Yoga can help you achieve peacefulness and a harmonious balance between your mind and body. It has a lot of health benefits such as improving your posture, relieving stress and stretching your tight muscles. However, if you are only a beginner in this art and science of yoga, you might get that natural feeling of uneasiness when you see the different yoga positions. Add to that the fact that each position has a strange and sometimes intimidating name to it.

These beginner yoga poses will help anyone to get easily acquainted with yoga. This will get them started on the right foot, allowing for the gradual move to more intricate yoga positions. Nevertheless, easy or hard, every yoga pose has a corresponding health benefit to give to you.

1. Balasana

Also known as the Balasana, this yoga position aims to relieve mild back pains. For you to do this you must first drop your body on the mat in a kneeling position. Lunge your upper body forward with your arms stretched out forward with the palms resting on the mat. Then your belly should be relaxing on top of your knees. Hold this position for a minute or two.

2. Mountain Pose

This is known as the Tadasana and it will help improve your posture. You stand straight with your big toes touching each other. If you are uncomfortable with your knees touching each other, you can spread them out a little bit just to ease off the pressure. Move your quadriceps upward, causing your knee caps to rise. Next, tone the belly and draw it in. Your collar bones should be parallel to the pelvis. Keep your neck straight the whole time.

3. Cat Stretch

This yoga position will help improve your abdominal strength while stretching the spine. To achieve this, you must drop on all fours just like a cat, hence the name. Now imagine that there is a line drawn on your back. It should be straight, starting from your head all the way down to your spine. Keep this imaginary line straight. Hold this position for a few seconds or a couple of minutes.

4. Standing Forward Bend

Also known as the Standing Forward Bend yoga pose. It is one of the many beginner positions that will stretch out your hamstrings. Stretching your hamstrings is important because you make it more flexible and therefore less prone to injuries. You do this position by first standing straight. You then bend forward with both arms falling down the sides of your legs. Your palms should then be resting flat on the floor or your mat. Put your weight on the balls of your feet.

5. Raised Hands Pose

It is also called the Raised Hands Pose, it helps straighten your back which improves your posture while at the same time strengthening your thigh muscles. To achieve this pose you must stand straight on the mat. Next, stretch out your arms upward into the air with both palms touching together. Always be mindful to keep your back straight all the time.

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Yoga can help you achieve peacefulness and a harmonious balance between your mind and body. It has a lot of health benefits such as improving your posture, relieving stress and stretching your tight muscles. However, if you are only a beginner in this art and science of yoga, you might get that natural feeling of uneasiness when you see the different yoga positions. Add to that the fact that each position has a strange and sometimes intimidating name to it.

These beginner yoga poses will help anyone to get easily acquainted with yoga. This will get them started on the right foot, allowing for the gradual move to more intricate yoga positions. Nevertheless, easy or hard, every yoga pose has a corresponding health benefit to give to you.

1. Balasana

Also known as the Balasana, this yoga position aims to relieve mild back pains. For you to do this you must first drop your body on the mat in a kneeling position. Lunge your upper body forward with your arms stretched out forward with the palms resting on the mat. Then your belly should be relaxing on top of your knees. Hold this position for a minute or two.

2. Mountain Pose

This is known as the Tadasana and it will help improve your posture. You stand straight with your big toes touching each other. If you are uncomfortable with your knees touching each other, you can spread them out a little bit just to ease off the pressure. Move your quadriceps upward, causing your knee caps to rise. Next, tone the belly and draw it in. Your collar bones should be parallel to the pelvis. Keep your neck straight the whole time.

3. Cat Stretch

This yoga position will help improve your abdominal strength while stretching the spine. To achieve this, you must drop on all fours just like a cat, hence the name. Now imagine that there is a line drawn on your back. It should be straight, starting from your head all the way down to your spine. Keep this imaginary line straight. Hold this position for a few seconds or a couple of minutes.

4. Standing Forward Bend

Also known as the Standing Forward Bend yoga pose. It is one of the many beginner positions that will stretch out your hamstrings. Stretching your hamstrings is important because you make it more flexible and therefore less prone to injuries. You do this position by first standing straight. You then bend forward with both arms falling down the sides of your legs. Your palms should then be resting flat on the floor or your mat. Put your weight on the balls of your feet.

5. Raised Hands Pose

It is also called the Raised Hands Pose, it helps straighten your back which improves your posture while at the same time strengthening your thigh muscles. To achieve this pose you must stand straight on the mat. Next, stretch out your arms upward into the air with both palms touching together. Always be mindful to keep your back straight all the time.

Technorati Tags: Beginner Yoga, Harmonious Balance, Health Benefit, Health Benefits, Posture, Relieving Stress, Science, Tight Muscles, Yoga Pose, Yoga Poses, Yoga Position, Yoga Positions

Pregnant women can definitely benefit from doing yoga. The experience is one in which you can focus on what is happening within your body, relieve the stresses from worry and anxiety as well as keep your body in shape during this time. Pregnancy is a time of great risk though, so any and all exercises performed during this time need to be done with great care. At any time that you feel that you have overdone it, stop and rest. Make sure to ask your doctor if yoga is safe for you during pregnancy especially if you have any complications during it.

Exercises You Can Enjoy And Reap Benefits From

Yoga breathing: Probably the most important aspect to the pregnant women is relaxing and relieving stress. Although it is not an exercise, it is a way of taking control of the body once again to encourage positive-ness and to increase health. The right breathing techniques can provide many benefits. Take the time to practice the most basic of techniques that yoga teaches in breathing.

Standing Yoga poses: In your first trimester, the best exercises to do are the standing yoga poses. These are basic and taught in most yoga sessions. This will help strengthen your legs and muscles and help with circulation while reducing leg cramps too.

Asanas: In the next couple of months, you can do what feels right to you. But, never push too hard. You may want to reduce the time that you spend practicing the Asanas as you do not want to overwork or tire your body.

Moderate twisting: You can do supine poses, backbends as well as some twisting as long as you are comfortable. Just ensure that you are doing these in moderation.

Word Of Caution

It is important to note that many yoga practitioners warn against practicing yoga from the tenth through the fourteenth week of pregnancy since these are crucial times in development. Also, it is important to never overstretch the abdomen during any time of the pregnancy. When twisting, do so with your shoulders and the upper back only. As for inversion poses, only do them through the seventh month is you are completely comfortable doing them. Never push too hard and yoga will be very enjoyable during pregnancy.

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Mike Singh is the publisher of www.yoga-made-ez.com/ On this free online yoga resource, he provides more articles about health benefits of yoga .

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