If you want to build a yoga sequence, start with a few of the poses that address the body areas you most need to work on. For example, if your hips are stiff and your shoulders are tight, select four hip-opening and shoulder-stretching poses.
A good way to begin your practice is with Cat-Cow pose, which helps loosen the back muscles. It also strengthens the abdominal muscles.
Downward-Facing Dog
Downward-facing dog, also known as Adho Mukha Svanasana, is one of the first poses that yoga beginners learn. It’s a common part of the Sun Salutation sequence and acts as a transitional pose or can even serve as a resting position. It helps to build strength and flexibility in the back, hips, arms and legs. This asana is also good for releasing stress, anxiety and tension as well as helping to prevent osteoporosis.
It’s important to note that Downward-Facing Dog can be quite challenging for beginners, especially if they don’t have the appropriate level of strength or flexibility. If they don’t do the pose correctly, it can lead to injuries like wrist pain and shoulder strain. A beginner’s mistake is often to place the feet too far apart from each other which can put too much pressure on the wrists. The feet should be roughly the same distance from each other as they are in Plank Pose.
Child’s Pose
The Child’s Pose yoga move relaxes and soothes the body, helping to relieve stress. This pose also helps to stretch the hips and thighs. To modify the pose, place a rolled blanket under your knees for padding or spread the knees wider if you are pregnant.
This position allows you to focus on your breathing, slowing it down and taking deep breaths, which can help lower your heart rate. The Child’s Pose is also a great pose to practice mindfulness meditation in and is a wonderful way to calm the mind.
To perform this pose, start by kneeling down on the mat. Rest your buttocks on the heels and bend forward to rest your forehead on the floor or a mat. You can walk your hands out to a T-shape or keep them by your sides. If your neck hurts, bring a pillow or a block under your head. Stay in the pose for 30 seconds to a minute or longer if you can.
Tree Pose
One of yoga’s greatest benefits is improved balance, and Tree Pose helps develop this ability. It also strengthens your legs and core.
While it may seem like the goal is to place your raised foot as high as possible on your standing knee, that’s not necessarily the case. What’s important is that your lifted foot aligns with the inner thigh or calf and presses against the leg.
The pose also requires that you engage your core and keep your shoulders rolled back so they don’t hang forward. If you have a shoulder injury, you can modify the pose by placing a folded mat between your feet or by using a wall for support.
It’s an excellent balancing posture for beginners, as it allows them to work with their body instead of forcing the limbs into unnatural positions. It also promotes quiet time and encourages students to focus on the present moment.
Bhairavasana
Bhairavasana is an advanced posture that opens the hips and stretches the core and hamstring muscles. It also strengthens the wrists, ankles and oblique muscles. It also improves digestion by toning the abdominal organs. It is also a good pose for people with thyroid problems and helps them maintain normal blood pressure levels and heart beat.
This posture gets its name from the incarnation of Shiva that is associated with destruction. The Hindus believe the universe is in a cyclic process of creation and destruction, and this posture represents the fierce aspect of Shiva that is related to annihilation. It eliminates bad habits, ignorance, fears and illusions that get in the way of finding true happiness.
This posture is sometimes referred to as the Roaring Lion Pose or Simhasana and is an integral part of many Yoga sequences. It is a powerful and formidably challenging posture that helps the practitioner develop a fearlessness and mental strength.