Some yoga poses for beginners

So Many Yoga Poses, So Much Time

Don’t feel overwhelmed by the number of yoga poses. Hopefully, your yoga practice will be a lifelong pursuit, giving you plenty time to learn scores of poses. As your practice progresses, you will feel comfortable taking on more challenging poses. But when you are just beginning, keep it simple. Below are the poses you need to get started with the names in both English and Sanskrit and a link to the full, illustrated instructions.

Standing Poses

Downward Facing Dog – Adho Mukha Svanasana

Also known as: Downward Dog, Down Dog

Type of pose: Standing, Mild Inversion, Resting

Benefits: Stretches and strengthens the whole body. Can help relieve back pain.

Downward facing dog is done many times during most yoga classes. It is a transitional pose, a resting pose and a great strengthener in its own right. It may be the first yoga pose you encounter as you begin a yoga practice. Downward dog is so prevalent, even people who have never done yoga have probably heard of it.

Instructions:

1. Come to your hands and knees with the wrists underneath the shoulders and the knees underneath the hips.

2. Curl the toes under and push back raising the hips and straightening the legs.

3. Spread the fingers and ground down from the forearms into the fingertips.

4. Outwardly rotate the upper arms broadening the collarbones.

5. Let the head hang, move the shoulder blades away from the ears towards the hips.

6. Engage the quadriceps strongly to take the weight off the arms, making this a resting pose.

7. Rotate the thighs inward, keep the tail high and sink your heels towards the floor.

8. Check that the distance between your hands and feet is correct by coming forward to a plank position. The distance between the hands and feet should be the same in these two poses. Do not step the feet toward the hands in Down Dog in order the get the heels to the floor. This will happen eventually as the muscles lengthen.

Beginners: Try bending your knees, coming up onto the balls of your feet, bringing the belly to rest on the thighs and the sit bones up high. Then sink your heels, straightening the legs keeping the high upward rotation of the sit bones. Also try bending the arms slightly out to the side, drawing the chest towards the thighs. Then restraighten the arms.

Advanced: If you are very flexible, try not to let the rib cage sink towards the floor creating a sinking spine. Draw the ribs in to maintain a flat back. Try holding the pose for five minutes, placing a block under your head for support.

Extended Side Angle Pose – Utthita Parsvakonasana

Type of pose: Standing

Benefits: Strengthens and stretches the legs, groins, hamstrings. Opens the chest and shoulders.

1. From Downward Facing Dog, bring the right foot forward next to the right hand.

2. Drop the left heel down to the floor.

3. Bend the right knee so the calf and thigh are at a right angle with the thigh parallel to the floor.

4. Bring the right hand inside or outside the right foot and the left arm up toward the ceiling, opening the chest and stacking the left shoulder on top of the right.

5. Bring the gaze up to the right hand.

To keep the body in balance, repeat on the left side.

Beginners: If the right hand does not comfortably reach the floor, take a block under the hand so that you can still open the chest.

Garland Pose – Malasana

Also known as: Squat

Type of pose: Hip opener

Benefits: Opens the hips and groin

Instructions:

1. Come to stand with the feet about mat’s width apart.

2. Bend the knees, coming into a squat.

3. Keep the feet as close to parallel as possible.

4. Take the upper arms inside your knees and bend the elbows. Bring the palms together into anjali mudra (prayer position).

5. Try to bring the hands to your heart center with the forearms parallel to the floor to open the knees slightly.

6. Keep the spine straight and shoulders relaxed.

7. Stay here for five breaths, then straighten the legs to come out.

Beginners: Bring a folded blanket under your heels for support if your heels come up when you squat. This is better than trying to balance on the balls of your feet.

Advanced: If your feet are parallel, work on bringing them closer together.

Standing Forward Bend – Uttanasana

Type of pose: Forward bend

Benefits: Stretches and lengthens the hamstrings

Instructions:

1. From Urdhva Hastasana, swan dive the arms out to the side while folding forward.

2. Make sure the fold come from the hips, deepening the hip creases, and not from the back.

3. Bring the fingertips in line with the toes and press the palms flat.

4. Engage the quadriceps muscles of the thighs. The more you use your quads, the more the hamstrings (the muscles on the back of the thighs) will open up.

5. Bring your weight a little bit forward into the balls of your feet so that your hips stay over the ankles.

6. Let your head hang.

Beginners: Bend the knees if you need to in order to bring the palms flat. Then work on straightening the legs.

Advanced: If you are very open in the hamstrings, bend the elbows out to the sides. If you are holding the pose for a long time, bring the palm flat underneath your feet.

source:   http://yoga.about.com/od/yogaposes/a/beginnersposes.htm