Yoga is a combination of mind-body practice that includes physical poses, controlled breathing, and meditations. Regular Yoga practice helps to tune in, chill out, and shape up – all at the same time. For beginners, the hardest step is always at the starting line. This easy yoga for beginners poses listed below is sure to inspire you to take the plunge and start a healthy living.

Listed Below Are 8 Yoga For Beginners Poses To Get Started

Tadasana – Mountain Pose

Tadasana, also known as Mountain Pose is the starting position for all the standing yoga poses; hence this needs to be on top of a beginners yoga routine. Considered as one of the basic standing yoga poses that is easy to perform and has various health benefits. It has no strict rules of when to be performed. However for best results from this asana, perform early in the morning, preferably on an empty stomach. Tadasana is considered the beginning and ending asana of Surya Namaskar according to Ashtanga yoga.

Benefits: It helps to correct posture and improve balance by making the spine more flexible.

Utkatasana – Chair Pose

Utkatasana means “powerful pose” in Sanskrit. Here power is not about domination or control over someone else; it is about positioning the life energy within and around you. Often called “chair pose” in English because it looks as if you are sitting on a chair that’s invisible. Utkatasana asana is generally used as a transitional pose. It can also be practiced on its own to build strength and stamina in the body. One of the basic yoga poses to tone the entire body, particularly the thighs! This beginners yoga workout is best practised with a cool mind.

Benefits: Strengthens the thighs and ankles, along with toning the shoulders, butt, hips, and back.

Vrikshasana – Tree Pose

The name ‘Vrikshasana’ comes from the Sanskrit word ‘Vriksha’, which means Tree. This pose replicates the steady stance of a tree which gives you a sense of grounding. This yoga for beginners routine is a standout amongst the most intriguing and powerful yoga postures. This is one of the first balanced yoga asanas postures you learn, since it’s relatively simple which strengthens your legs and spine and opens your thighs and hips. Vrikshasana is one of the very few yoga for beginners routines which remains popular in modern yoga as exercise.

Benefits: Establishes strength and balance in the legs and helps to increase focus.

Virabhadrasana – Warrior Pose

Virabhadrasana comes from two Sanskrit words; the first word is “Vir” which means “warrior” and the second word is “Bhadra” which means “friend”. Key elements like compassion, focus, and dedication are already inside us, these yoga poses helps to practice and strengthen them so that they’re ready to go when we need them in our lives. Yoga asanas postures like the warrior pose give us confidence and help to stretch the hips and thighs while building strength in the entire body and core. Virabhadrasana is one of the easy yoga poses that’s graceful and adds beauty to one’s yoga routine.

Benefits: Strengthens the arms, shoulders, thighs and back muscles.

Kumbhakasana – Plank Pose

Kumbhaka is generally the holding of breath and asana means a pose in Sanskrit. Kumbhakasana or the Plank Pose is known to strengthen the upper body, especially the core muscles of the shoulders, arms, trunk and legs. The yoga plank pose is strongly recommended yoga for beginners as it helps build stamina and core body strength for practising advanced arm balancing yoga poses. This yoga for beginners pose is regarded as a practice that leads to good health, efficiency, and longevity. Plank Pose not only activates metabolism but also helps to keep the mind stable.

Benefits: Ultimate shoulder strengthener, spine stretcher, leg lifter, and abdomen tightener.

Balasana – Child Pose

As the name suggests, ‘Bala’ means child and ‘asana’ means pose. It is a gentle resting pose, resembling the fetal position in the womb.  This resting yoga pose focuses on the thighs and also helps relieve back pains. If this asana is performed with a full gravitational pull, one can notice a great sense of mental, physical, and emotional calm. Everyone needs a good resting pose and child pose is excellent not only to be practised as beginner yoga but also for practitioners of all levels. This is one of the easiest yoga poses that can be performed between asanas.

Benefits: Stretches the hips, thighs, ankles and relieves back and neck pain.

Setubandhasana – Bridge Pose

Setubandhasana is translated as Bridge from Sanskrit, which bridges the gap between body and mind. The name of this pose comes from setu meaning bridge, bandha meaning bound, and asana meaning posture or seat. The body is inversely bent in a U- position or bridge position due to which the heart, chest, and shoulders get a really good stretch along with the neck, lower abdomen and thighs. As you lift your torso, your heart is placed above your mind, which is considered to be a good reversal. This asana is used in most beginners’ yoga routines as it stretches and strengthens the entire body.

Benefits:  Gives strength to your back muscles and relieves the tired back instantly.

