Yoga Positions for Beginners

Yoga Positions for Beginners

Meditation, Exercise, Stress Reducer-learning how to yoga can offer you all of these things.

Yoga has been in use for centuries but has not really gotten hot until the last decade. The western world has taken this up mostly as a stress reducer. Now that everyone has heard of Yoga, many people want to know Yoga Positions for Beginners but it isn't that easy.

When you check into yoga it's really easy to get confused! And what does it have to do with us?!!
-People sitting around cross-legged chanting "Om" to strange Indian music?
-Is it a religion?
-A set of weird looking positions you put your body into? You read everywhere that it's good for you and helps the soul! It's actually all of those things and more! And the great thing is that you can do whatever bit of it appeals to you.
There are no rules and regulations about Yoga Positions for Beginners (unless you're a practicing Hindu - but even then - there's many paths to the same goal and many styles of Yoga!)

There are two different types of Yoga: The Asana or Postures (that's the exercise part of it) and The Meditation. The Asana are different positions, many of which can be easily learned, which stimulate different systems in the body as well as tone the body. For instance there's certain positions my teacher tells us to practice during winter to build up our immunity system to protect us against colds and 'flu! And you know, while everyone around me (especially my husband!) has had the flu this winter (I'm in Down-Under Land), I have stayed remarkably healthy and well!

Yoga and Meditation continued; Yoga Positions for Beginners;

The second and very healthy part of yoga is The Meditation. This can really help those who have a lot of stress. My favorite practice in Yoga is a meditation called Yoga Nidra.

Meditation may seem different but it is nothing to be afraid of. It is basically a way of getting relaxed and communing with you. We lead such madly busy lives these days that we don't give ourselves enough time alone. Meditation is something you can regularly schedule into your life. Just ten minutes a day will have a huge benefit on your mental and physical well-being.

The position for most meditation is simply lying down in the corpse position. Guess what that position looks like? Yes, you're lying on your back, eyes closed, hands resting at your side with the palms facing upwards and your fingers relaxed.
Your legs are stretched out in a relaxed fashion with your feet falling outwards. And you go inwards mentally. Yes - this is your chance to focus totally on yourself! Mentally go through your body checking which parts are tight or tense and consciously relax them. You can even just deliberately breathe in and tense those parts and then relax them as you do a releasing breathe out. It really feels good once you get used to it.

Begin to slow down your breathing as this is a major factor in relaxing. Then focus just on your breathing and slow it right down. You breathe in from your belly first letting it rise as it fills with air and then expanding your lower ribs and then let your ribs and belly relax as you breathe out. Just watch your breathing for a while. It's so stress reducing.

When you finish you will feel like you have more energy. If thoughts come into your head just watch them and then let them go! You can also pretend you're in a favorite place, somewhere that makes you feel relaxed, happy and peaceful! Then after say about 10-15 minutes (but after all who's counting!) or when you're ready, check back through your body again, wriggle your toes and hands. Open your eyes and have a big stretch! And then allow yourself time to come back to the world before you sit up and get on with your day.

Enjoy and try to do yoga everyday;