Today yoga is popular all over the world. And all this is due to the healing effect that it has on a person. But where to start in yoga? What complex of elements (asanas) is best suited for untrained people? This article provides a selection of simple yoga exercises for beginners that you can perform at home. For classes you only need a rug and a good mood.
But before proceeding with the implementation of the main complex, it is necessary to stretch the body. In the language of yoga, warm-up is the activation of internal energy, which then needs to be directed into a creative channel.
Mentally immerse yourself, feel your body. All movements at the warm-up stage should be smooth, without jerking and accompanied by calm, even breathing. Starting with the rotation of the head, shoulders, arms, you should gradually work out each link in the body.
Chair Pose (Utkatasana)
Now you can move on to the basic yoga exercises for beginners. To complete the first element, stand on your feet by connecting them together. Spread your shoulders, do not bend in the back, pull the stomach. With your crown reach for the ceiling. Raise your arms above your head with your palms facing each other. Bend your legs smoothly, while tilting the body slightly forward. The arms and back should form a straight line. Lock in this position and complete six breathing cycles. Then you can return to the starting position.
Beneficial features:
Asana strengthens the muscles of the legs and back, stimulates the heart and diaphragm. Also, its implementation helps to reduce flat feet. In psychological terms, the pose gives internal balance, resistance to stress.
Contraindications:
Exercise is not recommended for insomnia, headache, and low blood pressure.
Tip: to facilitate the performance of the asana, you can put your feet shoulder width apart. If for some reason it causes inconvenience or pain, you should not endure. Continue to the next item.
Tilt to the feet (Uttanasana)
This yoga exercise for beginners can be performed as a continuation of the previous one. As you exhale, lean forward as far as possible. Put your hands on the floor or reach for it. Head and back should be in line. Hold in this position, make six breathing cycles. Then, exhale, straighten up.
Beneficial features:
The inclination to the feet improves digestion, stretches the muscles of the back. It helps women cope with the symptoms of menopause. In addition, this posture greatly facilitates the manifestations of asthma and sinusitis, eliminates anxiety, insomnia, and relieves headaches.
Contraindications:
This asana should not be practiced with high blood pressure and back injuries.
Warrior Pose (Virabhadrasana)
Breathe out. At the same time, bend the left leg, and take the right leg straight back. The feet are fully pressed to the floor. Try to have an angle of 90 degrees. The left shin should be perpendicular to the floor. Raise your arms above your head, joining your palms. The top of your head reach up. Perform six breathing cycles in this position. Then perform this element on the other leg. To do this, as you exhale, simply turn in the opposite direction.
Beneficial features:
This asana is necessary for stretching the hips, shoulders, chest. It strengthens the muscles of the lower back, improves posture.
Contraindications:
The pose should not be performed for diseases of the spine and heart.
Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)
Place your legs slightly wider than your shoulders. Point your left foot outward, and your right foot straight. Hands spread apart with the palms down. Slowly tilt the body to the left, trying to touch the foot with the appropriate hand. Knees are straightened. At the same time, hold your right hand upright and look at it. After six cycles of breathing, return to the original. And do the asana with the slope to the other side.
Beneficial features:
The benefits of this exercise are primarily associated with stretching the muscles of the legs, waist and arms. It also improves digestion, relieves stress, alleviates the symptoms of menopause in women and back pain.
Contraindications:
Asana should not be performed with low / high blood pressure, heart disease and spine.
Dog Pose (Shwanasana)
The first yoga exercises for beginners were performed standing and required maximum concentration to maintain balance. Now you can go to the next block of elements. They are aimed at working with certain muscle groups, nourishing them with energy and oxygen saturation.
Get down on your knees. Put your hands on the floor in front of you. Moving the center of gravity to them, rise. Put your legs back. The feet are shoulder width apart and completely touch the floor. At the same time, spread the heels slightly to the sides. The back and arms form a straight line. With your tailbone, reach for the ceiling, and with your chest for your hips. Watch your breath, do six cycles.
Beneficial features:
This element strengthens the muscles of the back and chest, increases the volume of the lungs. Also, in the process of execution, his brain is abundantly supplied with blood, and, therefore, oxygen. Exercise gives vigor to a person.
Contraindications:
It is not recommended to practice the dog's posture for hypertension, eye diseases associated with blood vessels and the retina, and for shoulder injuries.
Crocodile Pose (Makrasana)
Exercises for the back in yoga for beginners are represented by the crocodile pose. Move from the previous item to your supine position. Put your hands along the body. Turn your head to the side. Relax and as you exhale, raise your shoulders and legs above the floor as much as possible. Try to stay in this position for six cycles of breathing.
Beneficial features:
This asana normalizes the digestive process by stimulating the small intestine. It also strengthens the muscles of the back and legs, reduces blood pressure.
