Using Yoga Poses to Improve Your Health
Yoga Poses are the body and mind places you are trying to achieve through Yoga that are also called Asanas. The benefits of practicing Yoga is mainly to exercise, strengthen and tone your body’s muscles and exercise your mind. It takes a great deal of willpower and tenacity to accomplish each Yoga Pose and you have to have the discipline to practice your routine of poses or asanas daily.
You may or may not know that the effort required for yoga is certainly not easy (what program ids that actually works though!), but the total body benefit is worth all the hard work. The art of practicing Yoga exercises or Asanas can and will improve your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
To be able to accomplish the Yoga Poses requires you to study each pose and perform it deliberately as you control your body and mind simultaneously. Learn the following different Yoga Exercises, Postures, and Poses in the following sections and then incorporate them into your routine.
Warm-Up Poses
In general, warming up depends on the particular style of yoga that you practice and your studio, class, DVD, or online training will show you the best warm up for the type of yoga you are doing.
Standing Poses – You should learn the following Standing Poses
- Virabhadrasana or Warrior Pose
- Utkatasana or Squat Pose
- Uttanasana or Standing Forward Bend
- Tadasana or Mountain Pose
- Uthita Trikonasana or Extended Triangle
- Garudasana or Eagle Pose
- Natarajasana or Dancer
- Bakasana or Crow Pose
- Chaturangsana or Plank Pose
- Purvottanasana or Back Bend
- Vasisthasana or Inclined Plank
Seated Poses – These poses can be done while sitting.
Sitting Neutral
- Vajrasana or Hero Pose
- Dandasana or Staff Pose
- Baddhakonasana or Bound Angle Pose
- Gomukhasana or Cow Face Pose
Sitting Forward
- Pascimottanasana or Sitting Forward Bend
- Paripurna navasana or Boat Pose
Sitting Back Bends
- Bidalasana or Cat Stretch
- Ustrasana or Camel Pose
- Bhujangasana or Cobra Pose
- Dhanurasana or Bow Pose
Sittting Twist
- Ardha matsyendrasana or Half Twist
Inverted Postures and Balance Poses – These poses help to increase circulation, stimulate the brain, enhance glandular system functioning, and relieve pressure on the abdominal organs helping with digestion and blood flow.
- Sarvangasana or Shoulder Stand
- Halasana or Plow Pose
- Adho Mukha Svanasana or Downward Facing Dog
- Setu Bandha or Half Bridge
- Urdhva Dhanurasana or Full Bridge
- Karnapidasana or Spider Pose
It’s recommended that people try and practice different yoga poses at home or even in the office or workplace but if you are feeling like you’re not able to complete a posture, please don’t push yourself. Yoga is not a competition so just relax, rest for a minute and try the pose again. Also remember not to try yoga poses that are beyond your capabilities.
If you attempt asanas that are beyond your level you can injure yourself which is not what we are trying to achieve with yoga! You might find it helpful to get some expert guidance through popular online training websites where a professional teacher can instruct and coach you through each Yoga Pose ensuring you are doing the exercise correctly.