admin Whether you’re new to yoga or a seasoned practitioner, it’s really important to build a solid foundation in your practice.
Yoga is not an accident. Many of the foundational poses are designed to help you open up and strengthen your body. You can then build on this base to progress to more difficult poses.
These five poses will help you to create space, strength, alignment, and freedom within your body.
Down Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana).
It’s worth the effort to learn this asana so that you can do it correctly.
Down Dog has a long list of benefits, including strengthening arms, legs, and bones and opening hamstrings, upper back, and shoulders. This is perfect for preparing your body for more difficult standing poses, backbends, and balances.
You can also learn more about your body by doing down dog. It will help you discover where you have tension and tightness and where you may need to correct any imbalances. Draw the shoulder blades backward and rotate the upper arms to open the chest.
To achieve a long spine, press the tailbone and sit bones up and back while keeping your knees bent.
Four-Limbed Staff Pose (Chaturanga Dandasana)
You can practice arm balances, inversions, and other poses. This is the pose you need! This pose is easy to cheat, but if done correctly, it will build incredible strength and stability.
This exercise strengthens your arms, legs, abdominals, and core. It also builds stability in the shoulders and helps you balance on your hands and arms. Your core and thighs should be engaged. Keep your arms at 90-degree angles and hug your elbows to your body.
You can start by lowering your knees while building strength in your arms and core.
Balasana (Child’s Pose)
It is the pose you use to relax, rest, and rejuvenate. This pose helps to release tension from the hips, back, shoulders, and chest. It also lengthens and stretches the spine.
This calming pose is great for those who are stressed or overwhelmed and can’t do Down Dog.
There are several variations to Child’s Pose. The main goal is relaxation, so find the position you feel most comfortable in and the support that will help you relax. If your head can’t touch the floor, rest the forehead on your fists.
Cobra (Bhujangasana)
It is a preparatory pose to deeper backbends. So, getting your alignment right here will (literally!) open you up. You will be able to do deeper backbends if you get your alignment right.
Cobra increases the spine’s flexibility, opens the chest, tones the abdomen, and opens the hip flexors. All of these are essential for backbends. Start with a low-level cobra to lengthen and extend the spine instead of pushing your hands into the floor and hunching your shoulders around the ears.
The thoracic region of the spine should be felt as the source of movement.
The Corpse Pose is also known as Savasana.
Savasana poses are the most beneficial and challenging asanas. If you want to master any pose, this is it! In Savasana, all of the benefits and changes that you have experienced from your practice are integrated into your nervous system, body, and mind.
Savasana helps calm the mind and body by calming the brain waves. Allow the feet to fall evenly to either side. The palms of the arms should be facing upwards.
Relax your entire body on the mat and surrender to the moment. Enjoy a few blissful minutes and feel total peace.
Concentrate on these poses over the next couple of weeks. I would love to hear about your experiences and other “go-to” poses that have helped you evolve your practice. Comment below to share your thoughts!
