Practicing yoga can improve balance, flexibility and strength. It also helps people feel calm and focused.
Lie on your back with your hands flat on the mat, in line with your lower ribs. Inhale and lift your chest, hovering your hips a few inches above the floor.
Curve your back upward, like Cat Pose, then move your head and pelvis downward toward Cow Pose.
Plank Pose
Plank pose strengthens the wrist and arm muscles, and improves balance. It also helps you cultivate discipline and body awareness. This pose is ideal for anyone who wants to increase core strength and prepare for more advanced arm yoga poses. It is not recommended for people with wrist injuries or high blood pressure.
Modified plank pose can be beneficial for people with back pain. It activates the abdominal muscles and back muscles, and strengthens the arms and shoulders. It can also improve balance and stability, making it easier to perform other poses.
Chaturanga
The Four-Limbed Staff Pose (Chaturanga Dandasana) is a powerful pose that strengthens the arms, shoulders and core. It’s an essential move for vinyasa yoga and other dynamic styles of yoga.
Chaturanga is often repeated several times during Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskara). It can also be incorporated into other flowing yoga classes, such as Ashtanga and Vinyasa Flow.
Beginners should build up the strength needed for Chaturanga by holding Plank or Forearm Plank for up to a minute. Beginners with lower back or wrist issues can substitute this pose with Knees-chest-chin pose (Ashtanga Namaskara). This allows them to avoid the shoulder instability of full Chaturanga and will still strengthen the core muscles.
Trikonasana
Trikonasana, or Triangle Pose, embodies strength and balance. Its triangular shape challenges the body’s alignment, enhancing spinal and hip flexibility and encouraging a sense of stability.
The pose also challenges the core muscles to maintain correct posture. It is a great pose for beginners as well as advanced yogis.
It is recommended to practice this pose with a thorough warm up of the leg and back muscles before practicing it. Beginners should avoid the deep twist of this pose if they have back problems. It should not be practiced by people who suffer from high or low blood pressure as it could cause dizziness and imbalance.
Camel Pose
Camel Pose, or Ustrasana, is a lovely backbend that helps you open your chest, shoulders, and arms. However, this pose can be challenging for beginner yogis as it requires some level of strength and balance. Thankfully, there are many ways to modify this yoga posture for beginners.
For example, beginners can support one or both legs on a bolster or chair seat to make it more accessible. This will help them work up to the full version of the pose. This poses strengthens your arms and wrists while toning your belly and improving your sense of balance.
Downward-Facing Dog Modified
Downward-facing dog is an iconic posture with a deep history within yoga. It serves as an inversion and provides traction for the spine. It also strengthens the wrists and shoulders. It is a staple of sun-salutation (suryanamaskara) sequence and is often used as a transitional pose between other poses.
However, the strength and flexibility needed for this posture can be challenging for beginners or those with limited physical strength or range of motion. Luckily, there are many ways to modify the pose so that it can be practiced safely by all students.
Tree Pose
Tree pose, also known as Vrksasana in yoga, is a challenging balance posture that strengthens your ankles, feet and core. It can help improve your balance and posture, and can also be used to help relieve stress and anxiety.
This balancing posture stretches the groin, thighs and torso while strengthening your calves and ankles. It can also be useful for preventing flat feet and is therapeutic for sciatica. The meditative aspect of this pose helps to calm the mind and cultivate concentration.
Practicing this posture requires a lot of mental work as well as physical. If you have trouble finding your balance, try practicing it near a wall for support.
Warrior II
Warrior II, known as Virabhadrasana 2 in yoga, builds the strength and balance of beginner and advanced yogis. It strengthens the front leg and hip, creates length in the inner thigh and buttock muscles, and stretches the chest and back legs. It also boosts concentration and stamina with repeated practice.
One common misalignment in Warrior II is a tendency for the front knee to drift inward toward the center of the mat. To help prevent this, remind students to widen the space between their feet to increase stability.
Another common adjustment to Warrior II is adding a block beneath the bent knee to help lower the body into the pose. This reduces strain on the lower body while still challenging balance.