5 Basic Yoga Poses
5 Basic Yoga Poses that Benefit Everyone (and Every Body)
If you’re intrigued by the benefits of yoga, but find the thought of joining a yoga class daunting or maybe a little intimidating, you’re not alone. It’s no secret that some of yoga’s more advanced poses can give the impression that being a human pretzel is a prerequisite. But thankfully this couldn’t be further from the truth.
These 5 basic yoga poses can transform your day in just minutes, by giving you a healthy escape from the daily chaos that life tends to cultivate. Practice them anywhere you can roll out a yoga mat - no special equipment or yoga teacher needed (you can even visit us in our yoga studio downtown Palmer if you would rather be led through the poses)! Regardless of your age, weight, or current flexibility, these core postures are for everyone and every body type.
BENEFITS OF YOGA
From mental clarity and reduced blood pressure to improved flexibility and increased blood flow to the brain, yoga's benefits are diverse and life-changing. Each pose offers its own therapeutic rewards for the mind, body, and soul.
According to the American Osteopathic Association, some of the benefits associated with practicing yoga include:
Reduced chronic pain
Increased flexibility, muscle strength, and tone
Improved energy levels, respiration, and vitality
Cardiovascular and circulatory health
Weight loss
Improved athletic performance
Stress relief
If you’re ready to begin a wellness journey of transformation and personal growth, these 5 fundamental yoga poses are a great place to start.
DOWNWARD-FACING DOG POSE (ADHO MUKHA SVANSANA)
Probably one of the most commonly recognized yoga poses, downward-facing dog, is a foundational yoga asana utilized in many sequences as a transitional pose or resting position. It’s definitely a great one to master early on in your practice.
BENEFITS
Downward Dog strengthens the hamstrings, calves, arms, and external oblique abdominal muscles while improving flexibility from head to toe. It also reduces pressure on the spine and increases blood flow to the brain. If you’ve been dealing with chronic back pain this is a great pose to practice regularly for pain relief.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Begin on your yoga mat on all fours, with wrists aligned under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
Tuck your toes under and push back through the palms of your hands, raising your hips and straightening your legs.
With only your hands and feet on the mat, slowly move your chest toward your thighs and sink your heels towards the floor.
TIPS AND MODIFICATIONS
Engaging your quads will help relieve your body weight off of your arms.
Focus on shifting your weight back into your heels, rather than the balls of your feet, while keeping your feet hip-width apart.
To relieve tight hamstrings, you can keep your knees slightly bent. Over time, your hamstrings will relax and lengthen.
For an additional modification, you can try using yoga blocks underneath your hands.
EXTENDED TRIANGLE POSE (TRIKONASANA)
This is a wonderful and relieving pose that also strengthens and stretches while improving balance. It can be modified to accommodate tight muscles and various fitness levels. If you decide to start frequenting local yoga classes, you’ll likely encounter this asana multiple times.
BENEFITS
This pose is packed with benefits for your lower body and core. It strengthens your legs and stretches your groin, hamstrings, and hips while releasing compaction from gravity in your spine. Simultaneously, this pose encourages body awareness, opens the heart, and engages core abdominal muscles, which improves your balance, posture, and stability; a true powerhouse pose.
As if those aren’t enough, additional benefits of Extended Triangle include stress and anxiety relief, improved digestion, backache relief, and alleviating some menopause symptoms.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
On your yoga mat, stand with your feet wide apart (3-4 ft).
With your right foot, slightly position your toes inward, shifting your heel outward.
Line up your left heel with your right foot’s arch, and turn your left foot out 90 degrees.
With both legs straight, bring your arms up to shoulder level and form a T.
Bring your left arm down towards your left shin (or the ground for a deeper stretch) and roll open up your chest upwards, extending your right arm up, towards the sky.
TIPS AND MODIFICATIONS
Your shoulders should be vertically stacked. To avoid compromising them, try using a yoga block for your lower arm if the shin or ground is too far.
Do not rest your lower arm directly on your knee joint. This can cause hyperextension.
Try not to get discouraged; instead, practice a modified version and slowly increase the difficulty until you reach the full expression.
Consider avoiding this pose if you have a headache or low blood pressure.
WARRIOR I POSE (VIRABHADRASANA I)
One of the most popular poses for beginners is Warrior I, a foundational lunge stance. If you have a sedentary job, this pose helps to open the hips and provide therapeutic relief for sciatica pain.
