Yoga For Beginners: The Art Of Harmonizing Mind And Body

There is a yoga for beginners, for those who enter this physical and mental discipline out of curiosity, or for those who are looking for a type of alternative therapy to relieve stress, anxiety or sleep disorders. Whatever our motivation, there are a series of postures (asanas) that will allow us to start yoga easily to discover its great benefits.

Often times, it is said that whoever integrates the practice of yoga in their day to day, no longer sees life in the same way; something changes. It may seem like a mere exaggeration, especially if we see this discipline as a set of exercises limited to executing a series of postures; but, nevertheless, yoga is much more than that. Because yoga transcends the physical plane to reach the mental and emotional plane, favoring a balance that is experienced in all planes of our reality.

We are facing an exercise capable of expanding in all areas of our being: it guarantees us a body that is more resistant as well as flexible, a more focused mind and, as they say, even a more noble and receptive spirit. Exaggeration or not, we are facing a practice well recognized by organizations such as the American Psychological Association (APA), which endorses with several investigations the benefits it provides especially for our mental health.

It is always a good time to try new experiences and, if they are positive as well as rewarding, it is worth taking the step and perceiving what impact this practice originally from India has on ourselves, whose word comes from Sanskrit and means “union ”.

Yoga for beginners: learning to listen to the body and mind

There is a yoga for beginners and a yoga for those who already know the needs of their body and those postures that, day by day, favor their balance and well-being. It should be said first of all something important: if we have never practiced this type of exercise, it is not advisable to force our body or start with complex techniques. Otherwise, we run the risk of causing unnecessary injury.

Therefore, the ideal is to start calmly to understand  what this practice is like and what it provides. Because, as we said at the beginning, it is not just about performing a series of postures with our body. Yoga combines stretching with deep breathing and meditation. All this will give us little by little and if we are constant, a better physical condition, flexibility, greater lung capacity, a more harmonious heart rate and less joint pain.

It is worth a try, but we will do it with balance by first entering these techniques that are integrated into what is known as yoga for beginners.

1. The warrior’s posture

In the practice of yoga, what we know as “asanas” (postures) are executed, which will help us to promote an intimate and silent dialogue with our own body to get to know ourselves a little better, to accept our physical and mental reality. Thus, among the set of these asanas we find those that constitute a good exercise of preventive medicine and that are perfect to start us in the practice of yoga. The warrior posture is one of them. Let’s see below how we can execute it.

• Stand on a mat
• Separate the legs and turn the foot of the front leg 90º and the other, 60º.
• Feel the ground under the soles of your feet, because that is where you have your point of support and where your strength emerges.
• Now, little by little, bend your left leg until the thigh is parallel to the ground.
• Take care that your knee is in line with the heel.
• Keep your back straight and now raise your arms.

2. Face up dog pose

In yoga for beginners we find those most basic asanas where the posture of the dog face up and the dog face down are undoubtedly the most common. However, in the case that we have never practiced yoga, we will start with the first asana, since it is the simplest.

• We will lie face down on the mat.
• Now we place our hands with the palms open at the height of the shoulders to raise ourselves little by little.
• We will stretch our arms at the same time that we arch our back backwards.
• Next, we also raise our hips and knees off the ground. All strength must rest in our arms.
• We will try to bring the shoulder blades together, without forcing, so that the sternum goes forward. It is also not advisable to overload the lower back.

3. The shoemaker’s posture

You will love this pose. Also known as “baddha konosana” or the butterfly, it is ideal for all beginners and one of the most important in yoga. These are the steps we must follow.

• Sit on the floor with your back straight. Now bend your knees and bring your palms together. It is not necessary to force ourselves, it is about looking for that position where we feel good but without feeling pain.
• Feel the knees drop to the sides, pulling slightly on your thighs and groin.
• As you get more comfortable, lower your knees a little more, bringing the weight towards your buttocks but always keeping your back straight.
• Now take the big toe of each foot and try to spread them a little. Feel the pressure on your heels increasing.

4. Extended Child Posture

Within yoga for beginners, the extended child pose or the Utthita balasana is undoubtedly one of the best known as well as relaxing. Once you know it and practice it, you will always try to find a moment a day to return to this cathartic and beneficial asana. These would be the steps to follow.

• We will kneel on the mat.
• We will join the big toes as well as the heels.
• Now we will extend forward, stretching the arms in front of the head.
• We will place the palms of the hands wide open on the mat.
• Finally, we will rest our foreheads on the ground and take a deep breath.

To conclude, as we can see, yoga for beginners is not only simple, but it is also relaxing and allows us to relieve muscle strain and tension. As long as we do it without forcing ourselves excessively knowing our physical limitations, we can gradually include new asanas with greater complexity to experience the benefits of this highly recommended ancient practice.