A new year means a new you. We teamed up with one of our favorite cast members, Sierra Q., and AEO’s resident yoga expert and graphic designer, Catherine G., to give you five tips for making the most out of your yoga practice.

Sierra takes time each day to quiet her mind.

1. Breathe.

If you aren’t breathing (in through the nose, out through the nose) it’s not yoga… Deep ujjayi breathing techniques make yoga yoga and also heat you up from the inside out so the workout starts from within.

Sierra uses yoga to focus and appreciate the present moment.

2. Set an intention.

You’re on your mat. Time to acknowledge what you need. Set an intention like let go, peace,patience, or forgiveness and carry it through your practice as a mantra. Breathe in, let; breathe out go.

“Yoga can reduce stress and create a more calm, quiet sense of awareness in the mind.”

3. Eliminate distraction.

If you’re practicing at home, don’t leave your iPhone next to your mat; create a space you can truly disconnect in. If you’re in class, try not to check out the crazy headstand your neighboring yogi is flipping into… do your own thing.

Yoga makes the world go round

4. Practice, not perfection.

If practice made perfect in yoga, we wouldn’t call it yoga practice, we’d call it yoga perfect. There’s always a new pose to try or variation to learn. If you’re a girl always looking for a challenge, yoga is something you’ll never conquer.

Sierra believes that living in the present moment can greatly increase your quality of life.

5. Be okay with where you are.

Sometimes you arrive on your mat after a bad day and have a great practice. Sometimes it’s the opposite. Be okay with how you feel each time you arrive on your mat. After all, you’re you and it doesn’t get any better than that!