A lot of people complain they aren’t flexible enough to do yoga. Well, honestly it’s quite the opposite. Having a less flexible body implies that you will feel the stretches more and would great definite results within shorter spans of time. Sitting on your mat and touching your toes would surely make you feel immense amounts of stretch in your hamstrings. However, people with flexible bodies would have to do a greater pulling and prodding to feel the exact same amount of stretch as you.
Yoga isn’t primarily focused on perfecting your poses with continuous practice. It mainly emphasizes on feeling the stretches while taking deep breaths to calm your mind and feel rejuvenated. Flexibility is a desirable trait, however, it shouldn’t be associated with self-worth. Everyone has their own flexibility starting points so don’t go around comparing yourself to people around you. Take the time on the mat as an opportunity to self-explore and improve your health and breathing.
To ease you into your yoga routine, we have listed down a few yoga poses. Ease into the exercises and always focus on your breathing. Proper deep breathing ensures the circulation of blood within your body and helps you attain maximum benefits out of the pose. In case you find any trouble doing any particular pose, simply back off and try something softer. Don’t force yourself into awkward positions that may cause you injury. It’s important to start slow and gently rather than pacing into advanced positions. The poses should feel more like a healing stretch rather than a painful exercise.
The pose helps stretch your lower back and your hamstrings. It’s recommended to perform this pose at least for 30 seconds prior to your yoga sessions. Slowly come back to standing upright as it may cause some dizziness.
Advancement into the forward fold is the addition of a shoulder stretch. This particular stretch ensures maximum stretch within your shoulders. Once you go in the forward fold, get your hands behind your back and interlace your fingers.
This particular pose stretches your quads, lower back, shoulders, ankles, and top of your feet. It is considered a resting pose in yoga practice.
There are numerous versions of this pose so do whatever benefits you the most.