Simple Yoga Positions For Beginners
Yoga Mad
Most yoga poses can be practiced by people at any level, so yoga positions for beginners are not really so different from any other yoga poses. What you will find if you go to a beginners class is that there will be much more explanation of each pose and where all the parts of your body should be every time. The yoga teacher will also spend more time explaining the principles of yoga and making sure that you know how to practice safely.
You will be told the English name for each position by the instructor in a beginners yoga class.g. Downward Facing Dog and not just the Indian name (Adho Mukha Svanasana). This is especially important if you are joining a power yoga class where students move quickly from one pose to another. The instructor may only say the Indian names in an advanced class and you could be completely lost!
It is best to buy a beginners yoga DVD or video and watch it closely all through the first time before starting to practice along with it if you you are a yoga beginners or without an instructor.
Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskara)
The sun salutation is a series of positions that flow well in a sequence and give your body some well balanced stretches. Many yoga students perform sun salutations each morning and evening. This is a shortened version which forms a very basic series of yoga poses for beginners.
It is very important to go through the series in time with your breathing. Breathing should be slow and relaxed. You can strain your breathing by
- Image by dejahthoris via Flickr
streching so much.
1. Tadasana – Standing Pose
Begin standing with your big toes together and the outer edges of your feet parallel. Hands by your sides. Back straight, neck long, head well back on the shoulders. Practice by a mirror or against a wall at first to be sure you are straight.
- Image by whatnot via Flickr
2. Inhale – Urdhva Hastasana – Raised Hands Pose
Bring the arms straight out to the sides with palms up, sweeping up until they meet above your head and slightly forward. Look up at your thumbs but keep the back straight. Do not strech the arms up to high and keep the shoulders down.
3. Exhale – Uttanasana – Forward Bend
Sweep the hands out and down, hinge at the hips keeping the head and back straight as you go forward in a swan dive. Let the head hang and the back bend so that you flop forward at the end of your dive. If you need to, bend slightly at the knees then touch the floor either side of your feet. Put your hands flat on the floor if you can do this easily. Relax into this pose. Make sure you completely relax your head.
- Image by whatnot via Flickr
4. Inhale – Flat Back
Roll the spine up to come up to a flat back at right angles to your legs, chin up looking forward, fingertips touching the floor or just above it. Make sure the back is not hollow or bent.
5. Exhale – Return to Uttanansana – Forward Bend
6. Inhale – Return to Urdhva Hastasana – Raised Hands Pose
Reverse the swan dive of #3: roll the spine up to a flat back with arms out to the sides and continuing on up with a flat back, hingeing at the hips, to stand straight with the hands meeting above your head in the Raised Hands Pose.
7. Exhale – Return to Tadasana – Standing Pose
The first step in your yoga practice can be these yoga positions for beginners.
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