Do you always get fascinated by a yogi doing a perfect headstand with a picturesque background? Do the perfect postures, impeccable benefits, soft radiant glow, calmness on the face of a yoga practitioner prompt you to take it up yourself? So, what is holding you back? Yoga for beginners can be a challenge at first but always remember that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Once you get on your yoga mat you can’t lie to yourself. It is the mirror of your true reflections. Being a yoga beginner isn’t easy, you can’t hold the pose, can’t even out the breath, don’t fit in the posture, unable to calm the mind. But after a few beginner yoga classes or sessions, your body tends to give in, and slowly you transit into the yoga practitioner smoothly transiting between the poses.
Yoga for beginners
Yoga isn’t about touching your toes or twisting your body to 180 degrees. It’s an easy process of uniting with yourself – using your breath, body, and mind. And it’s easy and effortless.
So, never mind if you are not flexible or stretchable enough or venturing into yoga at the age of 40, otherwise, you have secret love handles that are stressing you out – then it’s time to just ignore all those myths before beginning your yoga practice! the sole one watching you is yourself – so just relax. The yoga journey is going to much joy and relaxation to you!
Here are the 12 basic yoga poses to start your journey with-
1. Tadasana / Mountain pose
It is a foundational pose for many yoga poses. You can often do it during transitioning from one pose to another, but you can also do it in a stand-alone way. It is simple in method and difficulty level is easy.
It helps to correct the posture and improve the balance. Increases the flexibility of ankles and joints. It tones the hips and abdomen, helps you gain control over your muscle movements.
2. Adho mukh svanasana / Downward facing dog
It is one of the poses of highly beneficial sun salutation. It can be challenging yoga for beginners in the starting, but over time as one advances in a yoga practice, this becomes the favorite rest or transition pose between other strenuous poses.
It is a full-body workout stretch that improves the health of the spine, hamstring, calves, lower back, shoulders, and core. The pose is also known to be beneficial in treating osteoporosis and menopause symptoms.
3. Veerbhadrasana II / Warrior II
It should be practiced under the supervision of experts from yoga for beginners’ classes or studios until you achieve the required flexibility. The pose is excellent for overall vitality and strengthening of the full body. It is a great pose for balancing and stability which stretches the hips, joints, back, and shoulders. It benefits the intestine, abdomen, chest, and liver.
4. Trikonasana / Triangle pose
It is a beginner level foundational yoga pose across almost every style of the yoga. You will definitely come across this basic yoga pose in any yoga studio teaching yoga for beginners. You can perform the multiple variations of it with the use of yoga props such as ropes, tables, blankets, etc for a more relaxing pose.
This pose increases the blood supply around the lower spine maintaining its proper function. It improves the balance maintaining stability in your torso and legs while you rotate your spine. The asana relieves back pain, invigorates the abdominal muscles, and strengthens the hips.
5. Ardha Kapotasana / Half pegion pose
Ardha Kapotasana is a great pose to deeply stretch the hip muscles. It alleviates the sciatica pain. It stimulates the lower body and nervous system. It is highly beneficial for the piriformis muscles.
6. Pashchimottana / Seated forward bend
It is a forward bending in the seating position. It gives you an intense dorsal stretch. This is a classic pose from hatha yoga. It gives your whole back- from your spine, calves, hips to hamstring- a very good stretch.
It calms the brain and relieves the stress. It reduces anxiety and enhances a good mood. It stimulates kidney, liver function, and uterus. It soothes the symptoms of menopause and menstrual discomfort. It aids indigestion.
7. Phalakasana / Plank pose
Phalakasana or plank pose is a transitional pose which forms the base for the other yoga asana pose. As suggested in the name it is the asana in which your body is held like a plank. It creates pressure on your core and shoulder muscles. The intense workout generates body heat thus burning the fat. It also helps to strengthen the abdominal muscles, boost metabolism, improves posture, and keeps the spine aligned and healthy.
8. Bhujangasana / Cobra pose
It is a beginner backbend yoga pose that prepares you for deeper back bending exercises. It is an essential pose in the san salutation and can be an alternative to the ardha mukha svanasana. It is known for its ability to increase the flexibility of the spine. It opens the shoulders and chest thus increasing the lungs’ capacity and is therapeutic in asthma.
9. Vrikshasana / Tree pose
It replicates the steady yet graceful stance of a tree. The body balancing act improves focus and determination. It builds single-mindedness, determination, and commitments towards your goal. Along with strengthening the legs, stretching the arms and spine it improves the concentration.
10. Balasana / Child pose
Balasana, also known as the child Pose, is, considered one of the most effective poses for people with sleep-related issues. The calmness and stability provided by this asana translate into sleep very quickly.
It stimulates the Anahata chakra because it stretches the spine as you go down on your chest and stomach. this is often why the asana relaxes both your body and your mind, releasing all the dissipated energy.
11. Vajrasana / diamond pose
It is a kneeling yoga poses most generically associates with the metabolism. It relieves and prevents the constipation.It is also known for strengthening the pelvic muscles.
12. Hastapadasana / Forward bend pose
Also known as Forward bend pose. Hastapadasana is the basic yoga pose that is very effective to cure constipation, hair loss, back pain, stimulates the nervous system, and also beneficial to increase height.