Basic Yoga Exercises

Yoga exercises help you strengthen your body, make it more flexible, calm your mind and give you energy. Yoga sessions are designed for people of all ages worldwide, for helping promote harmony and balance of the body and mind, where you learn to recognize when one side is stronger or more flexible than the other.

The practice of yoga offers plenty for everyone.  You can modify positions and systems easily to meet your needs as well as physical conditions, using a variety of props around you like cushions, chairs, walls, floor mats or other items. A yoga practice can even be customized just for you. Note that with yoga, you do not compete with yourself or others, as yoga is a stress-free albeit powerful way to exercise.

Here are a couple of yoga sessions to try:

1) Cat-Stretch Pose aka Marjari-asana – Kneel, then lean forward, placing your hands on the floor below your shoulders, with your fingers facing forward. Have your hands in line with your knees, your arms and thighs at right angles to the floor with your knees slightly separated.

Raise your head and drop your spine so that your back is concave. Take a deep breath to fill your lungs and hold for three seconds. While you exhale, lower your head and stretch out your spine in an upwards direction. When you finish your breath, pull in your buttocks, contract your stomach muscles and then place your head between your arms. Repeat 5 times.

Kneel down on your raised heels and reach out with your arms, stretching them forward so that your forehead is on the floor. Breathe in deeply and relax for a little while. Then lift yourself up on your hands and knees. Tuck your toes under and keep your back flat.

2) Mountain Pose aka Parvatasana – To help strengthens your muscles and nerves in your legs and arms, and improve the circulation in your upper spine, try this yoga session.

Inhale and then push yourself up on to your toes. Next, lift your buttocks up while lowering your head between your arms. Position your back and legs so that they form two sides of a triangle.

Then exhale, resting your feet back on the floor. Try to touch the floor with the top of your head and hold this position for 10 seconds.