Yoga For Beginners: 5 Easy Yoga Poses For Newbies

Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual practise that originated in ancient India. The discipline comprises of physical exercises, breathing techniques and relaxation procedures. Due to its numerous health benefits, yoga has become popular and everyone – from celebrities to your office colleague – seems to be smitten by this form of workout. 

Benefits of yoga

Yoga enthusiasts are passionate about practicing the various yoga postures due to the immense physical and mental health benefits it provides. From sleeping better to improved immunity to feeling more relaxed, regular practice of yoga improves overall health and wellbeing. People of all ages and health conditions can benefit from yoga asanas. Yoga can accelerate the healing process for people going through a health condition, or illness, and recovering from a chronic condition or a surgery. Yoga is characterized by slow movements and deep breaths while holding postures, which helps to strengthen muscles, improve balance, and develop flexibility. Routine practice of yoga helps to ease back pain and reduce symptoms of arthritis. Besides, factors contributing to heart conditions like high blood pressure and obesity can be addressed through yoga. Regular practitioners of yoga also experience lower stress and improved mood.     

5 Basic yoga poses for beginners

There are various styles of yoga like the fast-paced vinyasa yoga to the slow-paced restorative yoga. Likewise, there are many quirky options like Tantrum yoga, Goat yoga and Nude yoga. The choices will overwhelm you, but it is about level and not style. So, the best place to start yoga asanas is at a beginner’s class.

Here are a few yoga poses to make you familiar with the practice before your first class.

Cat and Cow Poses (Marjaryasana Bitilasana)

The Cat and Cow pose in yoga are usually combined and performed as a warm-up exercise. Start off by getting to your hands and knees. The cow pose involves standing on all fours in a way that your back forms a tabletop, and your hands & legs become the limbs of the table; And look straight. For the cat pose, round your spine towards the ceiling and look down.

Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

The Mountain pose (Tadasana) is the first step in sun salutations (Surya Namaskar) yoga. This yoga posture requires you to stand tall with feet together. Seemingly this asana (pose) is very easy, but it requires practitioner to engage abdominal muscles, firm thigh muscles, engage shoulder blades & front ribs, keep arms by the sides, and look straight.

Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

The Downward Facing Dog is a rejuvenating yoga posture that stretches the whole body. It forms a sequence to many yoga poses. Start off by getting into your hands and knees, and raise your hips and knees, so that your body takes an inverted "V" shape, just like dogs do when they stretch.

Child's Pose (Balasana)

Child’s pose is an important resting posture in yoga. It is usually performed between more challenging asanas. To do this yoga get into your hands and knees, then move your torso down between the thighs. Keep your arms along the sides or stretch them forward and rest your head on the ground.  

Deep Breathing (Pranayama)

Deep breathing is not a yoga pose, but a crucial step followed while performing yoga asanas. The first step for beginners of yoga is to learn how to breathe right. It involves inhaling as well as exhaling.

The bottom line

The key to mastering yoga poses and reaping its health benefits lies in repetition and consistency. Learn the right way to get into yoga postures and experience greater physical strength, improved flexibility & balance, toned body, and reduced weight.