It can feel intimidating as well as complex to know exactly, where and how to get started if you are brand new to yoga. Getting started with yoga can be a wonderful experience if performed in a specific way. Our yoga for beginners’ guide is specially designed for you to explore yoga in different forms. As you are a beginner, I would recommend you to go through the “types of yoga” and “benefits of Yoga” before jumping into the postures. It will help you to develop a basic understanding of yoga and identify your interest in the stream of yogic practices all over the world. You can also opt to start yoga at home and see how it works.

Is yoga right for you?

Yoga is accessible to just anyone nowadays, no question why! Yoga is no way exclusive to how old are you, where you live or what religion you practice.

If you have a recent surgery it is recommended to allow a six months gap before starting any form of yoga, or you can consult a yoga teacher based upon your medical conditions. Usually, there are alternatives, to the poses in yoga, to allow the practitioner to reap the same benefit with modification in the pose according to their medical requirements.

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How to practice yoga?

Yoga only needs a 6×6 space and you are good to start! You can grab some hot yoga pants which makes you comfortable in stretching or you can put on some comfortable outfit from your existing wardrobe. Yoga is performed barefoot on a sticky mat to acquire grip during the stretch.

You can also opt for some additional pieces of equipment if you wish, such as straps, blocks, blankets, bolsters, etc. you don’t need to purchase these in the first go, but if you take yoga classes from the studio they will provide these anyway. For yoga practices, you can either opt for some online yoga sessions if interested.

Your first yoga practice

As you are a beginner, it is recommended to start from the very fundamental and easy yoga postures. Once you know that you are comfortable with this beginner yoga poses you can move forward and integrate them into a sequence.

Some fundamental yoga sequences are as follows-

• Sun salutation

Sun salutation or Surya Namaskar is a series of posture that provides warmth, strength, and aligns the whole body. The best time to practice sun salutation is with the rising sun. Sun salutation is the basic sequence consisting of 12 yoga postures namely

1. Pranamasana
2. Hastauttinasana
3. Pada hastasana
4. Ashwasanchalan
5. Parvatasana
6. Ashtanga namaskar
7. Bhjangasana
8. Parvatasana
9. Ashwa sanchalan
10. Padhastasana
11. Hastauttanasana
12. Ptanamasana

The sequence may be considered as the most classic sequence of the salutation and depicts the balancing of “ida” Nadi ie; the right side of the system. Trying the poses slowly and consciously can make a world of difference as you challenge yourself to keep focused throughout the practice.

• Moon salutation

Moon salutation or Chandra namaskar depicts the feminine energy in the human body. The best time to practice the moon salutation is in the night time when the moon is visible. Chandra namaskar consists of 14 poses namely

1. Pranamasna
2. hastauttanasana
3. Padhastasana
4. Ardhchandrasana
5. Parvatasana
6. Ashtanga namaskar
7. Bhujangasana
8. Parvartasana
9. Balasana
10. Parvartasana
11. Ardhachndrasana
12. Padhastasana
13. hastauttanasana
14. Pranamasan

As the Moon salutations coordinate with the breath it cools and relaxes the body. In Ashtanga yoga tradition the full moon days are considered as the “rest days” for the practitioners. It is believed that the full moon or new moon days are overabundant with the pranic energy and too much life force can cause an imbalance in the body.

Chair pose ( utkatasana )

As a beginner it is always better to do some simple yet effective yoga poses to prepare yourself for those moderate to high-intensity poses which require much more balance and flexibility of the body. Chair pose is one of that simple yet intense yoga pose which tone your muscles and improves the strength of the body.

Benefits of chair pose

• develop equilibrium in the body
• Tone your thigh and knee muscles
• Improves digestion

Garland pose ( malasana )

Garland pose is one of those basic postures for beginners that help them open their inner thigh muscles. As the pose includes squatting, so if you are someone facing a problem with the squat you can sit on the front of the chair and make a right angle to your torso and continue to lean forward such that the torso is between your thighs. You can check out chair yoga postures here

Benefits of garland pose

• Provides a deep stretch in the inner thigh region
• opens up the pelvic region and increase your flexibility in that area
• Tones your hips, things and, calf muscles

Hero pose ( virasana )

This pose works as a relaxing pose in between your yoga sessions and is super easy and effective for every yoga practitioner. This pose is effective for senior citizens as it works as a balm for tired legs.

Benefits of hero pose

• Improves digestion and helps to release gas trapped in the body
• Strengthen the ankles and reduce swelling of legs
• Works as a therapy for high blood pressure patients

How to improve after starting?

• The key to growth in yoga is practicing yoga. Patience, repetition, and commitment are the factors to drive you to success. After you have identified your style in yoga and are become acquainted with yoga, here are some tips to help you in further improvement
• Commitment to the practices– The more you treat your practices with reverence more they will pay you back. It will be a kind of understanding of your system towards the practices.
• Increasing the holding time- regular practice of yoga build strength and stamina in the body. Holding a particular asana for a long time can allow you to explore other dimensions of the body. You can check out the yoga article for the “benefits of yoga”, where I have discussed the top 10 benefits of yoga on the human body.
• Attending yoga workshops– united nations proclaimed 21 June as International yoga day, there are ample of options where free yoga workshops are available. You can attend those workshops to create a deep understanding of yoga and asanas.
• Adopt a yogic lifestyle– Anything you do, it is the way you do it that transforms you. Adopting a yogic lifestyle allows you to do the practices without creating friction in your system.

Beginning with yoga is a great step to boost your physical exercise regime. Or if you are someone who had never been into any form of exercise, it is the finest decision to start with yoga as it is slow, effective and allows you to explore yourself. Yoga works outside and inside of a practitioner’s body. Also, you can read for some yoga pranayama practice to deepen your practices with yoga.