Yoga asanas inspire those who have a liking for fitness and a healthy lifestyle. Many celebrities swear by regular practice of yoga for their sculpted and toned physiques and they never shy away from sharing this secret with anyone. Not only the celebrated fitness enthusiast and famous personalities but anyone can achieve the same results with the help of these top 10 yoga asanas that enhances flexibility and helps you achieve a perfectly carved toned body.
How yoga for flexibility is beneficial?
Increases the range of motion: Greater the flexibility, the greater is your range of motion. Yoga asanas for flexibility make it easier for your joints to move freely with much less pressure and effort.
Great posture: It loosens the tightened and stiffed muscles that can cause bad posture.
Relieves pain and tension: Stretching due to yoga asanas helps to release the tension from muscles and make it easier to move. This ultimately gives relief from joint, hip, back, and neck pain.
Improved blood flow: Increased flexibility results in more blood flow thus improving circulation and fastens the recovery post-workout.
Lower stress: Yoga asanas for flexibility relax your muscles and this release of tension from the muscles results in lower stress levels.
If you want to try yoga for flexibility then hatha yoga, vinyasa yoga, or the combination of both styles is a good option for you. Focus on how the yoga pose feels rather than how it looks to maximize the benefits. Repeat the poses as many times as you may feel comfortable without any tiredness or pain.
Yoga asanas for flexibility
1) Dhanurasana
Dhanurasana is an incredible back bowing yoga pose for expanding and increasing spinal strength and adaptability. It stimulates the internal organs. This posture stretches the chest and strengthens the lungs, making it a very beneficial posture for those with asthma and respiratory issues. It increases the flexibility of your core muscles as well as that of legs, back, shoulders, chest, and glutes.
2) Bhunamanasana
It is one of the basic yoga poses where ‘Bhoo’ means Earth and ‘naman’ means Greeting. This is one of the best stretching exercises. Opens the Third Eye Chakra or Ajna Chakra and Regulates the functions of Thyroid Gland. It opens up your hips and lower back while boosting the flexibility of your hamstrings and calves.
3) Gomukhasana
Gomukhasana or cow face pose is a seated pose usually used for meditation purposes. It stretches the thigh, thorax, hips, and ankle. It removes the stiffness from the hip joints and improves the flexibility of the back. It improves kidney functioning and beneficial to those who are suffering from diabetes.
4) Halasana
It helps to build strength in the body. One must perform Halasana on daily basis to build muscles and generate power. It relieves fatigue and gives good stretching to the whole body. It stimulates the nervous system especially the spine area. It ensures the proper functioning of the thyroid and parathyroid glands.
5) Matsyasana
Keeping stress, nervousness, and negativity at a bay, Mastyasana acupunctures the points that stimulate the entire nervous system. It helps to synchronize your left brain with the right one. This establishes the equilibrium in the brain energy, enhancing the thinking capacity and increasing mental strength. It eliminates stiffness from the cervical area, promotes lung functioning, and increased ease in breathing.
6) Marjarasana Bilwasana
Gently practicing and transitioning between cow and cat pose will expand the spine, along with warming it. This helps you to get your sore spine back on track. These yoga asanas also help to shift the load from the spine, supplying you with some much-needed relief.
7) Hastapadasana
Also known as Forward bend pose. Hastapadasana is the basic yoga asana that is very effective to cure digestive problems, hair loss, back pain, stimulates the nervous system, and also beneficial to relax stiff joints and muscles. It gives a good stretch to the legs, arms, spine, and hamstrings.
8) Garudasana
It is known to improve the sense of balance. It improves concentration and releases upper back tension. It stretches hips, thighs, shoulders, and spine. It loosens the tendons and joint muscles.
9) Kapotasana
Kapotasana is a great pose to deeply stretch the hip muscles. It alleviates sciatica pain. It stimulates the lower body and nervous system. It is highly beneficial for the piriformis muscles. Trapped energy in our body can be freed with the help of this hip-opening yoga asana. Hip opener yoga asanas allow you to release the negative energy and unblock the flow of positive energy, thus releasing the fatigue and diminishing the problem of low enthusiasm.
10) Natarajasana
It stretches out the shoulders, hamstrings, and opens up the hips. As one needs to balance and stretch at the same time it requires focus and concentration. With regular practice, it has been effective to help in a balanced thought process. One of the most graceful yoga asana poses, this is also known as the lord of dance pose.
Apart from these 10 asanas, Suryanamaskara is one of the most powerful yoga practices to develop flexibility in your body. It can alone give you wonderful results. Practice at least 12 complete sets of Suryanamaskara daily or as recommended by your yoga trainer.