Yoga is everywhere these days, and with good reason. The modern-day benefits of this ancient practice are boundless—and being proven time and again by study after scientific study. If you’re reading this you’re probably aware of all this. But you might be uncertain of how or where to start.

That’s why we created My Yoga Online’s Yoga for the Beginner Whole Health Program. This program will guide you through eight stages of all the basics you need to start your yoga practice. We’re sharing eight tips from the program here, and eight more are on the way over the next eight days on Facebook and Twitter. Don’t miss ‘em!

8 Beginner Yoga Tips

1) During your first few yoga classes, you can simply focus on getting used to moving and breathing the way we move and breathe during a yoga session. Keep your body safe, but don’t worry about perfecting the pose. Pay attention to the safety cues, learn to listen to your body, and don’t judge yourself for what you perceive to be physical limitations.

2) Your practice. Every time you do a yoga practice, whether it’s on your own, or with an instructor, this time is all about you. Spend a few moments before you start; tune into your body-mind-emotional state. What’s going on with your body, thoughts, and emotions in this moment? Every day will be different. Let your state of being guide what version of a pose you take, what style of yoga you practice, and how much physical energy you expend.

3) Variety is the spice of yoga. Your yoga practice doesn’t have to be the standard hour and 15 minutes. Make it five minutes. Make it 20 minutes. Make it as long or as short as you need it to be.

4) Build your foundation. Asana is a Sanskrit term meaning ‘to sit’ or ‘sitting down.’ It’s commonly translated and understood as ‘seat’ or ‘connection to the earth.’ Likewise, every posture begins from the ground up. Pay attention to the parts of your body connected to the floor: Your hands, feet, sit bones—maybe even, eventually, the top of your head.

5) Breath comes first. Your breath will lead your movement. Start your inhale, then move; start your exhale, then move. Whether the movement is big—pulling your hips up into down dog; or small—lengthening through the crown of your head, your breath will guide it. Here’s some examples: inhale and lengthen the crown of your head; exhale and draw your belly button in and up, engaging your core; inhale step forward; exhale sink your hips.

6) Asana and flexibility. Improved flexibility is one of the first and most obvious benefits of yoga. During your first class, you probably won't be able to touch your toes, never mind do a backbend. But if you stick with it, you'll notice a gradual loosening, and eventually, seemingly impossible poses will become possible.

7) Fact. When you breathe deeply for a continuous, and not necessarily extended, period of time, you’re activating your parasympathetic nervous system. The areas of the body associated with this system are in the cranial and sacral regions of the spinal cord, and activating this system jump-starts a variety of calming systems in your body.

8) Breath awareness. At any time, at any moment during your day, become aware of your breath. Where are you breathing from? Most of us breathe from our upper chest, using less than a third of our entire capacity for drawing in energy and releasing stress. Remember your three-part yogic breath.