Top 5 yoga poses for beginners
Another list, I hear you think... Obviously there are a lot of great poses to do for beginners and these poses are beneficial for everyone. But I am convinced that these Asanas are achievable for everybody and really useful to integrate in your practice regularly. The 5 poses below are my selection and I do most of them almost every day, here is why.
Cat & cow - Chakravakasana
This is actually not 1 pose but a gentle flow between 2 poses: cat and cow. We move the spine from an arched position (extension) to a rounded (flexion). Keeps your spine healthy, flexible and your body young. This flow can prevent or relieve back pain, it improves our posture, and it has a calming effect.
How to do this pose: Start in all fours with your knees hip width apart and your wrist in line with your shoulders. On your inhalation, hollow your back by looking up to the ceiling, dropping your belly and pushing your tailbone to the ceiling. Exhale, round your back, chin and belly button in, tuck the tailbone under. Keep your arms straight, the movement is in the spine! Repeat on the rhythm of your breath for 5-10 breaths.
You can do this pose as a warm-up, if you experience back pain, when taking a break if you've spent a lot of time sitting or as a relaxation sequence.
Child pose – Balasana
This Asana calms your mind and your body, helps relieve anxiety and stress. It lengthens and stretches the spine, relieves tension in the back, shoulders and chest and also stretches the hips, thighs and ankles. Doing this pose offers a gentle massage of our internal organs improving digestion.
How to do this pose: start on all fours with your feet and knees together, push your sitting bones towards your heels. Let your belly rest on your thighs and your forehead on the floor (or on a block, a pillow or blanket). Arms stretched forward or by your side.
It is a rest pose, a counterpoise to many poses like Ustrasana (camel) and Dhanurasana (bow pose), as well as a soothing cool down pose.
Downward dog – Adho Mukha Svanasana
By far the most famous yoga pose probably because it stretches and strengthens the entire body: stretches the hamstrings, calves and glutes. Tones the arms, legs & core and opens the shoulders.
How to do this pose: from a table-top, with your fingers spread wide and index fingers pointing to the front, push your hips up with the sitting bones to the ceiling making a triangle shape with your body. Relax your head and neck by looking at your feet, feel free to bend your knees especially when your hamstrings are tight or if your back is rounding. Push your heels towards the floor (they don't have to touch, as long as the action is there).
Since this pose is a basic inversion (pose with the head below the heart), it stimulates circulation and brings blood flow to the brain. It can be a moving dynamic pose (walking dog), it can be static and has many variations. If you practice yoga for a while it can be a rest pose.
Warrior 2 – Virabhadrasana 2
Warrior poses are essential for building strength and increasing stamina, working the core/abs, legs and arms. This is a good hip opener, opens the inner thighs and stretches the groin, the chest, legs and ankles.
How to do this pose: wide stance (ankles and wrist on the same distance with arms spread), front knee is bend preferably 90° with the toes pointing to the front of the mat, knee and ankle in line. Shoulders over hips parallel to long side of the mat, back leg is straight with the outside edge of your foot parallel to the short side of the mat. Stretch out your arms, keep them powerful, relax your shoulders.
Warrior poses teach us the key principles of a myriad of (standing) yoga poses and have endless variations. They are both playful and powerful.
Bridge pose – Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
This pose has an energizing and rejuvenating effect by stimulating the abdominal organs, lungs and thyroid. But it's also a restorative pose because it calms the brain and helps alleviate stress, mild depression and reduces anxiety, fatigue back- and headache.
Stretches the front of our body: the chest, abdomen, hips, front of the thighs (quadriceps) and works the back of the body: legs, glutes and lower back muscles.
How to do this pose: start on your back with your heels close to your sitting bones, lift your hips high, knees hip width apart and in line with the toes, keep your chin in and imagine pushing your knees towards your toes. Engage your glutes and hamstrings.
You can do it with a block under the sacrum/lower back as a restorative passive back bend.
These 5 basic yoga poses our great to incorporate in your morning or before bed routine and they will accompany you all along your yoga journey.
Give them a try and let me know how it feels!
Inne