It can prove exciting and intimidating when getting into yoga practice depending on how much you know about it. Yoga introduces many movement concepts, techniques, and concepts that most beginners may now know.
Additionally, there are various yoga styles that range from Yin Yoga for relaxation to Vinyasa Yoga for those who want an intense workout. Yoga poses feature multiple names derived from different languages, which means it may take time to learn them all.
Table of Contents
What Is Yoga?Â
Many people have sought to answer this question over the years, only for it to lead to more questions. For example:
- Is yoga a religion or a philosophy?
- Is it a form of exercise?
- Or is yoga, in fact, a way of life?
Yoga encourages a connection between your breath, body, and mind. These are the three fundamental elements of every human being. Its practice concentrates on a chain of postures that increase your flexibility and strength while also focusing on your breathing.
Yoga has become an increasingly popular workout with millennials, and it’s clear to see why – it improves your flexibility, contributes to weight loss, and strengthens your muscles. Yoga also relaxes you while helping center your mind and thoughts.
So far, yoga has eight known limbs:
- Yama (integrity and ethical standards)
- Samadhi (state of ecstasy)
- Niyama (spiritual observances and self-discipline)
- Dhyana (meditation)
- Asana (it deals with postures and is what many people consider yoga)
- Dharana (concentration)
- Pratyahara (sensory transcendence)
- Pranayama (breath control)
Most people practicing yoga today focus mainly on Asana. However, you should note that physical postures are just one of the many limbs present in yoga. Yoga is a simple and profound practice that’s peaceful, harmonious, and content.
Why You Should Begin Practicing Yoga or Aim to Become an Expert
The human race lives in a society where its mind and nervous systems get stimulated constantly. Yoga provides its practitioners with a space to restore balance and slow their minds down.
Before you start looking for yoga apparel, you should learn some of its benefits:
It Helps with Anxiety and RelaxationÂ
One key benefit of yoga is that it assists with stress. Accumulated stress can cause the nervous system to go into overdrive, making it impossible for the body to focus, unwind, and fall asleep. In addition, yoga allows you to participate in breathing exercises that help lower your heart rate.
The nervous system soon begins to shift into a more relaxed state allowing you to focus better and fall asleep more easily. In addition, if you have a spiritual background, you’ll start to feel its effects beyond the mat as you become more aware of your sense of purpose.
It Helps the Physical BodyÂ
Physical benefits are perhaps the most obvious. The yoga postures will assist in increasing:
- Balance
- Flexibility
- Mobility
- Strength
These four benefits are why athletes include yoga when taking part in cross-training. During your practice, the body will go through various motions to counteract any pains and aches associated with poor posture or tension.
Yoga Poses You’ll Need to Know
Poses are yoga’s building blocks. So as you begin to build a regular practice, you’ll need to learn the following poses:
- Child’s Pose: It’s a calming pose that many consider the default pause position. Use this post to refocus and rest before moving on to your next pose. It assists in relaxing your neck, shoulders, and spine while stretching your ankles, knees, and thighs.
- Plank Pose: Plank assists in building strength in your legs, arms, shoulders, and core. It’s one of the most common yoga poses.
- Cobra Pose: It refers to a back-bending pose used to stretch the chest, increase spinal flexibility, and strengthen your back muscles.
- Tree Pose: Apart from boosting your balance, the tree pose can strengthen your spine, thighs, calves, ankles, and core.
ConclusionÂ
Yoga, as seen above, is more than a physical workout. It’s a full mind and body exercise with tons of benefits. Beginners should start by determining which of the eight limbs they would like to try out and then concentrate on learning their different poses.
