Yoga for Beginners: Basics to Yoga

Yoga for Beginners: Basics to Yoga

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Before we get into the practical how-to’s and yoga for beginners guide of various yoga poses or yogic poses, we should consider what it is we’re talking about and what it’s for. Yoga has been practiced in India for thousands of years. 

The word yoga comes from Sanskrit and is related to the English word yoke. Just as a yoke joins an ox to a cart or a plow, yoga joins mind and body together in a well-integrated union. On a spiritual level, yoga unites the individual’s personal experience to an experience of absolute reality.



Also Read: Benefits of Meditation for A Healthy Stress-Free Fruitful Life



I.      What is Yoga?

Yoga refers to a broad variety of ancient Indian spiritual practices. These practices are designed to liberate the individual from their ordinary, bound, unfree experience of the self and the world, into an expansive, unlimited state of complete freedom.

So right away we can do away with the idea that to do yoga, you need to sign up with a religious group and give up your own beliefs, adopting a new set of doctrines and strange behaviors. If you’re not into the metaphysical ideas behind yoga as spiritual transformation, that’s no problem.

Yoga is, first and foremost, personal, practical, and experiential. What you get out of it depends on what you bring into it; your goals and purposes for doing yoga will determine what kind of positive effect it has on your life.

In particular, the popular perception associates yoga with a system of bendy, twisty physical movements and positions. Some may even think yoga is just glorified stretching. But yoga is about more than just stretching. It’s about creating balance in body and mind, joining the two together, and bringing them into close communication.

Recent scientific research into the effects of yoga on the body and mind has shown that these physical practices have enormous benefits for physical and psychological health.

  • They can help you lose weight, tone muscles, treat several medical problems, improve your flexibility and posture, keep your muscles relaxed and supple, regulate your appetite, etc.
  • They also decrease the all-too-common psychological sufferings of stress, anxiety, and depression, improve concentration and mindfulness, and boost your mood and brainpower overall.

Yoga offers a profound sense of physical and psychological wellbeing. Through the practice of yoga, your body and mind will become more and more closely integrated.

That’s the central lesson of yoga: by connecting with our bodies more deeply, we go further into our experience as embodied beings in the world. That, in turn, will enrich our lives, as we bring the mindful awareness of yoga into our everyday world.



II.   Yoga for Beginners: Standing, Balancing, and Reclining



This article focuses on yoga for beginners poses with various effective standing poses, proper posture, and improving how you move. It also examines the influence of balancing and reclining poses, including how they build strength, cultivate self-awareness, and develop active rest.

Source: VENTUNO YOGA



1. Yoga for Beginners Pose #1: Happy Baby (ANANDA BALASANA)

This pose might have a fun name, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s easy. This popular hip opener can help with mobility and tight muscles. You’ll especially stretch the muscles of your inner thighs, groin, and lower back.

Steps:

  1. Lie on your back, with your legs extended, your feet slightly apart, and your arms relaxed at your sides.
  2. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the mat.
  3. Grab your shins and pull your legs toward your chest, angling your knees toward your shoulders.
  4. Grab the outer edges of your feet, push your feet toward the sky, and pull your knees toward the mat. Hold this position for 3 to 5 full breaths. (You can also gently roll back and forth on your lower back.)


Source: Yoga With Adriene

2. Yoga for Beginners Pose #2: The Easy Pose (SUKHASANA)

You might recognize this seated cross-legged pose as a classic position in yoga, but don’t let the name fool you. Your movements require focus and balance, which this pose can help you develop and strengthen.

Steps:

  1. Sit on the mat, with your legs extended and your arms relaxed at your sides.  Press your sitting bones into the mat for support and lengthen your spine through the crown of your head.
  2. Bend your right knee and bring your right heel as close to your sitting bones as possible. Bend your left knee and bring your left heel as close to your sitting bones as possible, aligning the front of your right ankle with the back of your left ankle. Hold this position for 3 to 5 full breaths.


Source: Yoga With Adriene

3. Yoga for Beginners Pose #3: Child’s Pose (SUPTA BALASANA)

Considered a resting pose, this is often known as the pose of surrender—but the good kind. You’ll feel a stretch in your spine, shoulders, hips, and thighs. And have some fun during this pose to intensify the results.

Steps:

  1. Place your hands, knees, and the tops of your feet flat on the mat. Widen your knees as far apart as possible, with your lower legs angled inward until your big toes touch.
  2. Push your body back toward your heels and lean your torso forward.
  3. Extend your arms, slowly lowering your torso to the mat. Hold this position for 3 to 5 full breaths.


Source: Yoga With Adriene

4. Yoga for Beginners Pose #4: Plank (PHALAKASANA)

Performing this foundational yoga pose builds strength in your shoulders, arms, and chest. This pose is one of the fastest ways to develop better strength, and it’s often used for transitioning from pose to pose during a sequence.

Steps:

  1. Place your hands and knees flat on the mat, with your toes curled under and your wrists aligned with your shoulders.
  2. Lift your knees off the ground until your legs are straight. Press your hands into the mat to keep your body lifted. Hold this position for 3 to 5 full breaths.

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Source: Yoga With Adriene

5. Yoga for Beginners Pose #5: Low Plank (CHATURANGA DANDASANA

Although you might find this to be a physically challenging pose, just keep telling yourself that it can strengthen your upper-body stamina. To execute this pose, you must recruit your arms, shoulders, chest, and core muscles.

