Warrior : 8 Breaths Each Side
How to:
Modification: If you have tight shouldersand raising your arms straight above your head is uncomfortable, bring your hands to your hips, into goal post arms, or to prayer position at your heart.
Variation: For a deeper stretch in the hip, press your front knee forward and pick up your heel of your front foot.
Benefits:
Four Limbed Staff Or Knees
- Plant both hands on the ground by your feet, as you step one foot back at a time into a plank position.
- Squeeze your elbows in tightly towards your body as you bend them and slowly lower yourself to hover above the ground. Hold here for 15 seconds.
- You should be engaging your legs and hovering on the tips of your toes, and engaging your core. Make sure to keep a neutral spine and dont let your butt come up into their air.
If you lack upper body strength, as I did when first starting out, dont torture yourself. Drop your knees to the floor for a half Chaturanga, or opt for Knees-Chest-Chin by dropping the knees, then chest, then chin to the floor using the core . Or, in the video tutorial below, Lizette shows you how to properly use yoga blocks to assist you with your Chaturanga.
It is important to build a strong foundation. That is why I still recommend this pose even in a beginner yoga routine.
I did this when first starting out and it was extremely frustrating to me the amount of upper body strength I lacked, but consistently practicing it lead to me being able to do it a few weeks later, and that boosted my confidence substantially.
Setting goals for your practice and achieving them is the best feeling in the world, and will make you want to keep going and keep improving.
Tip: Feel free to do a modification for this pose such as knees-chest-chin.
Relieves Stress For More Chill Vibes In Your Day
Not only can yoga help you wake up, but may be great for your mindset and physical fitness too. For starters, research shows it can combat stress, so if you wake up wigged out about the day ahead, thats all the more reason to roll out your mat and roll back those shoulders.
A 2017 meta analysis showed that yoga can reduce the physical symptoms associated with anxiety, like increased heart rate, heightened cortisol levels, and elevated blood pressure. BTW: Prolonged stress and anxiety isnt great for health long-term, so it might be worth a try.
Other studies have confirmed that when youre stressed AF, yoga can essentially turn off your fight-or-flight response and tap into the parasympathetic nervous system instead, also known as rest-and-digest response.
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Take it as slow as you want and do what feels right for you and your body. If you are not up to holding them for 15 seconds, that is okay! This is your practice. All that matters is you are moving, growing, and learning!
Some of these poses at first glance may feel too advanced for you. All the poses in this yoga sequence are beginner friendly, meaning you can easily modify them to suit your level. I picked these poses because they are dynamic and are all base poses you will need when building your yoga practice.
For modifications, I do suggest having a pair of yoga blocks and a strap- you can check out our yoga tools page for recommendations.
Build Transitions Into Every Yoga Routine
Now youll step back into plank pose, drop your knees, and bend your elbows to lower your torso halfway to your mat. Point your toes and lift your shoulders, neck, and head off of the mat, hands at chest height, youre in Cobra Pose!
Instead of going directly into Downward Facing Dog, press back up into supported plank pose and send your seat towards your heels, keeping the toes curled under. This will stretch the plantar fascia of your feet.
Spring back into plank pose, and exhale to Downward Facing Dog. Now youll return to Step 1 and begin with the Left foot stepping back, repeating steps two and three before you return to the front of your mat.
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My Lower Body Yoga Routine For Better And Safer Weightlifting
Here are my five favorite lower body yoga poses for improving leg, hip, ankle, and lower back mobility and flexibility.
I do all five of these poses in the following order:
1. Reclined Thunderbolt Pose
I hated this pose at first because I sucked at it.
It was actually embarrassing how little mobility I had in my hips, thighs, and right ankle .
After several months of doing it, however, I saw fantastic increases in range of motion that were particularly helpful in my squatting.
Heres how to do it:
2. One-Leg Reclined Thunderbolt Pose
This pose helped me get to the point where I could perform the Reclined Thunderbolt Pose properly, and I still do both because this allows for a deeper stretch.
