Yoga Positions for Beginners
Yoga is used by many as a way to reduce stress and clear the mind. It is also good for strengthening, flexibility and coordination. Many positions included in yoga take time to master. As a beginner, you should start out with basic movements until you are limber and practiced enough to try more complicated positions.
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Butterfly
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Kundalini Yoga Butterfly Pose is a the classic pose that most associate with yoga. It is when you sit on the ground with your legs bent and lying to the sides with the soles of the feet touching. Most think of this pose along with the arms stretched out and hands lying on the knees with middle finger and thumb touching each other, but instead of resting the hands, you use them to pull the feet inward as much as possible. This pose is used during deep breathing and for stretching out the leg muscles.
Cat/Cow
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In the Cat Cow pose, you get on your hands and knees. Arching the back upward is considered the cat portion of the pose, similar to how a scared cat arches his back. With the cow portion, you sag the back and raise the chin upward. It is thought to help with emotional turmoil and exercises the back muscles and spine.
Cobra
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The Cobra pose requires you to lie down on the ground and then raise the upper half of the body with your arms until the arms are straight, much like a cobra does when it raises its upper body off the ground. It is used to increase flexibility in the back, as well as helping strengthen stomach muscles and aid in digestion.
Baby
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With the Baby pose, you sit with your legs bent under you and then lay your upper body down until your head touches the ground. Your arms are positioned on the ground with the hands toward the feet and the tops of the hands touching the floor. It is used to relax the body and is normally done as a break from other poses. This same pose done with your back on the floor and the hands holding the legs to keep them in position is called the rocking pose.
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