BENEFITS
Warrior I pose is great for strengthening your thighs, calves, and hip flexors. It improves balance and will engage and build your lower body, back muscles, your core, and arms. You can also expect increased energy levels, better breathing, and improved circulation (and who doesn’t want those!? 🤩).
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Begin in Downward-Facing Dog pose and step one foot forward, between your hands.
Rotate your back foot outward, 45 degrees, grounding down into the outer edge of your foot.
Bend and align your front knee over your front ankle, while straightening your back leg. Your front thigh should be working towards being parallel to the ground.
Raise your torso lengthening your spine and bringing your arms up towards the ceiling. Keeping your chest open, you should enter a very slight spinal extension (aka back bend).
Gaze upwards towards the ceiling.
To switch legs, lower your hands down to your mat, on each side of your front leg, and revert back to Downward-Facing Dog pose. From here, rest and then repeat with the opposite leg stepping forward.
TIPS AND MODIFICATIONS
Make sure both hips are squared to the front of your mat for proper alignment.
Be careful not to over-extend your front knee. It should be positioned above your ankle, not your toes.
If you have trouble balancing in this pose, you can modify it by widening your stance.
CAT-COW STRETCH (CHAKRAVAKASANA)
This gentle spinal warm-up is accompanied by deep breaths of inhaling and exhaling. It encourages spinal flexibility and is great for relieving a tight back. You’ll find that Cat-Cow Stretch is a foundational pose in most yoga practices.
BENEFITS
By loosening all of the back muscles, this two-part stretch is one of the best yoga asanas to relieve back pain, increase flexibility, and improve circulation in your spinal discs. This is another fantastic stretch for anyone with a sedentary job or lifestyle. With a focus on deep breathing, Cat-Cow is also the perfect stretch for relieving stress.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Begin on your yoga mat on all fours, with wrists aligned under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
Always start off in a spine-neutral position, imagining the spine as a straight line that connects the shoulders to the hips.
COW POSE
As you inhale, lift your chest and tailbone. Your back will naturally curve downward.
Keep your core engaged by drawing your belly button inward slightly.
Gently gaze toward the ceiling.
CAT POSE
As you exhale, tuck your tailbone downward, tipping your pelvis forward. Gently lower the crown of your head so that your back naturally rounds upward.
Keep your core engaged by drawing your belly button inward toward your spine.
Gently maintain a soft gaze toward your belly button.
TIPS AND MODIFICATIONS
When you lower your head in Cat pose, take care to not force it, let it down naturally and gently to avoid injury.
Focus on keeping the movement with the spine and not your arms/elbows, by keeping your arms straight and shoulders relaxed.
If you experience pain in the wrists, rest on formed fists instead of open hands, or try using yoga blocks.
For knee pain or discomfort, try folding your yoga mat or using a blanket for extra cushion.
CORPSE POSE (SAVASANA POSTURE)
Surprisingly, this is one of the most important (and toughest) yoga poses to master. What makes this pose challenging to some, is learning how to attentively relax your mind and body. With our busy lives, full of distractions, relaxing on demand doesn’t come easy.
BENEFITS
This pose is best practiced at the end of a sequence so that your muscles have the chance to release built-up tension from the other active poses. Savasana relaxes your mind and helps you release stress one body part and thought at a time. It can also help you achieve a greater sense of physical and emotional well-being, and if practiced before bed, can promote restful and deeper sleep.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Lie down on your mat face-up, arms to your sides, and palms facing up.
Extend your legs to the outer edges of your mat, and let your feet naturally relax to their sides.
Relax one body part at a time. If it helps, feel the weight of each body part sinking into the mat.
TIPS AND MODIFICATIONS
Try not to fall asleep. The goal of Savasana is to reach attentive relaxation.
If lying on your back is not possible, you can also try lying on your side.
To modify for leg relief, try elevating your legs on a chair as you remain face-up on your back.
To modify for tension in your upper back and shoulders, try lying on stacked blankets to elevate your back and support your head.
READY TO EMBRACE YOGA?
Regardless of where you choose to practice, the life-enriching benefits of yoga are plentiful and available to everyone. If you’re looking to join a welcoming environment to begin or expand your regular yoga practice, we invite you to stop in and try one of our variety of classes at Midnight Sun Yoga Center in downtown Palmer, AK. We are an all-embracing community dedicated to helping you develop your higher self through yoga.