Steps:

  1. Place your hands and knees flat on the mat, with your toes curled toward your knees and your wrists aligned with your shoulders.
  2. Extend your legs behind you one at a time until your legs are straight, curling your toes toward your body. Press your hands into the mat and push your heels away from your body.
  3. Bend your elbows and lower your body until your upper arms align with your torso, pulling your elbows toward your body and squeezing your thighs together. Hold this position for 3 to 5 full breaths.


Source: YogiApproved

6. Yoga for Beginners Pose #6: Low Lunge (ANJANEYASANA)

Sometimes known as Runner’s Lunge, this pose stretches your quads, hamstrings, groin, and hips. This can also create more flexibility in your lower body, and it’s great for anyone who needs some extra strength in their lower body.

Steps:

  1. Stand with your weight equally balanced between your feet and your arms relaxed at your sides.
  2. Bend at your waist, lean your torso toward your thighs, and place your hands on the mat in front of you, slightly bending your knees.
  3. Extend your left leg behind you and align your right knee with your right ankle, lengthening your spine through the crown of your head and looking forward. Hold this position for 3 to 5 full breaths. Repeat these steps on the other side.


Source: Yoga With Tim

7. Yoga for Beginners Pose #7: Extended Hand to Big Toe (UTTHITA HASTA PADANGUSTHASANA)

This pose tests your balance and core strength while requiring an intense focus to help you hold the final position. These movements demand hamstring and hip flexibility, which this pose can also help you develop.

Steps:

  1. Stand with your weight balanced equally between your feet and your arms relaxed at your sides.
  2. Shift your weight to your right foot, bend your left knee, lift your left knee toward your left armpit, and wrap your left hand around the outer edge of your left foot.
  3. Hook your left index and middle fingers around your left big toe. (Or continue to hold the outer edge of your foot.) Extend your left leg to your left, pull back on your big toe, and press down through your left heel. When you find your balance, extend your right arm to your right. Hold this position for 3 to 5 full breaths. Repeat these steps on the other side.


Source: Abi Carver

8. Yoga for Beginners Pose #8: Reclining Hand to Big Toe (SUPTA PADANGUSTHASANA)

Are you looking for a way to give your hamstrings and lower back an incredible stretch? This pose can help you do that. The movements of this hip opener also stretch your hip flexors and your calf muscles.

Steps:

  1. Lie on your back, with your legs extended and your feet slightly apart, and lift your kneecaps toward your head.
  2. Bend your right knee, bring your right leg toward your chest, and grab your right big toe with your right index and middle fingers. (You can also hold the outer edge of your right foot with your right hand.)
  3. Gently straighten your right leg and arm, continuing to keep your left leg flat on the mat.
  4. Extend your right leg to your right and extend your left arm to your left. Hold this position for 3 to 5 full breaths. Repeat these steps on the other side.


Source: Boho Beautiful Yoga

9. Yoga for Beginners Pose #9: Handstand (ADHO MUKHA VRKSASANA)

This challenging pose requires a great deal of upper-body strength, especially from your arms, chest, and upper back. It also demands balance, focus, determination, and practice, making this pose exhilarating and terrifying.

Steps:

  1. Lift your knees off the mat, straighten your legs, and slowly walk your feet toward your hands.
  2. Bend your right knee, press your right foot into the mat, and lift your right leg toward the wall.
  3. Push up through your left foot, bending your left knee as needed, and lift your left leg toward the wall until parallel with your right leg. Press down through your hands, pulling your shoulder blades together, and try to push the mat away from you. Hold this position for 3 to 5 full breaths.


Source: Sara Ticha

10.   Yoga for Beginners Pose #10: Forearm Stand (PINCHA MAYURASANA)

This is an excellent pose for strengthening your arms, shoulders, upper back, and core muscles. These movements ask a lot of you—from strength and balance to focus and courage—but with continual practice, you can handle them.

Steps:

  1. Facing a wall, kneel in the middle of the mat, with the tops of your feet flat on the mat and your hands resting on your thighs.
  2. Intertwine your fingers and place your forearms flat on the mat, with your elbows aligned under your shoulders.
  3. Lift your knees off the mat and walk your feet toward your shoulders, pressing down through your forearms, pulling your shoulder blades together, and pressing your upper arms toward each other.
  4. Lift your left leg toward the wall. Once you find your balance, lift your right leg until parallel with your left leg, using your forearms to help maintain your balance. Press your thighs together and push up through your heels. Hold this position for 3 to 5 full breaths.

Note: A few yoga poses mentioned above in this article can be a little difficult for beginners to perform, hence it is advised to skip those particular yoga poses accordingly.



III. FAQs



1. Beginners Yoga?

Source: Yoga with Adriene



2. Yoga Workout?

Yoga as exercise or workout is a physical activity consisting mainly of postures, often connected by flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by breathing exercises, and frequently ending with relaxation lying down or meditation.

3. How to Do the Yoga?

Yoga is for everybody. No matter who you are or what you look like or what your abilities are, you can do yoga. This article shows you how to practice and enjoy yoga—and the journey begins with discovering how yoga can benefit you every day.



Read here: The benefits of yoga

4. Is Yoga Exercise?

Yoga is an ancient form of exercise that focuses on strength, flexibility, and breathing to boost physical and mental wellbeing. The main components of yoga are postures (a series of movements designed to increase strength and flexibility) and breathing.

5. Yoga for Beginners Exercises?

Source: SarahBethYoga




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