7 Basic Yoga Poses for Beginners to Try

Are you new to yoga and for some basic yoga poses that even beginners can do easily? You have come to the right place.

Here, we'll discuss some basic yoga poses that can ease beginners into the world of mind and body transcendence yoga offers.

Basic Yoga Poses for Beginners

Here are seven yoga poses for beginners you should attempt:

1) Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

We'll start off with a fairly easy one. This pose may seem as if you're merely standing, but yoga is much more than your current bodily position. It's about connecting your mind and body, learning about yourself through sadhana (devotion) and practice.

Here's how you do this basic yoga pose:

Stand with your big toes barely touching and your heels slightly apart. An excellent way to measure your posture is to check if your second toes are parallel.
Press onto the four corners of your feet: big toe, tiny toe, right side heel, left side heel. As you push into your feet, feel how that engages your entire leg and keeps those muscles working.
Take a deep breath, and roll your shoulders up and back, letting them down, so your shoulder blades rest towards each other, and your neck is long.
Take a few deep breathes in this position. Close your eyes, if you like.

2) Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana)

You can easily move into this pose from the Tadasana. This is a great pose to relieve any gas and bloating, as it massages your digestive system. It also stretches your hips, glutes, thighs and calves.

Here's how you do this yoga pose:

Raise your arms to the sides and above your head as you inhale.
On your exhale, release your arms in front of your body or out to the side as you fold your torso over your legs.
On the initial pass, your knees should be at least somewhat bent.
No matter how flexible you are, your hamstrings will be cold at first, and you should treat them with care.
Allow gravity to do the work here; do not attempt to force the fold by pulling yourself down.
You may place your hands on your shins, feet or the ground. That'll gently elongate your spine and hamstrings and is an excellent way to improve your balance.

3) Adho Mukha Svanasana

This pose elongates the spine, stretches the anterior lower body muscles and improves digestion. As it's a mild inversion, it helps relieve tension, alleviate headaches and relax the nervous system.

Here's how you do this yoga pose:

Start on your hands and knees (or in cow pose).
Place your hands beneath your shoulders and knees beneath your hips. Your fingertips should point to the mat's top.
Spread out your fingers, and distribute your weight evenly throughout your hands.
Raise your knees off the ground, and reach your pelvis upward, as if your hips and thighs were being drawn backward.
Your body should resemble the letter 'A'. Straighten your legs without locking them. Relax your neck, and focus on the space between your knees.

4) Cobra Pose or Bhujangasana

This is a backbend pose or spinal extension that's good for relieving tension from your upper body. It opens up your chest and corrects the posture of your shoulders resulting from long hours of sitting.

Here's how you do this basic yoga pose:

Begin by lying face-down on your mat.
Raise your chest off the ground, and extend your arms straight.
Slim your hips and thighs. Engage your shoulder blades.
Press the thighs and foot tips into the ground.

5) Child's Pose (Balasana)

This is a highly restorative and relaxing yoga pose that stretches your glutes, back and hips. It will slow down your breath, calm your mind and allow you to relax.

Here's how you do this basic yoga pose:

Kneel on your yoga mat, and sit back on your toes, spreading your knees apart.
Your knees should form a 'V,' with your big toes touching behind you.
Stretch forward between your thighs while elongating your spine.
You can either extend your arms, or conceal them behind your back.

6) Cat-Cow Pose (Marjariasana)

This pose stretches and awakens your spine, helping ease back pain. It also promotes the mobility and flexibility of the spine, neck, chest and shoulders.

Here's how you do this yoga pose:

Get into the table top position on the mat. Position your hands directly below your shoulders and knees directly below your hips.
Spread your fingers apart, and distribute your weight evenly between your hands.
Inhale, and arch your back while lowering your chin to your chest; feel the stretch from your neck to your tailbone, as if you were a cat.
As you exhale, drop your back till it forms a scoop; rise and tilt your head backward.

7) Easy Pose (Sukhasana)

Your first yoga session should end with you feeling stress-free, relaxed and curious for more. Your mind should be still and calm and your thinking clear. There's no better asana to achieve this state than the meditative pose or the Sukhasana.

Here's how you do this yoga pose:

Sitting cross-legged on a yoga mat, place your palms up and hands on your knees.
Keep your back as straight as possible.
In yoga parlance, press the bones you're sitting on into the floor; these are your 'sit bones'.
Close your eyes, and take a deep breath.
Focus on your breathing, and try to calm your mind. Let go of your thoughts one by one till the only one that remains is the position your body is in.
Hold for 5-15 minutes.

Takeaway

Try the aforementioned sequence of basic yoga poses to relax yourself, stretch your muscles and feel amazing - both mentally and physically.

Edited by Bhargav