Yoga Poses at Home
Free basic yoga poses for the beginner
Yoga is one the most beneficial forms of exercise that you can do. Part of the beauty of Yoga is that everyone, regardless of age, gender and fitness level can use and benefit from practicing Yoga. Many people make the false assumption that in order to practice Yoga correctly you have to join a club or go to a class. Yoga can easily be done at home. Adding Yoga to your regular home work out routine is fairly easy.
Let’s make a few more misconceptions clear right now. You will not need to give up your current lifestyle to practice Yoga and though Yoga is often used to build a deeper relationship with the divine you do not have join a cult or change your religion. What you will need is a towel or a yoga mat, an instructional book or video and some time where you will not be distracted or bothered.
Unlike any other exercise that you currently do, which improves your body, Yoga is used to improve the mind and body and the connection between the two. Yoga is going to help you discover who you are, and help you live a more stress free life.
The Yoga that is commonly practiced here in the West is known as Yoga Asanas or Yoga posturing. You will find that the poses you will use help you center yourself and relieve stiffness in the body.
If you are new to Yoga, then you will want to begin with some of the more simple, or beginner poses. I will go over a few of those now. Typically the Yoga poses fall into one of five categories. Those categories are: Standing, Seated, Resting/Supine, Backbends and Balancing. I will address two beginner poses in each category.
Downward Facing Dog - this pose falls into the standing category but can also be considered a resting pose. This pose will help stretch the entire body as well as strengthen your entire body. If you suffer from back pain, then this pose will help alleviate that pain. This is one of the most common Yoga poses and it very easy for you to do at home.
Raised Hand Pose - this is a standing pose. This pose will help to improve your posture, open up your shoulders and strengthen your thighs.
Cobbler’s Pose - the first of our sitting poses. This posture is also known as the Sitting Angel Pose. This pose is used to open up the groin and the hips.
The Easy Yoga Pose - which is a sitting pose and is probably the very first image that pops into your head when you think about someone doing Yoga.
The Child's Pose - this is a resting pose. To give you an idea of what this pose looks like, think of a child that is tired and has dropped to the floor on their knees to sleep. This is a wonderful but gentle stretch for the ankles, hips and thighs.
The Goddess Pose - again is a resting pose. This pose is used to open up the groin area. It is very similar to the Cobbler’s Pose, if you were to lie down.
In the Backbends group we have the cat-cow stretch. This stretch is used to increases spinal flexibility and abdominal strength.
Jumping to the balancing group, we can use the Hands and Knees Balancing. This move is used to improve core strength and overall balance.
All of the poses listed above can easily be done in the comfort of your home with simple instruction and a Yoga mat. The final step to you feeling good all over is to practice Yoga at home.
