simple yoga steps

Yoga doesn’t have to be hard. If you got out of bed this morning and stretched your arms up over your head, you already did a yoga pose. Yoga introduces a mindfulness to stretching so that you pay attention to your alignment and how the positions really feel in your body. Many basic yoga postures feel very familiar, even if it’s been a few years since your last gym class. This sequence of 10 poses look simple but will stretch and strengthen your major muscle groups.1

Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

Just because these poses are simple doesn’t mean that they are going to be easy. Bringing new awareness to a position you think you know can actually be very challenging. Take mountain pose, which may look like just standing around.

In a yoga context, however, there is a lot going on in this position. The heels root down, the muscles of the legs are engaged, the bones are stacked with the shoulders directly over the hips, the shoulder blades slide down the back, and the crown of the head rises. Don’t forget to breathe.2

Raised Arms Pose (Urdhva Hastansana)

Inhale and bring your arms up and over your head. Raised arms pose is your basic morning stretch, but you are focusing on keeping the good alignment you established in mountain pose.

Stay grounded in the heels and keep your shoulders moving away from your ears at the same time that you reach up through your fingertips. Your gaze can come up to the hands, which can be shoulder’s width apart or palms touching.3

Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)

Exhale and fold over your legs into a forward bend. If the hamstrings feel a little tight at first, bend the knees so that you can release your spine. Let the head hang heavy. Slowly straighten the legs if you like, but keep the head hanging. The feet can be touching or hip’s distance apart, whichever feels better.4

Garland Pose (Malasana)

Move your feet out to the edges of your mat and bend your knees, coming into a squat. The toes may turn out if necessary. If your heels do not reach the floor, take a rolled up blanket under them.

This is a position that is quite natural for children but we lose the knack for it as adults. It’s great for the hips and to counteract the effects of too much sitting in chairs and riding in cars. It’s also a very useful pose if you like to garden.