Yoga and How to Get Started: Recommended Yoga Asanas
How to get started
As a beginner to yoga you might feel overwhelmed by the number of poses and their postures, however once you get into yoga, the process can be mentally and physically stimulating.
For beginners it’s recommended to begin with a gentle practice until you have built up the strength and flexibility for more advanced sequences. As you progress, you can take on more challenging poses but it’s a good idea to keep things simple when you’re just starting. The beginners yoga poses outlined here are valuable enough to keep you occupied for a long time.
Recommended poses to get started
1. Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
This pose teaches one to stand with majestic steadiness like a mountain. The word ‘Tada’ means a mountain, that’s where the name comes from. Mountain Pose is the base for all standing poses. It involves the major groups of muscles and improves focus and concentration.
How to do it
● Stand with your toes together and heels slightly apart, hang your arms besides the torso.
● Spread your toes and place your weight evenly on your feet. Firm your thigh muscles while rotating them inwards.
● Relax your shoulders and roll them back and down.
● As you inhale, elongate your torso and when you exhale release your shoulder blades away from your head. You may also put your hands in prayer position in front of your chest, or rest them by your sides.
● Take long, slow, deep breaths in and out.
2. Tree Pose (Vrksasana)
This is a great standing balance for beginners to work on to gain focus and clarity, and learn to breathe while standing and keeping the body balanced on one foot.
How to do it
● Start with your feet together and place your right foot on your inner left upper thigh. Press your hands in prayer and find a spot in front of you that you can hold in a steady gaze.
● Hold and breathe for 8-10 breaths then change sides. Make sure you don’t lean in to the standing leg and keep your core engaged and shoulders relaxed.
3. Triangle (Trikonasana)
Triangle is a wonderful standing posture to stretch the sides of the waist, open up the lungs, strengthen the legs and tone the entire body.
How to do it
● Stand with your feet wide apart. Stretch your right foot out (90 degrees) while keeping the leg closer to the torso. Keep your feet pressed against the ground and balance your weight equally on both feet.
● Inhale and as you exhale rest your right hand on your shin, ankle, or the floor outside your right foot, stretch your left arm toward the ceiling.
● Turn your gaze up to the top hand and stay in this pose for 5-8 breaths. Inhale to come up and repeat on the opposite side.
4. Child Pose ( Balasna )
Balasana, also known as child’s pose, is a gentle resting pose that stretches the hips, thighs, and legs while calming the mind and relieving stress and tension.
How to do it
● Kneel on the floor. Touch your big toes together and sit on your heels, then separate your knees about as wide as your hips.
● Exhale and lay your abdomen resting between your inner thighs and rest your forehead on the mat.
● Rest your arms by your sides with your palms facing up near your feet.
● Stay in the pose from 5 to 10 breaths. To come up, first lengthen the front torso, and then with an inhalation gently release back.
5. Savasana (Corpse Pose)
No yoga session is complete without a final relaxation posture. Even though Corpse Pose (Savasana) is a resting pose and although it looks easy, Savasana (Corpse Pose) has been called the most difficult of the asanas. You should try to stay present and aware during the 5 to 10 minutes you spend in final relaxation.
How to do it
● Lie down on your back. Separate your legs. Bring your arms alongside your body, but slightly separated from your torso. Turn your palms to face upwards.
● Let your breathing occur naturally. If your mind wanders, you can bring your attention to your breath but try to just notice it, not deepen it.
● Stay for a minimum of 5 minutes.
● To come out, first begin to deepen your breath. Then begin to shake your fingers and toes, slowly reawakening your body. Stretch your arms overhead for a full body stretch from hands to feet slightly bend your knees and turn to the side. Using your hands for support, bring yourself back up into a sitting position.
Tags: Beginner yoga poses, yoga asanas, cancer yoga, yoga, cancer, cancer patients, breathing, mental, physical