Trikonasana – Triangle

Triangle Pose is an essential standing pose that helps us to practice the other asanas with greater ease and intelligence. Tri means “three” and Kona means “angle,” here we see the body is pointing towards three different directions, giving an intense stretch to the trunks and legs. When the arms and the legs are stretched out, it creates evenness in the body. Here we learn how to bear weight on a straight leg while keeping the thigh muscles engaged. This yoga for beginners is a great way to stretch several muscles in the body and improve many functions.

Benefits: Strengthens the muscles of the legs and brings flexibility and stability to the hip.

Can Yoga Pose Help Beat Stress In These Difficult Times?

Yoga for beginners stress relief poses helps to release physical blockages like muscle knots, this, in turn, releases emotions and tension. Yoga stress reliever promotes the release of mood-boosting endorphins, which are feel-good hormones that can positively affect how you handle stress. Regular practice of yoga stress relief poses helps one stay calm and stress-free; it also gives strength to face life with a new positivity. Here is some stress relief yoga poses with a step by step instructions that can help one handle stress during the pandemic.

Dhanurasana

Dhanurasana is one of the well-known yoga asanas proven to relieve stress besides offering numerous other benefits. This yoga pose helps expand the chest and stimulates the thymus while improving the body’s immunity level.

Steps for Formation:

•         Lie down on your stomach with your feet apart and your arms by the side of your body.
•         Take your hands backwards, and hold your ankles.
•         As you breathe, lift your chest off the ground and pull your legs up.
•         Look straight and keep the pose stable as long as you can.

Bitilasana

Bitilasana is one of the easy yoga asanas that help to regulate breathing and relieve stress. If you’re suffering from a low mood or stressed out, then this asana can be useful to connect with your deep breathing to help you feel calmer.

Steps for Formation:

•         Go on all fours in a table-top position, eyes pointed to the floor.
•         Knees should be right under your hips, and wrists, elbows and shoulders should be aligned.
•         As you inhale, lift your chest towards the ceiling and sink your belly towards the floor.
•         Lift your head and look straight forward.
•         Exhale to come back to the table-top position.

Sukhasana

Sukhasana is a simple cross-legged sitting asana usually meant for meditation. It helps you calm down and eliminate stress and anxiety while reducing mental and physical fatigue. This asana also lengthens your spine and opens your hip.

Steps for Formation:

•         Sit down while keeping your spine straight and legs stretched.
•         Bend your legs and place it under the opposite thigh.
•         Bend the other leg and place it under the folded leg.
•         Keep palms on knees in Chin Mudra.
•         Your head, neck, and trunk should be in a straight line.

Uttanasana

Uttanasana helps to stretch the muscles of your abdomen, makes your blood rush to your head and helps to relieve depression and stress. This in turn will calm your brain and stimulate your kidneys and liver.

Steps for Formation:

•         Stand straight and bend forward while raising your hands from above your head.
•         Exhale and bend forward completely.
•         Palms should touch the ground and the forehead should touch the knees.
•         Stay in this pose for a few seconds and keep breathing normally.
•         Come back slowly to the starting position by putting your hands on your hips, while inhaling.
•         Relax and exhale.

Paschimottanasana

This seated forward bend pose helps calm the brain, thereby providing relief from stress. It also helps reduce anxiety and fatigue. This is an excellent yoga for stress relief asana, which has a deep calming effect on the nervous system and improves mental health.

Steps for Formation:

•         Sit with your legs stretched out in front.
•         Bend forward keeping your spine straight and catch the toes with your hands.
•         Inhale while slightly lifting your head upwards.
•         Exhaling while bending forward and touching the forehead to the knees.
•         With closed eyes rest the elbows on the floor.
•         Inhale and rise up by lifting the head and releasing the hands.

We all need the peace and calm that yoga brings into our lives. Yoga is all about how you do it rather than what you do. So don’t hold back, get started to bring harmony between your mind and body! What are you waiting for? Grab your yoga mats to experience the healing touch of yoga.

 

FAQ’s On Yoga For Beginners:

Q: How long should a beginner yoga session be?

A: Beginner students can start with a 30 to 40 minutes session.

Q: How often should beginners do yoga?

A: Two to three yoga sessions per week is a good workout plan for beginners. 

Q: What Is the Best Yoga for Beginners?

A: Hatha yoga is considered a gentle form of yoga and is best for beginners because of its slower pace.

Q: What is the downward-facing dog pose good for?

A: This pose improves blood flow and circulation as it places the heart above the head.