Hey everyone! I hope you are all having a wonderful day! For those of you who do not know, I have been on my fitness journey for over 5 years now, and I have been practicing yoga for 15-30 minutes every day for over a year! I truly believe in the power of moving your body and taking care of your overall wellbeing. What I love about exercise is that it is my time to simply focus on doing something for myself. It is a time for me to get focused and strong, and I always feel so empowered after a workout. Not only does my body feel strong afterward, but so does my mind. When it comes to yoga, I love the balance of challenge and relaxation. I am able to work hard (during more difficult flows) while focusing on my mind at the same time. I can let go of any stress or worry, and focus on my health, and I love the way working out makes me feel.
Due to the benefits that I have seen in my own wellbeing, I always recommend yoga to everyone! I feel that there is no excuse to not do at least 5-10 minutes of yoga every day! I understand that everyone has different lifestyles and schedules, but yoga has so many benefits, and we all deserve to feel our best. Today, I am beginning a new series on my blog: Yoga 101. I will be sharing a few different yoga poses in each one, and I will give tips, advice, and discuss how to properly do said poses. Please keep in mind that I am not an expert or a professional yogi, but after practicing daily for over a year, I feel that I have learned so much from the different instructors that I have watched (though I always appreciate feedback and advice for myself as well). I am still perfecting some yoga poses myself, so keep that in mind throughout this series.
Today we will be going over three of the classic yoga poses that every beginner should know. You may look at these and think to yourself “That’s so easy, I already know how to do that”, however there are little tips and techniques that can help you, and I would like to share those today.
Downward facing dog
This is a classic yoga pose and you may have seen other people do this frequently. This is something that I like to do during all of my practices. There is something about being in poses where my head is upside down that helps to relieve my headaches! This pose is great for stretching out the hamstrings too!
When getting into this pose, you can start off on your hands and knees. You want your hands to be out in front of you and facing slightly outward. Your feet should be hips distance apart and facing forward. Try to keep your pelvis tilted back so that your back is straight. You should keep your gaze between your thighs as well. Overall, you should like a triangle from the side. It won’t be possible to have your heels touching the mat at first; it’s going to take a lot of practice (this is something I am still working on). To help with this, you can pedal your feet by bending one knee and lengthening the other, causing a deeper hamstring stretch as your heels press toward the mat. This pose is going to feel challenging for a beginner, however over time it can become a resting pose. It is also a great pose to use during different flows!
Chair pose
This pose is admittedly one of my least favorites, however it is still important to do. By doing this posture, you are working your full body, but you will definitely feel it mostly in your legs!
For this pose, you want to start off standing with your feet a few inches apart (though you can have them right next to each other. This may make it a big more challenging). Then you will simply bend your knees and get low in the position (for any beginners out there, you don’t have to get extremely low). You will then lift your arms straight into the air. Make sure that you are putting most of the weight in your heels. You can test to see if you’re doing this right by lifting your toes off the mat, then placing them down again. Be sure to drop your shoulders rather than hunching them up to your ears. While this pose may be difficult, you want to try to stay as relaxed as you can. This position definitely takes some getting used to, so be kind to your body and modify where you need to. Like all yoga poses, you don’t want your gut to sag, so you should hold in your core while maintaining your breathing (in through the nose and out through the mouth). This took me a long time to learn, but by holding in your core, you’re going to feel your body working more. Remember this throughout your practice.
Plank position
This is a pose that many people have done before, however not everyone knows how to get into it properly. You’re going to start on your knees, placing your hands out in front of you facing forward. Your toes will be curled under and you will slowly straighten one leg, then the other. Again, you want to hold in your core and breathe. Make sure that your bottom is not too far in the air or too low to the ground; your body should be lined up with your spine. Be sure that your wrists are right under your shoulders (lining things up is very important to prevent any injuries). Keep your head down with your eyes on the mat below you.
There are modifications for this pose for those of you who find planking to be a bit too challenging. You still start off the same way, on your hands and knees, however you’re going to bring your knees back a few inches so they are not directly under your hips anymore. This is still a challenging position, but it is better for those who need to modify and take it easy. With time, patience, and practice, you will be able to do some of the more challenging poses, so keep going!
I am really excited for this new series on my blog, and I have so much more to share with you! Yoga has been a daily practice for myself as well as a couple of my family members who join me every evening. I highly encourage anyone out there to spend some time trying it out! You do not need to be athletic or flexible to do yoga; that comes with practice. You have to start in order to get to that point, and it doesn’t matter if you’re 15 or 50, anyone can do yoga. Believe in yourself and prioritize yourself. Thank you so much for reading! If there are any yoga poses that you would like me to discuss in this series, please leave me a comment below! Until next time!
(If you would like to see videos of me getting into each of these poses, you can check out my Instagram, @sacchere14.)
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