Basic Yoga Poses for Beginners. Pt. 1
Yoga practices are the choice for those who want to put both body and mind in order. Regardless of age and weight, exercises (asanas) improve physical fitness and give peace of mind, harmony, bring the quality of life to a new level.
Getting started with yoga is easy. There are many techniques that meet different goals and allow everyone to master the practices. But first you need to familiarize yourself with the basics, learn in detail yoga poses for beginners and the rules for their implementation both at home and in the studio.
Yoga develops flexibility, coordination and balance, makes the body beautiful, strong and healthy. Also, this ancient Indian practice helps to cope with diseases of the spine, stress, fatigue and other common problems of modern human. In addition, yoga is one of the best and interesting ways to lose weight and keep yourself in shape and the best addition for it is the supplement from our partners to boost your fat burning and support healthy blood sugar.
If you have been dreaming of mastering yoga for a long time, then in our selection you will find the best asanas for beginners that can be performed at any level of physical fitness.
Yoga is suitable for people of any age and build, as there is a gradation of levels in practice, for each of which there are suitable asanas. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman If you have a desire to learn yoga, then try simple asanas for beginners that do not require thorough preparation.
Fix in each position for 5–6 calm breaths or for 30–40 seconds on a timer.
- Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
What is it for: For balance, beautiful posture and muscle tone of the whole body.
How to do it: Stand up straight with your feet next to each other. Keep your back straight, do not tilt your head, your chin should be parallel to the floor. Fold your arms near your chest or lower them freely along the body. Feel firm support under your feet, and stretch your head up. For maximum effect, you can close your eyes.
How to make it easier: Beginner asanas can be done against a wall to make it easier to keep your back straight. It is important that the wall does not have protruding skirting boards that will interfere with the correct position of the body during the exercise.
2. Chair Pose (Utkatasana)
What is it for: To tone the gluteal muscles, thighs and back stretching.
How to do it: Stand up straight and raise your straight arms up, stretching your spine. Look ahead, do not tilt your head or bend your back. Then lower your pelvis back as if you were doing a squat, but do not lower yourself to parallel with the floor. In order not to lose balance, transfer your body weight to your heels.
How to make it easier: It is difficult for untrained people to be in the chair pose for 30 or 40 seconds, but the dynamic variation of the asana is easier to perform. Take 1–2 breaths in chair pose, then straighten your legs and take 1–2 breaths in modified mountain pose with arms raised.
3. Tree Pose (Vrikshasana)
What is it for: For balance, stretching the back, toning the arms and strengthening the leg muscles.
How to do it: Stand up straight, feet fully on the floor, body extended in one line. Bend one leg at the knee and place the foot on the inside of the thigh of the other leg. Help yourself with your hands if you lack flexibility. Shift your body weight onto your foot on the floor. Fold your arms near your chest or raise both hands up, closing your palms. Don’t forget to repeat the exercise for the other leg.
How to make it easier: Place the foot not on the inside of the thigh, but on the shin of the opposite leg. It’s easier to keep balance, and the benefits of this yoga exercise for beginners will remain the same.
4. Warrior Pose I (Virabhadrasana I)
What is it for: For balance, muscle tone in the legs and arms, back flexibility.
How to do it: Stand up straight and raise your straight arms up, close your palms. As you exhale, lunge back, bending your front leg at an angle of 90 degrees. The eyes look forward and upward, the chin is slightly raised following the hands. Maintain balance for a few breaths, then repeat with the other leg.
How to make it easier: If it is difficult to keep balance, then put your hands on your waist, instead of lifting them up. You can also do a shallow backward lunge, which will also simplify the asana.
5. Warrior Pose II (Virabhadrasana II)
What is it for: For balance, calming the mind and composure, strengthening the muscles of the legs, arms and buttocks, toning the back.
How to do it: Stand up straight and lunge back with your left leg as if you were in Warrior I, then twist your torso to the right. At the same time, the foot of the left leg falls on the heel and turns after the body. The foot of the right foot remains in place. Spread your arms to the sides and turn your head to the right, where the right hand and the foot of the right foot are directed. The right leg is bent at an angle of 90 degrees, the left leg is straight. Repeat for the other side.
How to make it easier: Beginners are advised to perform the asana with their back, shoulders and pelvis pressed against the wall. This will not only help you keep your balance, but also allow you to better learn the technique, because for asana it is important that the pelvis and shoulders are in the same plane.
6. Half Bridge Pose (Ardha Setubandhasana)
What is it for: For stretching the cervical spine, mobility of the spine, tone of the buttocks and thighs, calming the mind, stimulating digestion.
How to do it: Lie on your back and bend your knees. Hands lie freely along the body. Raise the pelvis up, straining the gluteal muscles. In this case, the head lies still, do not turn it from side to side. Look up, concentrate on the sensations in your body. Try to raise the pelvis as high as possible to achieve maximum stretching of the back.
How to make it easier: Support the lower back with your palms or, conversely, do not raise the pelvis high, trying to achieve not muscle tension, but relaxation.
7. Cat Pose (Marjaryasana)
What is it for: For balance, mobility of the spine, stretching the back, improving posture and relieving pain in the cervical and lumbar region.
How to do it: Get on all fours so that your palms are directly under your shoulder joints and your knees are under your hip joints. Then, as you exhale, lower your head down, rounding your back with maximum amplitude. On an inhale, arch your back, lifting your head up. Do this yoga exercise for beginners at a slow pace to avoid injury.
How to make it easier: Perform the asana statically — lingering in each position for one cycle of inhalation-exhalation. Do the exercise with a minimum amplitude to avoid sharp bends and arches, which can be traumatic for people with a problem spine.
8. Plank Pose (Phalakasana)
What is it for: Develops body strength, strengthens the muscles of the arms, legs and cortex.
How to do it: Stand in an emphasis lying down: straight arms should be under the shoulder joints, legs extended. Body weight is evenly distributed between four points: two palms and toes. Don’t arch your back or arch your back up. Look straight ahead. From crown to heels, the body should resemble a straight line.
How to make it easier: Some people find it easier to plank on the forearms, as the area of support is increased. If it is difficult to stand in the bar for 30–40 seconds, then start with 10–15 seconds and gradually increase the interval.
9. Lotus Pose (Padmasana)
What is it for: For knee flexibility, blood flow to the pelvic area, beautiful posture and achieving harmony with yourself.
How to do it: Sit on the floor with your legs in any position. Then extend the straight right leg forward. Rotate your left leg slightly so that the heel is turned towards the body and place its foot on the thigh of the right leg. Then pull the right leg towards you, “turn out” the foot and place it on the thigh of the left leg.
How to make it easier: If you do not have enough flexibility to perform this yoga exercise for beginners, then do not try to place your feet on the thighs of your legs. Close your feet or put them on top of each other, the main thing is to keep your back straight and concentrate on proper breathing.
10. Downward Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
What is it for: For stretching the back, back of the thighs, improving posture and flexibility of the spine.
How to do it: Get into cat pose, then lift your pelvis up while straightening your arms and legs. The pelvis should become the highest point, so it is important not to bend your back. Drop your head between your shoulders to help keep your back straight.
How to make it easier: Put your feet wider or slightly bend them at the knees. This will help relieve discomfort in the hamstring area and simplify the asana.
You may not be able to complete all of them the first time, but gradually you will approach perfection, along the way acquiring many benefits in the form of good flexibility, improved health, a strong body and a calm mind.
Remember that yoga is 1 percent theory and 99 percent practice.
Good Luck!