Contraindications:
Exercise should not be performed with the menstrual cycle, low blood pressure, diarrhea and diseases of the spine.
Tip: if you find it difficult to stay in the crocodile position for a long time, then do not try to reduce the time due to short breaths. Better reduce the number of cycles themselves.
Candle (Sarvangasana)
In ordinary physical education, this exercise is known as the "Birch". Lie on your back. Put your hands along the body, palms down. Exhale and raise your legs up. Bend your arms and place them under the lower back. Try to keep your pelvis and legs aligned, that is, upright. Breathe calmly in six cycles.
Beneficial features:
This pose is called the queen of asanas, because it has a beneficial effect on almost the entire body. Blood enriched with oxygen rushes into the chest and thyroid gland. Nerves calm down, headache disappears, emotional balance sets in.
Contraindications:
Hypertension, atherosclerosis, and heart disease are contraindications to the practice of candle poses. Also, women are not recommended to perform this element during the menstrual cycle. It can increase bleeding.
Tip: If this yoga exercise for beginners is uncomfortable, you can simplify it. In this case, the legs should be pulled up not vertically, but slightly inclined.
Plow Pose (Halasana)
This asana is a kind of continuation of the candle position. For its implementation, it is necessary, without returning to the starting position, to lower your legs behind your head while inhaling. The pelvis remains in the same elevated position. Ideally, the toes should touch the floor. Watch your breath. It should be smooth, calm. Do six cycles.
Beneficial features:
Plow position is necessary to stimulate the intestines. It also tones the kidneys and stretches the back muscles.
Contraindications:
Asanas should not be practiced by people with diseases of the spine and in old age.
Fish pose (Matsiasana)
A simple but important of the home-made yoga exercises for beginners is the fish pose. It should always be done after the plow element. Because it compensates for backward deflection.
Sit on your knees so that your buttocks fit between your feet. Gently lower back. As you exhale, bend your back. Use your head as a fulcrum. Place your hands on your hips or join your palms at chest level. Feel this position. Do not forget about even breathing for six cycles.
Beneficial features:
Pose fish improves the functioning of the abdominal organs. In addition, it is an excellent prevention of respiratory diseases.
Contraindications:
Do not practice asana with dizziness.
Tip: if it is difficult to perform an element on your knees, you can straighten your legs, that is, make a deflection from a position lying on your back.
Boat Pose (Ardha Navasana)
This element is aimed at strengthening the abdominal muscles and has several variations. For the first yoga exercises for beginners, a half-boat pose is suitable.
Lie on your back. Put your hands on your sides and straighten your legs, pull on your socks. As you exhale, simultaneously raise your shoulders and feet above the floor. Hands reach for the legs. The back should be as rounded as possible (without deflections in the lower back). Try to breathe calmly, holding for six cycles. Then return to the starting position and relax.
Beneficial features:
Due to the strengthening of the abdominal muscles during the practice of the half-body posture, blood circulation in this area increases, digestion normalizes. Thyroid stimulation also occurs.
Contraindications:
For menstruation in women and diarrhea, this asana should not be practiced.
Shavasana
At the end of a set of yoga exercises for beginners, do Shavasana. Lie on your back. Put your hands relaxed along the body. Mentally begin to relax your feet, legs, knees ... Gradually rise to the head. The facial muscles should also be relaxed. Feel how literally "spread" on the floor. Breathe deeply, calmly. Stay in this position for three minutes.
Recommendations
- Where to start yoga? With the preparation of clothes and space. The first should be comfortable, not restrict traffic, and the room should be spacious and ventilated.
- Classes are recommended to be carried out in a convenient rhythm, without rushing and with maximum concentration on bodily sensations.
- Before and after class, you need to drink a glass of clean water. You can use it in between the execution of elements.
- It should be practiced on an empty stomach or an hour and a half after eating. The ideal time for doing yoga exercises for beginners is considered the morning (from 7.30 to 8.30). Before going to bed, classes are undesirable, as they can provoke insomnia by stimulating internal energy.
- A set of yoga exercises for beginners involves the alternation of elements where tension and relaxation of the muscles of the body are required. To implement the latter, two asanas are provided. The first is recommended after exercises for the back. Just lie on your stomach. The legs are straight. Put your forehead on the back of your palms. Close your eyes and relax. The second asana is shavasana. It is already described above.
- Includes yoga for beginners and breathing exercises. They can be performed after the main complex of asanas. As a rule, practice for beginners includes diaphragm breathing and rhythmic breathing (according to the scheme: 4 seconds last an inhalation, 4 - exhalation, followed by an increase in the duration of the cycle).
- Before starting yoga for beginners at home, it is recommended that you coordinate the exercises with your doctor. Individual contraindications are possible.