5 Beginner Yoga Poses To Get You Through Your First Class

Yoga is one of the best workouts to improve overall fitness and wellness. Here are a few poses you can start your yoga journey with.

It's normal to feel frightened by the seasoned yogis who do handstands as part of their pre-class ritual. However, the work is straightforward when starting with an exercise routine: Put on some snug clothes and look at these seven fundamental positions. Even though you won't see all the topics in every lesson, they'll get you started and make you more at ease as you learn more.

Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

Maintain a square stance and keep your arms at your sides. Press the outer edges of your feet firmly into the ground to stabilize yourself. Step two is to stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and your feet hip-width apart. Stretch your body out and your arms up and out as you take a deep breath in. While you let your shoulders drop away from your ears and back toward your hips, you should also let your arms slip back to their side as you exhale.

Child's Pose (Balasana)

It's best to go down on your knees and tuck your toes under first. Then, extend your triceps forward and down while bending at the hips and lowering your butt to your feet. Make sure your head is on the mat, and your tummy is resting on your thighs.

Cat/Cow Pose (Marjaryasana Bitilasana)

Start with your feet and hands in a tabletop position, keeping your spine neutral and your abs engaged. Take a deep breath in, then as you let it out, curve your spine to the ceiling but tuck your neck to your chest to relax your neck. While inhaling, straighten your spine and loosen your abdominal muscles. Next, lift your skull and spine upwards, cautioning not to strain your spine by moving too rapidly or deeply.

Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Get down on your fours with your palms behind your shoulder and your fingers pointing ahead. Knees should be beneath your hips & toes folded. Raise your hips & press back until your body forms a V. Feet must be hip-width apart. Keep in mind it's ok if you can't bring your feet to the ground (your hamstrings could be too tight). Next, move your torso toward your legs as you spread across all 10 toes and your fingers.

Warrior Pose (Virabhadrasana I)

Do a mountain posture to get going. You should exhale as you kick your left foot back four feet, forming a lunge with your right ankle over your right knee. Raise your arms directly overhead, biceps touching ears, and pivot on your left foot such that your body is perpendicular to the wall to the left. Your left heel should be at a right angle to your right heel. Lower yourself toward the ground while extending your arms above by opening your chest and drawing your shoulders back. As you breathe normally, keep your hips in a frontal square position.