Keento start yoga but not sure where to begin? Take a read of these 10 key yogaposes that are frequently taught within vinyasa yoga classes. As with any formof physical exercise, it is important to approach the practice with care andattention so I’ve included some important cues to help you get started safely…
Down Dog (Adho Mukha Shvanasana)
GOOD FOR: stretching and strengthening the wrists, arms,shoulders and calf muscles.
In orderto transition in to this posture, come onto the floor on your hands and kneesin a tabletop position. Notice that your feet are hip width apart and yourhands are shoulder width apart. Spread your fingers wide. Hug your arm bonesinto the sockets and push the floor away from you as you lift your hips intothe air. Initially, keep your knees bent to allow you to lengthen your spine.Maintaining the length of your spine, slowly straighten your legs and allowyour heels to drop towards the ground. Take your gaze to look between yourfeet. In this Yoga pose, the back should be lengthened along its entire lengthso be careful not let your chest hang downwards or make your back extremelysunken.
Plank to Chaturanga
GOOD FOR: strengthening the whole body and building shoulder stability within aweight-baring scenario.
This is atransition sequence that is very common within the vinyasa yoga setting. Notonly is this sequence repeated within the sun salutations that often come andthe start of the class, it is frequently practiced between each flow as well.Needless-to-say, it is important to practice this mindfully and with care toavoid injury. To set up for plank: firm up through the legs, draw the belly into activate the core muscles and stack your shoulders over your wrists. Totransition to chaturanga: Press the floor away, hug the shoulders into thesockets, energetically drag the thumbs towards one another and shine yoursternum forward. From here, shoot forward onto your tiptoes so that yourshoulders are beyond your wrists and bend your elbows into the side body lessthan 90 degrees so that your shoulders are still higher than your elbows.Please note that there is always the option to lower down your knees asyour transition from plank to chaturanga.
Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva MukhaShvanasana)
GOOD FOR:stretching the abdominal muscles and opening up the chest to help improveposture. Strengthening the shoulders and activating the abdominals to protectthe lower back.
Thispose is commonly practiced after chaturanga within the vinyasa yoga setting.Traditional alignment for this deep backbend includes the following: shouldersstacked over the wrists, push the floor away so that your shoulders are awayfrom the ears, chest is shining forward majestically, thighs are lifted, firmup through the legs and toes pointing (so that you are on the tops of yourfeet). It is important to note that this is a deep backbend and can be intenseto practice at the start of the class for many people as it requires significantflexibility, shoulder stability and core strength. A fantastic alternative to upwardfacing dog is cobra pose, which I will be explaining next…
Cobra (Bhujangasana)
GOOD FOR:stretching the abdominal muscles and opening up the chest to help improveposture.
Thisis an excellent posture for improving posture and, in my own practice, I oftenchoose to practice this pose instead of upward facing dog as I really feel thebenefits for the upper back, especially if I have been sitting at my desk allday. For cobra, lie on your front with your legs straight. Firm up the musclesin your legs and have your feet hip width apart with your toes pointing behindyou. Push down through your pubic bone to avoid collapsing into the lowerportion of the spine. Place your weight onto your forearms. Ensure that yourforearms are parallel to one another with your elbows directly beneath yourshoulders. Make sure that your neck is long as you look ahead. There is alsothe option to bring your hands under the shoulders and raise the hands off theground as your come up into the pose to build more strength in the upper back.
Locust Pose (Shalabasana)
GOOD FOR: strengthening and increasingflexibility throughout the entire back of the body, including the spine, legs,buttocks, and all of the muscles surrounding your ribs and upper torso.
Lie on yourfront with your neck long and forehead touching the mat. Stretch your arms infront of you, palms facing towards one another shoulder width apart. With yourfeet hip width apart, point your toes directly behind you. Firm up in your legsand draw your pubic bone down towards the ground. On your inhale, straightenyour arms as you use the muscles along the backside of your body to raise chestand legs simultaneously.
LowLunge (Anjaneyasana)
GOOD FOR: Stretchingthe Psoas muscle and broadening the chest to help improve posture.
