We are almost in the middle of the year 2022! The preceding couple of years have taught us all a lot of valuable lessons, and made us witness and experience a phenomenon that appears to be right out of a Hollywood movie! Some have incurred unimaginable loss, while others have been surrounded by people affected by tragic scenarios. No one has been left untouched by the events.
There is one fundamental lesson that needs to be learnt here – fitness and mental strength are needed to carry on with this beautiful roller-coaster tale of life. Confused? A healthy mind lives in a healthy body, and this combo of a ‘healthy mind & body’ assists you to survive through the hard times with courage and a level-headed temperament. The very first step to starting this fitness adventure is to adopt Yoga. International Yoga Day is round the corner and it is just the right time to adopt one of the best and purest forms of exercise.
Yoga poses significantly help enhance flexibility. Below are 9 yoga poses to help you get started and positively alter your life in times to come:
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Surya Namaskar
One of the most popular and commonly heard of yoga asanas, Surya Namaskar, has innumerable benefits. One of them is that it can considerably develop your flexibility. It engages the entire body and benefits every cell of the body. Traditionally, Surya Namaskar was a form of expressing gratitude to the sun, the supreme source of all life on earth. It helps in stretching, toning and strengthening your muscles, further toughening your ligaments & reducing the risk of injury during workouts.
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Adho Mukha Svanasana
Adho means “Downward”, mukha stands for “facing” and svan means “dog”. The Downward-facing Dog Posture is also known as ‘Down Dog’. At the outset, this yoga asana is great for your spine. It elongates the spine and removes all the stress and tension that is trapped in the spine. It also gives the hamstrings a good stretch and helps strengthen the legs. This eliminates a whole lot of burden from the back and improves the flexibility of the hamstrings and calf muscles.
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Uttanasana
Uttanasana is a basic standing forward bend where the head joins the feet as the heart is elevated over the brain. Different studies have proven that regular practice of Uttanasana can help improve the elasticity of the hip & hamstring muscles. It also helps to increase the blood flow in this area, which means muscles will get more oxygen and nutrition helping them to strengthen and grow. In addition to improving blood circulation Uttanasana helps improve flexibility especially in the hip region.
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Bhujangasana
Bhujangasana involves bending of the elbows & placement of the palms facing down near your chest. A top notch exercise for spine flexibility, it helps loosen up the ribs and achieve mental poise. It influences and strengthens the health of your entire body, stimulates & improves all your organs and invigorates your nervous system. It also alleviates various diseases linked to the digestive system & helps cope with insomnia.
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Utthita Trikonasana
A classic standing posture in many yoga lineages, this yoga pose is designed for strength & flexibility. Known as the ‘triangle pose’, this posture puts stress on the knees and thighs, especially being beneficial for the health of the knee joint. It further strengthens the ankles, legs, chest and arms. In this yoga pose, you need to keep your eyes open in order to maintain body balance. It also improves digestion by stimulating the abdominal organs and helps in case of acid reflux by strengthening the liver.
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Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
This yoga exercise is a beginner yoga pose. The top benefits of the “bridge pose” include strengthening the back muscles and increased flexibility. The stretch also helps to relieve the stress trapped in the back muscles. This asana stretches and tones the neck, spine and chest. Practicing this asana opens up the lungs, and helps reduce thyroid problems, depression, stress and anxiety.
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Baddha Konasana
The ‘Bound Angle Pose’ is an important hip-opening seated posture. Derived from Sanskrit, it is made up of two words, “Baddha” means “Bound” and “Kona” means “Angle or Division”. Especially beneficial to people of elderly age, it helps in waste ejection and aids in coping with related problems.
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Natrajasana
Natarajasana, another beginner yoga pose, is also known as the ‘Lord of the Dance Pose’. Its primary influence is the mighty Hindu God – ‘Shiva’ hailed as the Lord of Dance as per Hindu mythology. This particular asana should be performed with grace, one of the essential requirements of dance. When done gracefully, the Natarajasana has many health benefits to offer, both physical and mental, such as it assists in weight reduction and greatly improves overall body balance. Furthermore, it helps overcome concentration and focus issues which can be beneficial to people of young age like students etc
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Garudasanas
This asana has the benefits to remove severe physical as well as mental illnesses. A gentle yoga exercise, Garuda means the epic which is the “king of the birds,” and the vehicle of Vishnu. This yoga pose is very beneficial for your legs, lower back and hips. Highly recommended by instructors, this one is a must-try! With your health buddy FITPASS, you can easily discover all credible yoga centers near you. So, go get that Yoga mat and let’s get rolling!