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Maybe you have never done yoga or maybe not in a long time. Well, welcome here or welcome back.
Maybe touching your toes may be the greatest challenge. No worries. Not all yoga poses ask you for super limber stretches and contortions (although some poses do make practitioners look like ropey pieces of delicious licorice).
The following poses are for beginners, and anyone interested in getting back in touch with the basics. We all start (or restart) somewhere with any new skill acquired.
First things first, know your body; you know it better than anyone else. You know its limitations; know what feels good and not so good; see the difference between discomfort and pain.
If something is painful on a repeat, stop doing it and consult a physician. If a stretch or move causes discomfort, maybe slow down and look at the hurt.
Ask yourself: is this pose uncomfortable because it’s new? Or is this uncomfortable because the ego is seeking some standard of perfection? Be your own coach—gentle, encouraging, and continuously checking in to see how you feel.
Read more on Finding Your Edge - How Deep Should You Stretch?
As you move into each pose, hold and complete a body scan from head to toe, acknowledging its position, stress points, and spatial awareness.
Start standing, feet slightly apart, socks off. Splay your toes by picking them up, spreading them, and slowly laying them down. Feel the space between the toes and how they intersect with the ground.
Move up your legs to the pelvis. Tuck it in and under to a neutral position, gently activating your core.
Now, move up to your shoulders to pull them back and down. Rotate the arms and palms to relax and face forward in a soft jazz hand position. Extend through the fingers to feel a pulse of energy shooting through the fingertips.
Stabilize the neck in a neutral position. Look forward with a soft gaze.
As each part of your body is activated, you will realize that if you’re engaged, you are not just standing there as if waiting for rideshare. You are in your body, feeling your body.
Glory be to this relaxing pose on the ground! No matter your level of yoga, this asana stretches the lower back, hips, thighs, ankles, and sometimes your upper back (depending on your arm placement).
Start on your knees and slowly retract your weight back and down so your torso is closer to the ground and your legs are slightly spread outward.
Now, see if you can rest your forehead on the floor.
Rest your arms down to the side of each leg or stretch them out in front of you. Again, conduct a body scan to see if you can ask each area to release tension.
Stay in that pose for deep relaxation, either by itself or the posture to return to no matter where you are in a yoga sequence. It’s the home base to center yourself.
Many yoga classes end with this beautiful pose of active laying down.
Lay on your back, with legs slightly apart and feet turned out a little.
The arms are down by your sides and rotated somewhat with the palms facing up.
The spine is neutral along with your neck.
Body scan: where can you ask each part to melt deeper into the ground? Focus on your breath to be soft and slow. Stay there. Close your eyes. Feel the stress in your spine give away. Feel the muscles in your shoulders relax.
Guess what: this is some of the best yoga. You’re being mindful and patient with the vessel that carries you around in this life. Thank it. And then thank yourself for showing up.
By Tricia Louvar; All Rights Reserved @2022
By Tricia Louvar; All Rights Reserved @2022
