8 Yoga Poses To Ease Into The World of Yoga
Yoga is a system of exercise, breathing, and meditation. It is practiced in many different styles by exhilarating the body and mind with various yoga poses that build strength, flexibility, and balance.
If you are new to yoga or have been practicing for years, chances are the yoga poses we introduce to you may not be a part of your current practice. These yoga asanas are essential parts of any good yoga practice.
In this article, we hope to understand what “yoga” is and what it should look like, as well as presenting some tips on how to start with each yoga pose. We will also talk about the various types of yoga poses and how to use them to improve your yoga experience.
We will discuss the basic yoga poses which use to start yoga the right way. Each pose is explained briefly, its benefits, and why it is necessary before moving on to the next one.
It is important to understand that yoga is a physical practice where there is a great emphasis placed on the mind. It is not all about physical activity but a culmination of mind and body.
So, let’s get started with 8 Yoga Poses!
1. Siddhasana Yoga Pose or a Seated One
Siddhasana yoga pose or a seated one is a great way to relieve you from tight hip muscles and prostate problems. Siddhasana yoga is a very effective pose for relieving pain and stress during pregnancy. It helps you relax the body’s muscles, making it easier to cope with the changes that come along with pregnancy.
This pose also helps improve blood circulation because it helps bring oxygenated blood to the cells to operate more efficiently.
How To Perform
- Bring yourself in Dandasana by stretching your legs in front of your torso. Now, bend your left knee towards your thighs by sliding your left heel under your perineum (the area between your anus and genitals).
- Bend the right knee and put the right heel against the public bone.
- Keep your hands on the knees, preferably in gyana mudra.
- Here your knees should be touching the floor, and your spine should always be held erect.
2. Tadasana or Mountain Pose
If you want to improve your posture and lengthen your spine, Tadasana is your dream yoga asana. It opens up the chest and dramatically strengthens your thighs, buttock, and leg muscles. Making you more aware and increasing your concentration levels, Tadasana is your overall stress-buster exercise.
How to perform
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and put equal body weight on both your legs.
- Inhale, now slowly raise your arms and take them over your head. With your palms facing upwards, link your fingers together.
- Lift your heels and stretch your hand toward the ceiling. Tuck in your navel while fully lifting your hands and heals to the sky. While exhaling, bring your heels down and roll your shoulders back and down your spine. This will open your chest and straighten your posture.
- It’s time to release the fingers and relax all muscles in your body and face.
- Try to look at one single point to avoid distraction. This is how you improve concentration and awareness.
3. Parivrtta Maricha – Half Moon Pose
How To Perform
- With your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width, bring the soles of your feet together as if you were about to sit on a chair. Extend your arms straight out to the sides in front of you so that your palms are facing up. Inhale, and lift your bottom back into the middle of your thighs. Exhale, and return to the starting position. Repeat.
- Bring your right foot behind your left leg (as if it were resting on top of your left knee), and place your left foot on top of your right knee.
- Lift your hips off the ground by extending your arms straight out from either side of your body. Place your hands on the ground at hip level with your palms facing forward. Bend your knees until your upper legs form 90-degree angles with the ground. If you can support your weight on only one foot, do so. Otherwise, bend both knees simultaneously. Allow yourself to fall forward into an inverted V.
- When your head is just above the ground, rest your forehead on the ground and inhale deeply. Slowly release your breath while continuing to exhale firmly. Inhale again, and repeat. Do this sequence several times.
- Bend your knees further toward each other, and let your ankles touch or come together. Then, lifting your heels off the ground, raise your pelvis away from the ground.
Breathing exercises can be beneficial in improving the functioning of the lungs. Breathing exercises are said to improve the functioning of the bowel muscle (lungs).
Pranayama yogic breathing exercises have been found to assist in reducing the symptoms of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
4. Uttanasana or Forward Fold
The posture known as uttanasana or forward fold is one of the most common forms of yoga postures. It is often thought of as the pose that yoga practitioners achieve after attaining total mastery of their poses. However, there are many variations of this pose, which is a fundamental pose in yoga philosophy.
How to Perform
Start with your hands on the ground, palms facing up. Bend your knees slightly and place your feet hip-width apart. You should fully extend your arms to the sides. If you have difficulty with this, just leave them hanging by your sides.
Inhale and lift your hips up from the ground. Inhale and lift your chest until it is parallel to the floor. Exhale and draw your navel towards your spine. You should press the back of your neck firmly against the floor. Inhale and lift your chest higher than before. Feel the stretch in your lower back. Exhale and drop your head down to the ground.
Pretend you are lying on your back.
Inhale and extend your right leg behind you. Hold the position for about two breaths. Hold for another two breaths. Exhale and slide your right foot away from under you. Try to roll onto your side so that your left foot is over your right knee. Your left foot should be further back on the floor. Keep your torso straight without twisting, and keep your right elbow tucked in close to your body so that it is between your shoulder blades.
Benefits
Practicing forward folds or Uttanasana every day can keep your body’s entire backside in place and build up the flexibility in your body. Going down on your heels and then coming back to your toes stretches your hamstrings and relieves your back from pain. Doing this twice a day, early morning and in the evening, can keep your belly fat away from you. Not just this, it also helps to release any kind of stress and tension you may be suffering from.
If you want to build up strength in your muscles, implement this yoga pose in your exercise routine and see favorable results quickly. Also, many people perform this yoga pose in times of stress and tension as it’s an excellent exercise for relieving headaches and hypertension.
