9 Beginner Yoga Poses for Flexibility That Actually Work
Learn how easy yoga postures can open up your flexibility with scientific support and actual outcomes that you can experience in a few weeks.
It is hard to believe that you are tight, stiff, and frustrated after spending months at a desk. I was there. My hamstring was as tight as a string of a guitar and it was like a distant memory touching my toes. I believed that only dancers and gymnasts were gifted with the ability to be flexible. Then, I found a short and regular yoga session with simple poses, and it all changed. This experience made me realize that being flexible does not mean talent, it is about having the correct, regular movements.
The best part? You do not have to be flexible to begin with. This is the guide that will take you through the very beginner yoga poses to increase flexibility that helped me and thousands of others open their bodies to a more limber and pain-free one.
Why Yoga is a Secret Weapon to Flexibility.
There is a strong 10-week study in the International Journal of Yoga which presents hard figures on the power of yoga. Researchers separated 26 male college athletes in two groups, where one group was doing yoga every 10 weeks and the other pop was not. The results were striking. The yoga group demonstrated high increases in both flexibility and balance, as tested by the standard measurement tests such as the sit-and-reach test, and the non-yoga group did not achieve any improvements.
This paper will affirm my experience, which is that regular practice of yoga does not only feel good but produces physical, and measurable changes on your body. It enhances the scope of the movement, makes the joints healthier, and can even make you have a stronger back. The greatest victory in my case was getting rid of that tightness that always occurred in my neck and shoulders after long days at the computer.
Your Flexibility Sequence 9 Poses, Beginner.
My practice is based on the following poses. They work the major areas that are tight to most beginners and these include hips, hamstrings and shoulders. In working to increase your flexibility, I want you to remember my golden rule, not to hurry or exceed your limits too fast. That can lead to injury. Instead, sit in a stop and stay longer one or two seconds longer with each sitting.
Reclined Hand-to-Big-Toe-Pose (Supta Padangusthasana)
This yoga pose is ideal when you have tight hamstrings since you can allow a strap to regulate the intensity.
Lie on your back with the knees bent and feet lying flat on the floor.
Bring your right knee and wrap a yoga strap (or a belt) around the bottom of your right foot.
Bend your left leg straight to the floor.
Bend your right leg slowly straight up and maintain the extension of your leg as straight as possible and flex your foot. This should be experienced at the hamstring and in your hip.
Wait a minute or two, breathing deep, then start down and alter sides gradually.
Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)
An easy yet efficient posture to stretch your back and relax your backbone.
Keep your top of your feet lying flat on the ground.
The hands are placed flat on the floor right under the shoulders with bended elbows.
With each inhalation, press the chest a little off the floor. Look at the floor to ensure that your neck is in a neutral position.
Breath out and gradually get back down.
Novice Tip: When you have back pain, then do Baby Cobra, in which you keep your elbows closely rolled up against your ribcage and avoid lifting more than half way.
Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana).
This is a popular yoga pose to stretch your body as it is able to stretch the whole back part of your body.
Keep your feet to the ground, your hands on your hips.
Not at the waist, but bend forward in your hip joints.
Allow your head to hang heavy. Bend the legs as much as you should to be able to stretch.
Hold for 30-60 seconds .
Eagle Pose (Garudasana)
This is a pose that contains a balance but offers a fantastic stretch to your shoulders and upper back.
Begin your standing position with your arms at your side.
Hold your left arm under your right and cross your elbows making the forearm at a right angle to the floor.
Press your palms together.
In order to incorporate a leg stretch you are to raise your left foot and cross it over the right shin and then squat down.
Wait 15-30sec each side.
Seated Wide-Legged Fold (Upavistha Konasana)
An awesome workout of the inner thighs and hips which are often ignored.
Get on the floor with your legs in an expansive V in front of you.
As you breathe, maintain a straight back and then breathe out and bend down in front at the hips.
Bend your hands back to your feet. In case you cannot contact, put your hands on the floor before you.
Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana).
It is a hamstring pose, calves pose, shoulders pose, and back pose all in one.
Begin on hands and knees (tabletop position).
Draw your toes in and pull your hips up and back pointing your legs and arms straight.
Your body is then to make the inverted V. push out your feet by bending one leg and then the other in a gentle manner to make the stretch deeper.
Pyramid Pose (Parsvottanasana)
This is a deep and concentrated stretch of your hamstrings and hips.
In the standing posture place your right foot forward and left foot backwards.
Both feet should be forward with both legs straight.
Having a flat back, hinge in the hips and bend over your right leg.
Take a five breaths rest on one side then move to the other.
Pigeon Pose (Eka pada Rajakapotasana)
An iconic hip-opening posture that is extremely calming.
Start in Downward Facing Dog. Lift the right leg, and then bring it forward bending your right knee towards your right wrist and your right foot towards your left.
Bring your left leg back and make sure that your left foot is facing directly back.
Bend down gradually at the torso over the front leg.
Novice Hint: It is better to support your hip against the floor with a cushion or a yoga block when it is not touching the floor.
Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)
Bow Pose gives you a deeper back bend as it exposes the whole front of your body.
Lie on your stomach. Bend the knees and pull the heels towards the glutes.
Bring your hands back and hold on to your ankles (grasp a strap where you cannot reach).
During an inhalation, you are to raise your thighs and chest together out of the ground.
How to Get Down to Your Practice and Stick.
I was devastated when I started. This is what actually worked with me:
Consistency Not Intensity: A 15 minute practice a day is much better than a 90-minute practice once a week. Your body changes and gets used to regular and repetitive movement.
COMPare Not: Flexibility is unique to you. You are where you are and that is just right. The pose does not even necessarily need to look right and it must only feel like a good stretch.
Breathe: This is what changed the game to me. With every stretch you feel, fill it deeply in. When you breath out, your muscles relax.
Use Props: Yoga straps, blocks and even thick books do not count as cheating! They assist you to get into the right positions and pose is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the time to become flexible with yoga?
The rate at which you will get results depends on the rate and the intensity with which you will practice. Good changes are achieved through routine practice. Monitoring the progress of a 10-week study, it was observed that biweekly sessions had a substantial positive effect. It could only take one session before you feel less tight but permanent flexibility will be achieved after a few weeks of effort.
I’m very inflexible. Can I even do yoga?
Absolutely! This is the misconception that is most prevalent. You do yoga, not because it is your natural way of being flexible. The above poses can be done by beginners. Make adaptations and aids, and never disregard the existing capacity of your organism.
What is the frequency that a beginner should practice yoga so as to produce flexibility?
Goal is short practice 3-4 times in week. This regularity provides your organism with the stimulus it requires to adapt without excessive use. Keep in mind the participants of the studies who achieved results using only two sessions every week? The most effective tool is that of consistency.
What is the difference between yoga and stretching?
Whereas the emphasis of stretching is on the individual muscles, yoga is a holistic exercise. It unites motion and breathing, gains stability and balance in addition to flexiveness, and conditions the whole kinetic chain of your body to cooperate with each other.
Is yoga as a therapy effective in back pain?
Yes, absolutely. Most instances of back pain are connected to tightness of hamstrings, hips and the spine muscles. Such poses as Cobra, Seated Wide-Legged Fold, and Downward Dog can assist in eliminating such tension, opening up the spine, and tightening the muscles that hold the spine in place, resulting in a healthier, stronger back.
The road to flexibility is never a short run. You have to be patient with your body, you should make small wins and you should have faitharylights. Your more-flexible future will thank you.