Yoga is the best exercise you can start because it yields incredible results. As a beginner, it is easy and can be done in the comfort of your home.
Yoga may seem like a mild exercise routine, but it will help you improve your body fitness and lose weight if you practice it regularly. It will also aid in relaxation, stress reduction, and improving your body functions, resulting in a better state of health.
There is absolutely no reason why you should not begin practicing yoga right now, especially if going to the gym or participating in other forms of physical activity does not appeal to you. If you’ve never done yoga before, it’s a good idea to start with some simple yoga poses for beginners. Eventually, you’ll get used to it.
The eleven basic simple yoga poses mentioned below will help you get started and can be done at home whenever you have some free time.
1. Sukhasana (Easy Cross Leg Pose)
This is a straightforward yoga practice that is relatively easy for beginners. It’s as easy as sitting cross-legged. Keep your back as straight as possible when sitting on the floor.
The easy cross leg pose is an excellent place to start for beginners. This yoga pose helps improve your back flexibility. Breathing also helps to relieve physical and emotional tension.
2. Tadasana (mountain pose)
Mountain pose is another simple way to getting started with yoga. Even though it appears you will be standing, a lot is going on in the mountain pose. The heels sink in, the leg muscles contract, the bones align with the shoulders directly over the hips, the shoulder blades slip down the back, and the crown of the head rises. Don’t forget to take a few deep breaths. A word of caution: your body should not be as rigid as a rock.
If your body is stiff, slightly separate your feet, which should be enough to give you a more comfortable position. Both of your arms should be at your sides.
3. Balasana (child’s pose)
This yoga posture is simply a resting position that you can hold for several minutes. Begin in a kneeling position, with the top of your feet facing down on the floor.
When kneeling, keep your feet and legs together and rest your belly and chest on your legs. Then put your head on the floor with both arms outstretched in front of you.
4. Cow and cat pose
This is a simple yoga position that can also be used to stretch your back and relieve back pain, especially for people who spend a lot of time sitting at a desk. It is one of the beginner yoga poses that will increase your mobility and relieve tension in your back and middle area.
How to do It:
- Get down on your hands and knees on the floor, keeping your back relaxed.
- Inhale deeply, then bend your neck outwards toward the ceiling while tucking your head into your chest as you exhale.
- Inhale again, and when you exhale, slowly raise your head and look upward, arching your back in the opposite direction.
5. Downward facing dog pose
This basic yoga pose should be done after the Cat Pose since the last pose prepares the body for this one. And this is one of the best beginner yoga poses.
Your body would need to stretch out as both arms and legs form a diagonal posture, forming a triangle. Your hands should be firmly pressed on the front of your yoga mat, while your feet should be firmly pressed on the back.
You may need to take a break from the balasana pose to complete this pose. Downward facing dog pose improves your flexibility.
6. Baby pigeon pose
You’ll need to push your right knee forward just between your hands when you get out of all fours. Then slowly straighten the other leg behind you, keeping the left knee and foot spread out and pressed against the floor. Most athletes perform this yoga pose.
The baby pigeon pose is good for increasing hip flexibility.
7. Vrksasana (tree pose)
This is one of the most popular yoga poses. To do the tree pose, stand straight, then put your hands together as in a prayer. After that, balance on your right leg while bending your left knee out and placing your left foot on the opposite leg’s inner thigh.
Be sure to push down on your left foot for 30 seconds while raising your arms above your head and then down to your stomach (still in a praying position). This pose will help you improve your balance.
8. Malasana (garland pose)
Squat down by moving your feet to the mat’s edges and bending your knees. If possible, the toes can be turned. Sit on two stacked blocks if your heels do not touch the floor. This change makes the pose more accessible to a broader range of people.
This is a natural position for children, but it’s a tad challenging to do as adults. This pose is excellent for the hips and reverses the impact of sitting in chairs and driving for too long.
9. Lunge pose
After the malasana:
- Return to a forward fold with your legs gently bent and your feet behind your hips.
- Move your left leg to the back of your mat and bend your right knee for a deep lunge when you’re ready.
- Bring your right leg parallel to the floor by bringing your bent knee directly over your ankle.
- Place your hands on the blocks to get the floor closer to you.
Maintain a high and straight left leg with your heel reaching out. If this is too difficult, you can instead place your left knee on the mat. Return the left foot to the front of your mat next to the right one after five breaths. Then, with the left foot forward and the right leg back, repeat the lunge.
10. Urdhva Hastansana (raised arms pose)
Take a deep breath and raise your arms above your head. The is your basic morning stretch pose, but keep the good alignment you formed in the mountain pose.
At the same time, as you reach up through your hands, stay grounded in your heels and keep your shoulders away from your face. Your gaze can move up to the hands, which can be shoulder-width apart or touching palms.
11. Dandasana (staff pose)
Sit with your legs together and spread in front of your torso on the floor. Sitting on a blanket or a bolster to raise the pelvis can be beneficial.
Sitting with your back against a wall is an easy way to check your alignment. The sacrum and shoulder blades should contact the wall, but the lower back and back of the head should not. Place a small rolled-up towel between the lower back and the wall.
Adjust the pubis and tail bone to be equidistant from the floor and rest in the front of the sitting bones. Firm the thighs, pressing them back against the floor (or your support), rotating them slightly toward each other, and drawing the inner groins toward the sacrum without hardening the belly. Extend your knees and press your feet outward.
Think about energy flowing upward from the pubis to the sternum, then down the back from the shoulders to the tail bone to lengthen the front torso perpendicular to the floor. Then imagine the tail becoming longer and longer as it sinks into the ground.
Imagine your spine to be the “staff” at the vertical center of your torso, firmly planted in the Earth, and the support and pivot of everything you do. Hold the pose for at least one minute.
Yoga is a perfect way to tone, stretch, and exercise the body while also reducing the anxiety and stress that a busy lifestyle can cause. Without attending yoga classes regularly, you can practice yoga at home, on the beach, in a garden, or anywhere else you like.
So, are you able to change your life for the better? Then begin with these simple yoga workouts explicitly designed for beginners.
It’s your health and well-being on the line here, so don’t put it off any longer. Make yoga a regular part of your life today, and you’ll feel and look better right away if you stick with it.