Yoga Poses
Many people in North America think that yoga is a single practice of physical postures, known as asanas. Yoga poses, synchronized with breathing techniques, produce intense internal heat and perspiration that purifies and detoxifies muscles and organs. This helps improve your circulation, you develop a light and strong body, and a calm mind.
Now, all that said, certain yoga poses are more difficult than others and need to be practiced for a longer period of time to become effective. Most yoga practitioners feel overwhelmed at the beginning. There is a lot involved in each and every of the yoga poses, including adding the breathing techniques we mentioned earlier.
Before beginning your yoga poses, establish a regular time to do them. Do not try these poses on a full stomach. Wear comfortable loose clothing. Use a soft thick mat to protect your spine. This mat should fit the length of your body. Perform each of the yoga poses slowly, carefully and mindfully. You must avoid forcing or straining.
It would be unrealistic to think that one yoga session would include all the asanas. Again, some are more difficult than others, so you might want to leave the more difficult ones until you are more supple. If you do not feel inclined to practice your yoga poses one day, don’t. There is no point in forcing yourself, as yoga is meant to be pleasurable so that it is effective. Be sure that your mind is fully tuned into the idea of doing yoga before you begin any regime.
Yoga is a very personal thing. Do as much or as little as you feel comfortable with. As in any exercise regimen, before you start your yoga poses, make sure to warm up with simple movements, like the mountain position. You can then go to the tree posture, the cobra, the forward bend, the spinal twist, the shoulder stand, the fish, the triangle, the cow face and the final stage, as with all yoga sessions, the corpse.
Remember to always counter each forward stretch with a backward stretch and to repeat side stretches on both sides.