Yoga For Beginners: Its Benefits and 3 Yoga Techniques for Body

Yoga is an ancient practise that can help you bring balance within your body and the mind. It focuses on cultivating moderation, discipline and mindfulness. Keeping its global appeal in mind, the UN declared the 21st of June as International Yoga Day to spread yoga awareness all over the world.

What you need to know:

Benefits of yoga for beginners at home
Basic yoga poses for beginners at home
Breathing techniques for yoga

Importance of yoga for beginners

People of all age groups can practise yoga. It’s all about your will, conviction, and the connection between the mind and body. Yoga for beginners can help you connect these dots and be more self-aware.

Benefits of Yoga for Beginners at Home

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of daily practising yoga for beginners:

Boosts the quality of your sleep
Helps your body heal from minor aches and pains
Improves your mental well-being
Manage body weight and shape
Enhances the health of muscles and joints
Improves body strength, mobility and flexibility

In addition to these, practising yoga for beginners can also prevent serious health conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular complications.

Basic yoga poses for beginners at home

Here are some of the basic yoga poses for beginners that you can practise at home:

Forward fold:

Uttanasana, or the forward fold yoga posture, is among the best yoga poses for beginners. It is a simple posture but can improve your spinal health, core strength, and hamstrings when done correctly. It can also relieve stress and practice mindfulness.

Steps to do this pose:

Lift your arms over your head while inhaling.
Bend down to touch your toes or the ground with your hands.
Release your breath and relax your arms. Be gentle with your hamstring muscles while lifting yourself up.
As you get comfortable with this yoga pose for beginners, consider keeping your knees straight as much as possible.
Repeat this 5-10 times while resting your hands on the mat to improve your balance.

Downward-facing dog pose:

Adho Mukha Svanasana pose, or the downward-facing dog pose, is one of the most famous yoga poses that strengthen the entire body. Practising this yoga asana for beginners can also help individuals relieve back pain.

Steps to do this pose:

Begin with a plank pose, balance on your hands and lift your hips back up to form a V shape with your body. Inhale slowly.
Make sure that your legs are straight, and try to make your heels touch the floor.
Repeat this pose 5 times, and consider pedalling with your legs to relax your leg muscles.

Mountain pose:

Tadasana, or the mountain pose, is one of the easiest types of yoga for beginners. It mostly involves just standing on your feet. However, this is a foundation yoga posture for several standing yoga poses. Practising tadasana can help ease anxiety and enhance confidence.

Steps to do this pose:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and make sure that your toes are barely touching the ground.
Put pressure on the four corners of your body (your arms, shoulders, palms and sole.)
Take deep breaths and rest your shoulders. Try to feel how your feet and shoulder feel.
Take breaths and repeat 3-5 times.

Breathing techniques for yoga

Breathing techniques, or pranayama, can help us become more aware of our breathing patterns. Deep, long breaths can provide our body with more oxygen and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which allows us to relax and be more mindful. Let’s look at some easy breathing techniques for yoga that you can try at home –

Kapalbhati
Ujjayni Pranayama
Bhastrika Pranayama

Remember, it’s essential to listen to your body and never force any pose. If you’re new to yoga, consider attending a beginner’s class or following along with a reputable online video or tutorial to ensure proper alignment and technique. Regular practice will gradually improve your strength, flexibility, and overall well-being.

Stay tuned to the Activ Living Community. Keep up to date with the latest health tips and trends through expert videos, podcasts, articles, and much more in nutrition, fitness, mindfulness, and lifestyle conditions like Asthma, Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, and Diabetes.