Yoga positions can be very complex. If you are a beginner, this should not intimidate you because there are poses that will help you strengthen your body and make you more flexible before moving to the complex poses. Here we will be discussing a few beginning yoga poses commonly taught to students new to the art and fascinating world of yoga mountain pose benefits.
Malasana- Also called the garland pose, Malasana is best done if your purpose is to strengthen the hips and the groin. The Garland pose is no more than squatting. However, there are key positions that need to be done right to ensure maximized benefit for this position.
To do this, let the soles of the feet lie flatly on the floor. Bring your buttocks slowly down but do not let them touch the floor. It is like sitting on an imaginary stool. The legs and knees should be wide apart and the toes should be pointing in a diagonal angle. This means that your toes should not be pointing straight or sideways. The upper arms should be under the knees and the palms of the hands put together as if in prayer. The forehead should be straight and not pointing upward. Relax the entire body, particularly the spine, and breathe in and out.
Tadasana- The second of the most commonly used beginning yoga poses is also called the Mountain Pose. This is a standing pose used to transition from seating poses to complex poses. What this does is to improve the body's posture, relieve back pain, and strengthen the feet and thighs.
To do this, stand up straight with the big toes touching each other. The toes should be parallel, not pointing at each other. Let all the toes fan out and lift them. After fanning the toes out, drop them on the floor. Create a space between the feet if necessary so your ankles do not bump each other or else you will be out of balance. Imagine yourself as a tree. The feet should be rooted firmly on the floor.
Draw your belly inward while inhaling and draw the shoulders back. Although this position may seem silly because you are just standing, the key here is aligning the body parts together, which is really hard work because we rarely do this under normal circumstances.
Urdhva Hastasana- The last of the beginning yoga poses we will teach you is the Raised Hands Pose. This is a good transition from the previous pose which will help you strengthen your shoulders.
From the previous position, bring your hands up and raise your hands high, as if reaching for something. Press the palms together and keep the arms straight; your elbows should not bend. Raise your head and look at the thumbs. The shoulder blades should be relaxed down and drawn back. It is important to keep this alignment to make it work. Inhale and exhale.
These yoga poses are important. If you do not master these poses, you will have difficulty shifting to other complex poses. Also think of these poses as your resting poses. If you advance to the intermediate level of yoga, you can always go back to these poses to rest for a few minutes then resume.
