If you want to take your yoga practice up a notch, try some advanced poses. These poses will work larger muscle groups and challenge your balance and strength.
A staple in many yoga classes, this pose strengthens the shoulders and arms, while stretching the hip flexors. It also improves posture and relieves back pain.
Chaturanga
Chaturanga is a key pose in many yoga styles including Vinyasa flow. It strengthens the body, teaches proper alignment and prepares you for other poses. It is also a challenging pose to do correctly. Over time improperly performing this pose can lead to shoulder injuries and wrist pain.
To avoid this, be sure to keep your elbows hugged into your sides rather than splayed out. This will distribute your weight evenly and help prevent injury.
If you are new to yoga and can’t quite get the hang of lowering down from plank into Chaturanga, try practicing a variation of this pose by lowering down onto the knees while staying in High Plank Pose. This will build up the strength needed to properly perform the pose without putting unnecessary stress on your wrists and shoulders.
Downward-Facing Dog Modified
Downward-facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) is a classic yoga pose that strengthens and stretches the body. For beginners, this posture may feel challenging since it requires a good amount of shoulder flexibility to support the weight-bearing of the upper body.
External rotation of the shoulders also creates space for the chest to expand, which is necessary for easy breathing. It also broadens the collarbones and draws the shoulder blades down the back.
If you have tight hamstrings or lower back or have difficulty reaching the floor for your hands, it is best to use props like a wall or a chair to help you practice downward-facing dog. You can also try to lower down onto your forearms during this posture, which lessens the load on the shoulders and reduces the challenge of the asana.
Tree Pose
Tree Pose, also known as Vrksasana, is a balancing posture that strengthens the legs and ankles and tones the core. It also enhances balance and concentration by encouraging students to fix their gaze on a steady point (drishti). Beginners often benefit from practicing this pose with support until they gain confidence in the posture.
Instructors usually cue Tree Pose toward the middle or end of a yoga class, after warming up and strengthening the muscles with other standing poses, explains Yoga Journal. It’s important that students practice this pose correctly to avoid injuries. For example, the lifted foot should never rest on the inner knee as it puts pressure on the joint and can lead to pain. Instead, it’s better to place the foot on the inner calf or the outer thigh.
Upward-Facing Dog
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog Pose) is a backbend that works against gravity, strengthening the spine and arm muscles. It also stretches the hip flexors and chest. It helps with digestion, the immune system and circulation. It improves posture and boosts energy. It can also help counteract slouching and kyphosis.
This pose may seem easy enough, but it is a backbend that requires a lot of strength. Beginners often place too much weight in the hands and jam their shoulders forward instead of lifting into a wide, open chest.
To make this posture more accessible, use a bolster in front of you. The bolster will shift your weight toward your feet and help you keep the top of your head in line with the chest.
Happy Baby
Affectionately called Happy Baby because it resembles infants kicking and cooing, this pose is a relaxing hip opener that also soothes the spine. It is a reclining variation of the standing squat and a favorite for yogis with back pain or sacroiliac joint problems. It is often used in the cooldown phase at the end of a yoga class as a precursor to Shavasana (corpse pose).
If you find that your lower back rounds with this version of the squat, try to grab the outsides of each foot with either hand or loop a strap around one of them. If you have limited mobility, try to rock gently side-to-side for a deep massage of the groin and hips. The gentle nature of this pose makes it a great final relaxation posture.