Yoga For Beginners
Even though yoga has been studied and researched for more than 100 years, there is still no clear or defining answer as to when yoga first came about. However, researchers are confident enough to say that yoga has been around for more than 5,000 years. Enough studies indicate that that yoga was being practiced in India more than 5,000 years ago with the Indus civilisation.
Yoga has evolved through a number of different periods including the Vedic period, the pre-classical period, the classical period and post-classical yoga.
The initial focus of yoga centered on developing an understanding of the world around us but as the years and centuries progressed, the focus of yoga altered to looking inwards. While the early use of yoga has been about meditation in order to come to terms with world around people, it developed into a state where the focus was on self-enlightenment.
When it comes to getting started with yoga, it is best to take things slowly. Starting with a number of beginner friendly yoga poses will help to develop your confidence and will ensure that your body is relaxed and limber enough to take on some of the more difficult or challenging positions.
The mountain pose is a great starting position
One of the most highly recommended positions for yoga beginners is the mountain pose. This requires the yoga student to stand with their feet apart and with their arms at their sides. While breathing at a slow and deep pace and ensuring your neck remains in position with your spine, you should move your hands and arms upwards. Some people prefer to rest their hands in a praying position in front of them while other people stretch their arms up to the sky.
The downward facing dog is another highly popular yoga pose. To carry out this pose, you should position yourself on all fours while making sure that your knees and hands are spread a good distance apart. You should then slowly move your hands forward and if you need extra stability, spread your fingers wider. You can curl up on your toes and you should start to move your hips forward. This will help your body to turn into an upside down V but don’t worry if your knees are bent at this point. If you feel confident or slightly advanced, you will be able to be placed your heels down on the floor to add extra stretching to the pose.
Given that yoga has an impact on the psychological impact of a person as well as the physical element, it is easy to see why the warrior pose would be a popular one. To begin this pose, you should have your legs posed about four feet apart and then turn the right foot into a ninety degree angle. From here, you should turn your arms to the side while keeping your palms facing downwards. There is then a need to lunge forward with your right knee, again at ninety degrees. You should position your knee over this foot and you do not want to let it move beyond your toes.