5. Adho Mukha Svanasana or Downward-facing Dog
Downward facing dog or adho mukha svanasana is a very popular yoga asana for beginners and intermediate yoga practitioners. It is also known as the Half Dog pose, but it’s called a ‘downward-facing dog’ because of its downward-facing dog position.
This downward-facing dog pose is often practiced with a book in one hand while holding a cup of tea in the other. You can also perform the pose while sitting down on the floor with your legs crossed or standing with feet together and arms folded across the chest.
How To Perform
Place the soles of the feet on the ground and lift the hips slightly off the ground. From this position, bend your knees, and your thighs should form a 90-degree angle to the foot. In the air, these two parts of the body make an obtuse triangle.
In yoga, this pose is sometimes referred to as a “downward-facing dog” because the head turns toward the ground rather than upward. In the beginning stages of yoga, the pose is often mistaken for a backward-leaning forward-dog posture.
If the pose is done with the feet on the ground, the heels should face each other. If the feet are lifted off the ground, the heels will turn inward (inward), and the hands will point away from the body. This brings the palms up over the shoulders instead of straight out to the sides.
Benefits
This yoga pose gives strength to the bones and works best for toning up your legs. Adho Mukha Svanasana also helps shape the lower abdominal part of your body and enhance your face’s glow. Not only this, but it also helps to shed away the extra fat on your thighs and belly and slims your legs, giving them a very toned look.
As this yoga pose is downward facing, it works well to strengthen your shoulders and helps make your upper body strong and fit. It keeps your blood circulation well in form and helps to prevent diseases such as osteoporosis.
Poses like downward-facing dogs require deep relaxation and awareness—and you can perform this pose at any time of day. Still, if you’re feeling particularly stressed or anxious, you may find it’s constructive to practice this pose first thing in the morning when you get up.
If you want to shape up your body posture, practicing this pose every day can improve the posture of your body and make you fit and fine.
You’ll need to consider that there are certain positions in which the pose is not possible. For example, you cannot perform the pose if your hand is over the body’s head.
6. Utthihita Chaturanga Dandasana or Plank Yoga Pose
Benefits
- Improves flexibility and strength at the same time.
- Strengthens the muscles of the neck and spine.
- Improves the flexibility of the shoulders, arms, and wrists.
- Helps with the development of concentration and focus.
- Provides a great deal of mental clarity and focus.
- Enhances alertness and brings happiness into one’s life.
- When you hold the position, your back will be straight while standing against the wall.
- This pose is especially beneficial if you suffer from stress-related problems like anxiety, headaches, depression, insomnia, etc.
- Useful for those who have suffered from back pain.
- It is said to improve digestion, but studies have shown that it does not actually do anything for digestion.
How To Perform
- This is a basic technique for performing the Chaturanga Dandasana or plank pose. You can do this pose either on your back or on your side. You must keep your knees straight, but if you are doing it on your back, maintain a strong core and use your arms to support yourself.
- Try to keep your heels flat on the ground throughout the pose.
- The most common position for performing Chaturanga Dandasana is on the back, with your palms facing each other at 45-degree angles. Your hands should be slightly wider than your shoulders.
- Begin by taking a big breath in through your nose and then exhaling through your mouth. Begin to bend your knees and lower them as far as possible without letting your feet touch the ground. Keeping your back flat against the floor, raise your right leg up until it is 90 degrees to the ground. At the same time, lift your left leg so that it’s sole touches the ground.
- Now, take a big breath in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Bend down further, bringing your head towards the floor.
- Lower your hips forward and try not to let any part of your body come off the floor.
- Keep your weight evenly distributed between both legs. If you feel like you need more support, just lean into the ground.
- Continue to bring your whole body down until your thighs are touching. Don’t lift up or bend at the waist; just let gravity do its job, and then you’ll be able to enjoy the sensations of gravity for more extended periods.
7. Dhanurasana
The final pose of this series is a backbend. This pose requires a great deal of concentration, and it can be very physically demanding. The pose itself is an extension of the previous posts in the sequence, but its primary purpose is to lengthen the length of your spine.
This is one of our favorite backbends because it gets you out of the normal posture that most people find difficult. It works as a complete pose with both the upper and lower body working together. That’s why it is a very effective way to relieve neck and lower back pain.
As with all other forward bends, you will feel like you are trying to get into a downward dog position so much more than you actually are; however, during the pose, you will notice that instead of looking down at the ground, you look up towards the sky.
This is also when you will feel the best version of this pose.
8. Seated Forward Bend
How To Perform
- Lie flat on your stomach and bring your knees apart, keeping a hip-width distance between them. Keep your arms on the sides.
- Slowly fold your knees towards your body and hold the ankles with your hands bending backward.
- While breathing in, lift up your chest towards the sky and pull up your legs towards the back. These two steps are to be done simultaneously.
- Remain in this pose for as long as your body allows but remember not to overstretch your body. It is also essential to pay close attention to your breathing while keeping in this position. As a beginner, 20 seconds is a good time to remain in this bow position.
- While exhaling, slowly relax your legs and chest while your hands return to the front.
People try practicing yoga poses with zeal, but after a time, they fail to practice it daily because of the unbearable pains your body incurs. That’s where your proper knowledge of yoga poses comes in. It’s essential to practice it the correct way. Of course, your willpower plays a vital role in keeping the regularity.
You are allowed to take breaks in between. Skip your yoga routine a day or two a week to let your body relax. Remember there should be a balance of heart and mind while practicing yoga, and the rest you’ll quickly figure out in due course of time.
