A Guide to the Best Yoga Poses for Beginners
Few people are unaware of what yoga is. Yoga is an $80 billion industry hailed as the ultimate mind and body wellness exercise. While there are over 300 million practitioners globally, the practice originally comes from Hinduism. The original intent was to create a mental, physical, and spiritual balance to help people reach nirvana.
While spirituality isn’t part of the modern iteration of commercial yoga, the other two remain central to its popularity. Regular yoga practitioners can formulate a better mind and body connection, making them feel at peace. However, starting yoga as a beginner can be intimidating, especially if you are accustomed to seeing advanced poses during research.
The good news is that you do not have to accomplish anything of that difficulty initially. This blog will mention some of the best yoga poses for beginners.
Best Yoga Poses for Beginners
Like most other exercises, yoga also requires you easi into it. Hence, the following are the best yoga poses for you to try as a beginner:
1. The Child’s Pose
The child’s pose is one of the most relaxing poses andng calms your physical body. It has a simple procedure. Sit on bent legs, so your lower butt is positioned near your heels. From this position, lower your upper abdomen, touching your head to the mat while your arms are stretched out on the side.
Ensure that your butt remains positioned on your heels and breathe in and out. It is a relaxing practice; you can also place your arms under your head if it makes you feel more relaxed.
2. Sukhasana/Easy Pose
The Sukhasana is the yoga representative pose you have likely seen everywhere. You need to sit down on the mat cross-legged such that the heel of one is placed on the calf of the other. Straighten your back and place and extend your arms to your knees with your palms facing up.
It is okay for you to choose a cross-legged setting that you’re comfortable with if you cannot place heels on your calves. It is one of the easiest poses and teaches the basics of balance, patience, breathing, and meditation.
3. Downward-Facing Dog
The downward-facing dog benefits the spine, the nervous system, and flexibility. It involves forming an inverted V-shape with your body. To achieve this pose, you must position yourself on the mat and place your palms flat, slightly in front of your shoulders.
Your sitting position should be such that your knees are under your hips while touching the ground. Slowly lift your knees from the ground and push your hips and butt towards the ceiling while exhaling. Push your thighs back to ensure your knee isn’t bent, and push your heels to the ground as much as possible.
Breathe in and out slowly while in this position. Allow your mind to relax and your bones to straighten.
4. Mountain Pose
The mountain pose is one of the simplest and is meant to correct your posture. Stand straight with your legs together and your toes pointing to the front. Keep your arms straight, palms facing inwards, and push them out from each side slightly without bending your elbow.
Keep your neck and shoulders straight and stand like this for some time while focusing on breathing and regulating energy.
5. Extended Triangle
The extended triangle is ideal for people who need back pain relief because it focuses on the spine, legs, and arms. Stand up straight on the mat and extend your legs apart horizontally. The toes of the leg with less slope should face the front, while the toes of the other should face the direction it is extended in.
Straighten the upper part of your body and lift your arms, making them parallel to the ground. Slowly incline your upper body towards the toe positioned at an angle without bending your knees or elbows.
Continue this movement with balanced breathing a few times, and straighten your spine.
6. Sphinx Pose
The sphinx pose benefits your spine and butt, allowing you to stretch your chest, abdomen, and shoulders. Lie flat on your stomach and keep your body straight. Lift your arms and place your palms on the mat in line with your chest.
Put your weight in your palms and push your upper body upwards, including your head and torso. You must ensure that your upper spine and head control the movement instead of your lower spine. The latter will push unnecessary pressure on that body part, worsening the pain.
Why Yoga?
Yoga may seem like another exercise routine for non-practitioners, but it is much more. As mentioned above, it was originally meant to help people find mental, physical, and spiritual balance, and its current form also has several benefits.
Yoga Benefits
Yoga focuses on relaxing the mind and the body, which is why it is good for mental and physical wellness. Following are some of the benefits you can enjoy by practicing it regularly:
- Improves flexibility and sense of balance – the poses are meant to help people optimally adjust their posture and weight.
- Lowers stress and improves sleep – yoga encourages breathing exercises and meditation that can help the mind and body relax and release anxiety.
- Boosts heart health – reducing stress and anxiety, better sleep, and similar attributes boost cardiovascular health, allowing you to avoid heart conditions.
- Provides back pain relief – several yoga poses are especially beneficial for back pain relief and are often recommended for people with chronic pain.
Overall, it is easy to see that practicing yoga is beneficial and can help you improve your condition.
Wrapping Up
Yoga tremendously benefits the mind and body, and we recommend you practice it. We hope you liked our suggestions for the best yoga poses for beginners and will try them when starting your yoga journey.