Before you start practicing yoga, it is good to know exactly what yoga is and where it comes from. Yoga is more than some stretching exercises or floating on a mat. Yog’ means unity in Sanskrit or also ‘connecting’ in Dutch. Yoga connects body and mind. The real yogis from India discovered that with your breath you can connect your physical feelings with your mental thoughts. Yoga can provide mental and physical health and creates self-awareness. Read all the tips and tricks for yoga for beginners here.
Why start with yoga?
Yoga has many benefits. Yoga is good for everyone, because you have so many different yoga forms, there is a right one for every body. Some of the benefits are:
- You get more strength in your body
- You get more self-confidence
- Good for relaxing body and mind
- You can choose between a light or heavy form of yoga
- You become more flexible
- You can improve your concentration
- It clears your head
So yoga is good for body and mind. In the yoga for beginners we don’t really look at this yet, but the more you control the yoga, the stronger it will work on your energy. Yoga is also super good for physical complaints. Do you have muscle pain or neck pain for example? Find the right yoga exercise and maybe the complaints will go away. Because yoga makes you aware of yourself, it can also drag you out of a down period. Yoga is more than just a woolly sport. Yoga has much to offer, you just have to discover it.
Starting with yoga
What is very important for beginning yogis is that you get the postures right. So it is important that you master the basic postures of yoga first. Later on, you would start learning more and more difficult postures, but they come from the basic postures.
Tips for yoga for beginners
We have put together some facts and tips. With these tips you will be well prepared for your first yoga class. Tips for yoga for beginners:
- Be open to new things, you are going to encounter many new things in general but also about yourself. Know this and be open to it.
- Breathing is the key in yoga. So focus extra on your breathing during the yoga.
- Listen to your body and keep your own pace. Every body is different and only you can feel if something is right or not.
- Don’t drink too much water. This way you will get the best out of your exercises.
- Know that yoga is not only relaxing. Sometimes you have to try very hard for an exercise.
- Use good props. Check out our yoga blocks here.
Yoga exercises for beginners
Yoga exercises can be very difficult, but there are also easier ones. We have listed some yoga exercises for beginners. These exercises often form the basis of more difficult exercises and it is important that you have a good focus on your breathing right from the start.
The mountain pose
The Mountain pose may not seem like a yoga pose at first, but it is a simple yoga exercise for beginners that is very good for the body and mind. You perform it as follows:
- Stand completely upright
- Try to make yourself tall
- By pointing your crown to the ceiling, you straighten your spine
- Your feet are slightly apart
- Your shoulders are moved back, almost touching each other.
- Relax your arms next to your body, but not quite against it
- The palms of your hands point forward.
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Focus on your breathing and relax your face.
Focus on the strength and balance of the body and try not to let go.
Downward Facing Dog
You will see this yoga pose recurring often, especially as a yoga exercise for beginners. It is an important posture in various exercises. The exercise requires a lot of strength in your arms and shoulders, yet this exercise is considered a “break.
- Sit on hands and knees
- Make sure you are on only your hands and knees by stretching your body
- You are now standing like a stretched mountain
- Try to stand in two straight lines. A straight line of the legs and a straight line of the back, neck and arms
- Try to look at the center of your abdomen to keep the neck straight
- Pay attention to your breathing and keep it up for as long as you want.
- Make sure you rest.
Cat cow pose
The name says it all, in this exercise you change the posture to look like a cat and cow. Ideal as a yoga exercise for beginners, because with this exercise you create a flexible neck, shoulders and spine
- Get down on your hands and knees
- The knees are in line with the hips and the wrists are in line with the shoulders
- The fingers point forward and the hand is spread.
- You breathe in with a hollow back (cow). And bring your head up.
- You breathe out with a rounded back (cat). While doing so, you bring your head down.
- Repeat the exercises about 10 times and again pay attention to breathing.
Yoga is something you just have to do! Prepare yourself well, read up and be open to Yoga. You will see that you will make progress quickly and your body and mind will become fitter. Make your yoga exercises extra easy and comfortable with the products of Bamboa Yoga. For explanations and exercises with yoga blocks, please read the blog on exercises with yoga blocks.
