Yoga for beginners

Five simple yoga poses for beginners

By April Kroenke, The Wellness Studio

If you are wondering how to begin yoga, here are five great poses to help get you started from the comfort of your home. These poses will help strengthen, stretch and calm your entire body.

Yoga is a practice that can be used for many different benefits, from improving your physical health, to relieving stress to increasing core strength. No matter where you are in your journey to better health, yoga can help get you there.

Is Yoga Difficult For Beginners?

Yoga can be scary, especially if you haven't done it before. You may have done some yoga at the end of a fitness class or as a child. That's because many poses are commonly used in other areas of fitness and sport, as you may come to find out through practice.

What Is The Best Yoga Routine For Beginners?

The best yoga routine for beginners is one that you can comfortably do without harming yourself and come out at the end feeling good. Yoga is traditionally performed and measured through breath counts. For beginners, start with a timed yoga routine so that you can take your time and focus on breathing to practice each pose.

1. Mountain Pose

Mountain pose helps create awareness of our body from strength, balance, and stability. It's a great starting position to master. Stand up with feet together, toes touching, and heels slightly apart. Stand tall with soft knees, and focus on your calves, quads, hamstrings, and glute muscles. Keep your spine strong by engaging your abs and lower back muscles to help maintain good posture. Lift your chest, tuck your chin in

slightly, and pull your shoulders up and back with your arms by your side. You can turn your palms in or out.

2. Plank Pose

The plank pose will help to strengthen your core muscles and arms. To do the plank pose, lay face down on your mat, place your hands by your sides and press up into a tabletop pose. Tuck your toes under and straighten your legs, lifting your body into a plank pose. Maintain a flat back, maintaining a solid position with your gaze between your hands. Keep your shoulders over your wrists, and your body parallel to the ground. Hold in position.

3. Downward Facing Dog

Begin face down on your mat. Place your hands beside your chest on the floor. Press up onto all fours into a tabletop pose. Next, tuck your toes under and lift your hips high towards the sky. Straighten your legs and lift your hips as high as you can. Try to reach your heels down, but if you can't, that's perfectly fine. Press your weight into your hands, keeping your back as flat as possible, extending strongly through your arms.

4. Sphinx Pose

Sphinx pose is a great beginner's backbend pose. To do the Sphinx pose, lay on your mat, belly down, and bring your arms forwards. Bring your shoulders over your elbows, pressing your hands into the ground. From here, lift your chest and press your navel down into the floor. Next, squeeze your glutes and hold in position.

5. Seated Forward Bend Pose

A seated forward bend will help stretch and lengthen your hamstrings while also lengthening your spine. To do a seated forward bend pose, sit with your legs out straight with your feet flexed. Inhale and take your arms up over your head, exhale and lean forwards, taking your hands towards your feet as you lower your body to your thighs. If you are unable to reach your feet, place them on your thighs or shins or as far as you comfortably can.

Be sure to stop by The Wellness Studio to join in on one of our yoga classes.

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