Yoga. The practice of breathing, exercising, philosophy and more, through which one strengthens one’s mind, body and spirit. It is an ancient discipline that originates from India and has been practiced by many for thousands of years; and it still goes strong to this day, not just in India but all over the world.
Yoga has been and is practiced by many from all walks of life, be they monks, intellectuals, warriors or anything else you can think of, yoga holds no discrimination, it simply a means of guidance for those who practice it.
Yoga and meditation have been known to help people deal with stress, anxiety and otherwise unpleasant circumstances. Now, seeing as most of us are stuck inside with nothing but our festering thoughts, I’d say we’re in an extremely unpleasant situation. So, now seems like as good a time as any to practice some yoga and de-stress ourselves, even if it’s just a little bit.
Here, I’ll be discussing some easy yoga exercises that anyone can do.
Small warning, just like any exercise, you should avoid performing certain yoga poses if you are injured, ill or suffer from a physical ailment that could be aggravated by doing these yoga poses. Also, be sure to practice moderation, too much of anything is harmful for you.
With that said, let’s get started.
Sets of poses
Surya Namaskar
This yoga exercise consists of 12 simple poses:
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Pranamasana: Stand up straight and place your hands close to your chest with your palms touching in Namaste.
Hastauttanasana: Keep your hands joined, stretch your arms above your head and arch backwards.
Hasta Padasana: Bring your hands down, keeping your spine straight, bend down and try to touch your toes, avoid bending your knees in this pose. If you can, try to place your hands palms down on the floor. Don’t strain yourself though, if you feel pain, go back to just touching your toes.
Ashwa Sanchalanasana: Keep your left foot fixed in position and push your right leg back as far as you can. Place your palms on the floor, using them to support your weight and look up. Keep your left foot in the middle of your two arms.
Dandasana: Now take your left leg back to your right and hold yourself up in a straight line or a plank pose as it is known in western culture.
Ashtanga Namaskara: Gently lower yourself down to the ground and rest your chest and chin on the floor. Raise your posterior up a little and hold.
Bhujangasana: Slide forward; keeping your lower body down, raise your chest up and look up. This pose is also called the cobra pose, as you are supposed to be mimicking a cobra.
Parvatasana: Lift your hips up and bring your chest and head down until you form an upside-down V. This pose is also called the mountain pose, as you are supposed to look like a mountain. Many in western culture also know it as the downward dog pose.
Ashwa Sanchalanasana: Bring your right foot between your two hands and keep your calf perpendicular to the ground. Keep your left foot and knee on the ground. This is exactly like the pose you made in step 4, but with the legs switched.
Hasta Padasana: Bring your left foot forward and bring yourself back to the pose you made in step 3 where you are either touching your toes or have your palms flat on the ground. Remember don’t strain yourself.
Hastauttanasana: Roll your spine up and stretch your hands above your head, palms touching, while arching yourself backwards as you did in step 2.
Pranamasana: Keeping your palms joined, straighten your back and bring your palms down to your chest in Namaste like in step 1.
This surya namaskar mantra brings you closer to enlightenment by developing a harmonious connection. Due to this, Surya namaskar is considered as a complete spiritual practice, i.e. Sadhana.
ISSUE
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