Yoga is a mind-body exercise that offers benefits for your body, including strength and flexibility. It is a great workout for your back, but it also strengthens your arms and legs. You don’t need any equipment to do yoga, but a mat is helpful to prevent you from sliding in standing poses.
Pyramid pose
The pyramid pose is also known as Parsvottanasana and is a challenging side-bending standing posture. It increases spine, hip and leg flexibility while improving balance. It also calms the mind and strengthens the core muscles. The asymmetrical nature of the pose challenges the balance and concentration, which enhances your mind-body connection.
Beginners should start by placing their hands on blocks or their thighs to help them maintain balance. They can then gradually walk their hands further down, which will elongate the spine and create a deeper stretch. This pose also strengthens the shoulders and wrists.
In addition to improving spinal alignment, pyramid pose can also improve posture and reduce lower back pain. It is also a great prep for other yoga poses that require a long torso, such as forward folds and backbends. It can also be used to calm the mind and relieve stress.
Urdhva Hastasana
Urdhva Hastasana, also known as the upward salute or palm tree pose, is an energising and restorative pose that benefits all areas of the body. It improves posture, increases focus and concentration and boosts blood circulation. The pose also helps to tone and strengthen the muscles of the legs and abdomen. It can be adapted to all ages and abilities.
To practice Urdhva Hastasana, start in Tadasana (Mountain Pose). Place your feet hip distance apart and parallel to each other. Distribute the weight evenly between the toes and align the second toes straight forward. On an inhale, move your arms out alongside your body, and on exhale, raise them up overhead.
This pose stretches the sides of the body, spinal column and shoulder blades. It also increases the space in the chest and lungs. It also tones the belly, improves digestion and relieves stress and fatigue. This pose is great for people with mild back pain.
Happy baby
Happy baby (Ananda Balasana) is a restorative yoga pose that gently stretches the inner thighs and groin while relieving tension in the hips and back. This position also helps to stretch and strengthen the hamstrings, and encourages the spine to lengthen. The gentle rocking motion of this posture can help to calm the nervous system, and is often included near the beginning or end of a yoga class.
The muscles that are stretched in happy baby include the hip flexors, adductors, and iliotibial bandits, which are all located on the inner legs. The hamstrings are also benefited by this position, and it can relieve tightness that can result from sitting for long periods of time.
The shoulders and neck should remain relaxed in happy baby, so be careful not to lift your head or crunch your neck as you reach for your feet. If you find it difficult to keep your feet on the ground, try wrapping a yoga strap around the arch of each foot or reaching for the backs of your thighs instead.
Lunge
Lunges work a variety of muscles in your lower body, including the quads, gluteal muscles and hamstrings. They also engage the core to stabilize the body. In addition, they work both concentrically (shortening) and eccentrically (lengthening).
The length of the lunge affects which muscles are worked hardest. To maximize lunge effectiveness, the knee should not extend past your front toes or forward heel. This prevents knee compression and helps protect the health of the front knee.
A lunge variation that focuses on the quads is the curtsy lunge. This variation requires less movement than a forward lunge, but still targets the gluteus maximus and the adductor magnus muscle in your inner thigh. It also challenges your spatial awareness and forces you to be more focused as you move through the exercise. You can perform this exercise using your own body weight or add weights to increase resistance. You can also do lunges with a wall or chair for added stability.