include the concentration technique tratak require you to have a candle and a lighter or equivalent at hand.

 

Supplementary practice

To supplement the sessions, many techniques are available independently. If you like, you can use these recordings for additional practice between your regular sessions. As for asana sequences, I recommend you only practice those that you have already learnt in the sessions.

 

When to practice

It is important to have digested your last meal before starting practice. I recommend you wait three hours after a meal. Apart from that, any time that fits your daily schedule is good enough.

 

Where to practice

You need a place to practice where you know that you will be undisturbed and where you don’t run the risk of having to interrupt your practice to deal with other matters.

 

Clothes

Comfortable clothing that allows you to move freely is all you need. You might find it useful to have a blanket or a pullover to put on for the calm part at the end of the session.

 

Yoga Mat

You will need some kind of mat to practice on in order not to be uncomfortable. Any kind of yoga mat will do, but you will be better off with a thicker one. You will need to complement thinner ones with an extra blanket for some practices.

For my own practice and for the live classes I teach, I prefer using futon mats. They are ideal for classical yoga poses, for meditation and yoga nidra.

 

Safety

All physical exercise involves risk and in spite of its great healing potential yoga is no exception. To avoid injury, listen to your body and practice only within your limits. It is common to experience discomfort both during yoga and meditation practice. However, excessive pain and discomfort should be avoided. Also minor pain that lasts after practice is over (except common muscle soreness) are signs that you need to modify the way you practice.

Keep in mind that the instructions given on this site are of a general character and all exercises may not be suitable for you. You have to use your own good judgement. Nobody knows your own body like you do.