From Newbie To Yogi
Yoga is a great form of exercise for people who want to keep their body limber without the high energy of more intense, cardio-great workouts. While yoga is a low-impact exercise on your joints, it can have an immense impact on the rest of your life, such as improving sleep and alleviating anxiety. If this sounds helpful, then keep reading for 10 easy poses you can do right now.
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1. Mountain Pose
A foundational pose, mountain pose may look—and feel—simple but is actually deceptively complex. Mountain pose isn't just about standing tall; it's about improving posture through a strengthened back and core. Mountain pose is also a great opportunity to practice awareness and get in touch with your body.
2. Corpse Pose
When the world feels like it's all too much and you want to lie down for a while, corpse pose helps you do exactly that. Corpse pose helps promote relaxation and can help with sleep. We recommend you end your sessions with it, otherwise you may never get up.
3. Tree Pose
As you will soon learn, good posture is one of the tenets of practicing yoga. Like mountain pose, tree pose can be used as the foundation for more complex poses. Tree posture helps to improve posture, which is imperative to some of the more complicated poses on this list.
4. Cat-Cow Pose
A god-send for people with desk jobs, cat-cow pose can help open up a tight spine and release lower back pain. Cat-cow strengthens the lower back and can ease acute pain such as sciatica. Additionally, the purposeful breathing in this pose can encourage mindfulness.
5. Downward Dog
Downward dog is another great pose for being whose posture may be harmed by sitting at a desk all day. As a partial inversion, downward dog releases some of the pressure on your spine while gently realigning it. Downward dog can also improve blood flow.
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6. Pigeon Pose
When most people think of improving posture, we bet they focus on their shoulders and spine while completely forgetting hip flexors! When seated, all of your weight is balanced on your hips, which can throw things massively off balance. In addition to opening up your hip flexors, pigeon pose can also support digestion.
7. Plank Pose
Planking in increasingly bizarre locations was a trend back in the early 2010s, but the long-term benefits of plank pose are anything but a passing fad. Used as part of a sequence or on its own, plank helps you build your strength and stability. Plank pose also builds core muscles, and can serve a similar but less intensive purpose to crunches.
8. Butterfly Pose
Another pose that opens your hips and groins, butterfly pose is beloved as a method of easing pregnancy pain. However, you don't have to be expecting to reap the benefits of this deep, yet simple stretch. Butterfly pose can ease stress, improve mindfulness, and enhance pelvic health.
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9. Warrior One
There are five warrior poses in total, but the first two are the most frequently taught to beginners. Slightly more complicated than some of the other poses in this section, warrior one targets multiple areas of your body, but does so without feeling difficult or overbearing.
10. Warrior Two
Warrior two takes the stretch that you learned in the first post and tilts it on an angle. A grounding pose, one of the goals of warrior two is to make you feel strong. The warrior poses can be practiced individually, sequentially, and throughout a longer routine.
Now that we've gone through some poses you can do with little-to-no previous experience, let's look at some more difficult poses that build upon the skills you learn in the foundational 10.
1. Handstand Pose
Sometimes all you need is a change in perspective—which is exactly what the handstand requires. Not only does the inversion stimulate bloodflow, but it can also show just how far you've come in your yoga journey. A handstand needs a good foundation, both literally in terms of your arms and shoulders, and metaphorically in terms of trusting your body.
2. 8-Cornered Pose
The 8-cornered pose looks like an optical illusion straight out of a horror movie, but part of that is just your mind being unused to its shape. If you can hold a low plank for 30 seconds, you may surprise yourself and be able to pull off this pose.
3. Firefly Pose
The most difficult part of a gymnast's press handstand, firefly pose balances your entire body weight on your wrists. In addition to necessary strong wrists, firefly also uses your abs and thighs to deepen the stretch.
4. Scorpion Pose
Like the arachnid it's named after, scorpion pose lies in wait, striking only when it's absolutely certain. Visually, the first thing you'll notice is the impressive back bend, which is built up through consistent stretching. In addition to strength, scorpion also requires balance and concentration.
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5. Wheel Pose
One problem people can make with wheel pose is trying it before they are ready, which results in them getting stuck and injuring their back. In addition to the deep stretch for your back, getting into wheel pose can put a fair amount of weight on your wrists and ankles if not properly trained.
6. King Pigeon Pose
There are two more complicated versions of pigeon pose depending on arm usage. Both variations rely on the strength and flexibility built up with the basic version of this pose. As with any pose, know your body's limits, and don't push yourself.
7. Twisted Bow Pose
Twisted bow pose is a sophisticated back bend, but not quite as intense as some of the others on this list. Nonetheless, this pose is great for building up back and shoulder strength.
Lilian White from Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgique on Wikimedia
8. Crane Pose
Crane pose is about halfway between firefly and handstand, and reaps some of the benefits of both. Arm balancing can be difficult and the distribution of weight in this pose means it shouldn't be undertaken lightly. Laying out pillows or blankets can help ease the fear of falling in early tries.
9. Monkey Pose
It seems like a lot of people can do the splits when their bodies are young and elastic, but they lose some of that flexibility when not given the opportunity to play. Monkey pose is a great way to stretch your entire lower body at once. Like any pose, monkey pose takes time to develop; don't be discouraged if you don't get it even well into your yoga journey.
10. King Dancer Pose
King dancer pose has all the beauty of ballet but in a far less strenuous workout. King dancer pose uses the balance you develop through simple poses such as tree and puts it to the test. In addition to opening up your chest, you'll also feel a wonderful deep stretch in your back.
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