Tag Archive for: Hatha Yoga Routine For Beginners

Yoga Series

5 Hatha Yoga Poses That Can be Performed a Home

/in , ,

Hatha is comprised of many different asanas or poses as well as breathing techniques highly recommended for beginners doing yoga at home.

Here are 5 easy Hatha yoga poses you can learn:

Hatha

1. Lotus Pose

One of the easiest Hatha yoga poses, this pose teaches awareness, meditation and patience.

How to do it:

Start in a sitting position with your legs stretched out in front of you. Slowly bend your right leg and bring your foot close to your left groin. Then bend your left leg and slide it gently on top of the right. Keep the soles of your feet perpendicular to the floor. Bring your hands to prayer position in chest level, take several deep breaths then relax.

2. Plow Pose

This pose stretches and strengthens both your back and leg muscles. It’s a good pose to learn to help improve flexibility when doing yoga at home.

How to do it:

Start by lying on your back with your arms by your sides. Bend your knees slowly, bringing the soles of your feet close to your buttocks. Raise your heels towards the ceiling and with your arms and back pressed to the floor, lower your legs over your head as close to the floor as you can. Hold for 4-5 breaths before going back to the starting position.

3. Staff Pose

This Hatha yoga pose stretches the back of your legs, opens your chest and lengthens your spine.

How to do it:

Begin this pose in a sitting position, your legs stretched in front of you. Place your hands behind your hips with your fingers pointing away from you. With your back straight and your shoulders relaxed, slowly press your chest forward. Stretch your arms then pull your toes toward you. Hold this pose for 3-6 breaths.

4. Standing Forward Bend

Another easy pose to learn when doing yoga at home is the Standing Forward Bend. It helps stretch the legs, the hips and the spine while keeping the knees flexed. It is also known to help improve circulation.

How to do it:

Stand straight with your feet apart hip-width. Stretch your spine as you inhale then bend forward as you exhale. Place your hands under the front of each foot. Hold this pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute then inhale before going back to the starting position.

5. Bridge Pose

The Bridge pose helps strengthen the back, buttocks, neck, spine and thighs. It is also another Hatha yoga pose that helps improve circulation.

How to do it:

Start by lying on your back with your arms at your sides and your knees bent. Move your heels as close to the buttocks as possible before slowly raising your hips upwards. Press your shoulder blades down and slightly lift your chin. Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

When doing yoga at home, practice these easy Hatha yoga poses first before moving on to more complicated poses.

Wonderfully Fit Personal Training

Hatha Yoga 101

/in , ,

There are a number of different kinds of yoga – some ancient, and some modern inventions which emphasize different aspect of yoga.

yoga

What Is Hatha Yoga?

Yoga means union; the union of mind, body and spirit. Hatha is the most traditional of the yogas and has been practiced for thousands of years in India and the Far East.

The name Hatha means willful or forceful. The word is also a combination of hat (sun) and ha (moon). It works with the energy centers of the body, flesh and bone. The main focus is on surrendering to and perfecting the many poses, and using yoga for health, healing and personal transformation.

Hatha yoga is part of traditional Ayurvedic, that is, Indian medicine. In traditional Eastern forms of medicine, doctors treat not just the physical body but the energy body, also called the subtle body. It is thought to be comprised of channels, loops, meridians and chakras – that is, energy centers in the body.

If a surgeon cut you open, they wouldn’t see the chakras, but Hatha posits that they are there and balance the energy for healing purposes and overall wellbeing. Chinese acupuncture and acupressure, Reiki, Shiatsu and other healing modalities also work on the theory of balance and stimulating the energy in the body.

Hatha Poses

Many modern types of yoga focus mainly on the poses, or asanas, the physical side of yoga. Hatha yoga aspires to create balance in all things. There are different levels of poses, and therefore different classes and DVDs you can try.

Improved Concentration

Hatha improves mental concentration through meditation, chanting mantras like OM, and to some extent, breath work. With breath work, you learn how to breathe in different patterns with different purposes, such as a cooling breath or a heating breath that increases energy.

At One with the Breath

The Sanskrit word for breath work is pranayama. Prana means life-force, ayama to regulate or lengthen. In other words, practicing pranayama can improve one’s health and vitality through the breath. The breath work is very useful for eliminating toxins from the body and improving the immune system.

A Union of Body, Mind and Spirit

Yoga is not just about the body beautiful. It is considered to be a way of connecting with our inner selves so we can open up to connecting with others. This can be achieved through meditation. Meditation can also include breath work and chanting.

The Benefits of Hatha

Hatha has been shown to offer increased energy, less stress, better moods and sleep, and decreased anxiety. It lowers blood pressure and can help you lose weight more easily by boosting your metabolism.

Who Can Practice It?

Hatha is ideal for people of all ages because it is low impact and you can work at a safe and sensible pace. Even those with health issues can benefit from Hatha yoga. When done carefully with the help of expert guidance, Hatha can help relieve back, joint and muscle pain. The pranayama can help with allergies, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, or COPD.

Meditation helps improve focus, concentration and memory, all ideal for seniors who want to maintain a busy, active lifestyle no matter what their age.

With all of these benefits, now might be the best time to check out your local yoga studios to see which of them offer Hatha. Try an introductory class and see what a difference Hatha yoga can make to your health.