Regardless of your personal reasons for stepping onto the mat, there are thousands of unexpected and unforeseen benefits of your everyday yoga practice.
We have compiled a comprehensive list of super-effective yo poses that will help keep you healthy and fit.
1. Forward Fold Pose
You probably already feel the stretch in the hamstrings and spine when you practice Forward Folds, but what you don’t feel happening is the flushing of the liver, spleen and kidneys. This is further proof that you don’t have to pretzel your way into the perfect twist to get some detoxifying benefits.
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2. Squat Pose (Malasana)
If you’ve ever been to East Asia, you may recognize what’s known as the “Asian squat”. Yoga also incorporates this pose which has loads of health benefits. You can enter malasana by standing with feet parallel, slightly wider than the hips. Then bend knees and slowly lower down the pelvis until the hips go lower than the knees. Keep the back straight and take arms in front in a prayer position. The malasana pose helps stretch the groin and lower back, tones the belly, and also releases tension in the hips and knees.
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3. The Bridge Pose
The Bridge yoga pose is a great front hip joints opener, it also strengthens your spine, opens the chest, and improves your spinal flexibility in addition to stimulating your thyroid. This pose brings many benefits to your body, such as the relief from stress, anxiety, insomnia and it can help with depression.
4. Cat Cow Pose
Start by positioning the body on all fours on the mat with knees aligned underneath the hips and hands below the shoulders. Next, arch the back with the head and tailbone lifted upwards and chest open. On the next breath, flow into the cow pose by arching the back upwards and lowering the head. This pose will not only improve posture and balance, but also strengthen and stretch the neck, arms, abdomen, and back.
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5. Child’s Pose
This restorative yoga pose relieves tension in the neck, back and hips. It also helps calm the mind and relieve stress. Child’s Pose is symbolic of surrender in the ancient yogic tradition, so this is a great place to come and surrender to the present moment and all things in life we can’t control.
6. Pyramid Pose
Standing asanas aim for strengthening arms, legs, feet and joints. Every asana, whether it is beginner, intermediate or advanced level, requires continuous practice. Parsvottanasana focuses on both, upper as well as lower parts of the body and makes it flexible and agile. It is an intense side stretch pose where legs are stretched 45 degrees apart and torso is made to rest on thighs while bending sidewards. This standing asana is a great workout for hamstring muscles.
7. Happy Baby Pose
This is one of the last poses you do in your practice, because it is a great stretch for the hips. There are pressure points just above your tailbone, so when you rock side to side, you are massaging this area which helps release the low back. Also, it’s called “happy baby” and not “sad baby,” so remember to smile while you practice. It can change your entire day!
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