Forthis posture, Low Lunge, make sure that your front bent knee is directly abovethe ankle and that your knee is tracking over the foot. You can simply place bothhands on your front knee or clasp your hands behind you. In either option, makesure that you draw your shoulder blades towards one another to help broadenyour chest. Depending on your flexibility, either look straight ahead or tiltyour head upwards (without collapsing into your neck).
Warrior 1 (Virabhadrasana I)
GOOD FOR: Strengtheningyour shoulders, arms, legs, hips, ankles and back. Opens your chest. Improvesfocus, balance and stability.
In order topractice Warrior 1, step your front foot straight forward and position yourback foot at 45 degree angle. Your feet aren't on a type rope here; have alittle space in between your feet so that you are able to square your hips tothe front of the mat. Bend into your front knee and notice that your knee isdirectly above your ankle or less. With your hips facing forward, see if youcan gently lengthen the tailbone down towards the mat to find a neutralpositioning of the pelvis. As you raise your arms up straight above your head,ensure that your shoulders are relaxed as you draw your shoulder blades towardsone another and broaden your chest. There is a tendency here to flare into thefront ribs so notice that you are using your core muscles here by knitting thefront ribs back.
Warrior 2 (Virabhadrasana II)
GOOD FOR: Strengtheningyour shoulders, arms, legs, hips, ankles and back. Improves focus, whole bodybalance plus mobility and stability of the hips.
For Warrior2, step one foot straight forward and position your back foot at a little lessthan a 90 degree angle. Align your front heel in line with the arch of the backfoot. Just like with Warrior 1, bend into your front knee and notice that yourknee is directly above your ankle or less. Your hips will be facing toward thelong side of your mat, (not completely flush towards the side though, they willbe at a slight forward facing angle). Wrap your front hip down and into thesocket to keep your knee pointing in the same direction as your foot. Turn yourrib cage so that it is facing towards the same long side of the mat. Raise yourarms so that they are parallel with the ground and turn your gaze to lookforward at your front hand. Just as with Warrior 1, there is a tendency here toflare into the front ribs so notice that you are using your core muscles hereby knitting the front ribs back.
Warrior 3 (Digasana)
Good for: Strengtheningthe ankles and legs. Strengthening the shoulders and muscles of theback. Toning the abdomen and improving balance and posture.
Fromstanding step one foot back into a high lunge position with your front kneebent and left leg straightened behind you with your hips facing the front ofyou mat. From here, bring the midline of your torso (from the pubis to thesternum) half way down. Stretch your arms forward with your palms facingtowards one another. From here, start to slowly straighten your front legand bring your weight forward into your front foot. Keeping your hips facingdown towards the mat, start to raise your leg behind you. Ensure that yourupper body stays strong here and take your gaze to look ahead but be surenot to compress the back of your neck. Hold this pose for 5 deep breaths and tocome out of the pose simply step your foot back to standing. RepeatDegasana for the same length of time on the other side.
Tree (Vrksasana)
Fromstanding, shift your weight onto the left foot, keeping the inner foot firm tothe floor, and bend your right knee. Draw your right foot up and place the soleagainst the inner left thigh, inner calf muscle or inner ankle with your toestouching the floor. Notice that the center of your pelvis is directly over theleft foot. Place your hands on the top rim of your pelvis to make sure that itis parallel to the floor. Lengthen your tailbone toward the floor. Firmly pressthe right foot sole against the inner thigh/ calf or ankle and resist with theouter left leg. Raise your arms straight above your head, making sure that youkeep your shoulders relaxed. Gaze softly at a fixed point in front of you onthe floor about 4 or 5 feet away. Step back to standing with an exhalation andrepeat for the same length of time on the other leg.
Toreally benefit from these yoga poses, consistency is key. Hold each pose for3-5 breaths to help to ease the tissues and create circulation in the tissues. Practicingthese poses in the morning will help prepare your body and your mind for theday the ahead, while practicing in the evening can help to release stress fromthe day in preparation for a good nights sleep.
SHOP ALICE'S STYLE
If you liked this blog, check out our other blogs like: "Sitting too Much? 5 Ways to Get Moving," "8 Different Types of Yoga: Explained to Help you Choose", "8 Ways to Show Yourself Some Kindness", and "3 Poses for a Quick Reset."