Heres how to do it:
Youll Tone Up Your Arms And Back
The plank is basically like holding the top of a push up. It tones all the core muscles of your body. Your back muscles hug your spine while your arms support the bulk of your weight and your abs keep your body straight. If you dont engage your core, your body will give up the fight against gravity and sag so try to keep your body straight like an arrow.
Photo Credit: Average Moms Wear Capes via Compfightcc
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Should You Warm Up Before Yoga
Generally speaking, our muscles always perform better if they have been warmed up before exercise.
As yoga is designed to gradually warm-up and stretch the body there is no need to do a serious warm-up, however, some gentle stretching and mobility exercises are advised before you start, especially if you are feeling a little tight or are new to yoga.
Best Yoga Asanas Fitness Experts Say These 10 Poses Every Day In The Morning Will Give You A Great Start
Are you always feeling lethargic and tired without any underlying medical condition? A daily 10-minute yoga routine can help you feel more energetic, and help you regain body-mind balance.
While many people feel that yoga doesnt match up to cardio exercises or heavy duty High-intensity interval training, research has shown that yoga can help you with everything from weight loss, to lowering period pain, boosting heart health and ensuring smooth digestion. Plus, you dont really require special workout gear or studio space to do yoga poses.
Dr Manoj Kutteri, wellness director, Atmantan suggests 10 beginner-friendly asanas for you and explains their health benefits:
Naukasana
Lie down on your back with your legs together. Keep your hands on the thighs or next to the thighs on the floor. Inhale and raise your head, arms and head in a straight line off the floor at a 30-degree angle. Keep the toes pointing upward. This asana increases the efficiency of abdominal muscles, is good for digestion, and reduces belly fat. It also strengthens organs in the abdomen and leg muscles, says Dr Kutteri.
Paschimottanasana
Ardha matsyendrasan
Dwi Pada Uttanasana
Dandasana
Viparita Karni
Kapalabhati
Bear in mind that this asana should not be done on an empty stomach, if you have had surgery recently, if you have hypertension or migraine, or if you are pregnant or on your menstrual cycle.
Dhanurasana
Bhujangasana
Bitilasana
Follow for more
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Why Stretching Is So Important
Stretching before and after your workout is crucial to your bodys overall development. When you stretch after you exercise, holding a pose that stretches out your muscles and tendons can greatly improve your overall joint movement, range of motion, and mobility. Thats why people often comment that they are sore after a workout.
When your muscles are sore, that means theyve been worked but havent been loosened. Theyve gotten too tight and have been stretched beyond their limits. The good news is, you can push and expand those limits with daily stretching. When you take this proper care of your muscles and joints, you will see your results gaining speedfast.
I Dont Feel Very Well
After you get into the habit of overriding your fitness excuses and working out regularly, the thought of missing a workout starts to drive you insane. When I broke my jaw in two places the doctors told me I couldnt lift heavy weights for three months. What did I do? I lifted light weights instead. Train smart, not hard.
At some point in our lives weve all pretended to be ill so we could skip a day of school. Some of the better actors among us probably blurred the lines in their mind between real symptoms and those imagined. Its easy to exaggerate things when it fits our agenda.
If youre really sick, I dont recommend you train. But feeling a bit tired or achy thats no reason to skip a workout.
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Minute Beginner Yoga Routine For Flexibility
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If you are like me, you were not blessed with a naturally flexible body. This quick 10 minute beginner yoga routine for flexibility will seriously stretch and release all those tight areas and get your body primed for the day.
Starting yoga in the beginning can be rough when you see other people that are easily doing the splits when you can barely get your fingertips to touch the ground. I know, Ive been there!
But realize, they were not there on day 1. What you are seeing is a result of practice and dedication.
So if you really want to build flexibility, realize you are going to have to put the work in. But lucky for you, it really doesnt take that much.
Breathing Practice And Meditation To Feel Calm
End your yoga routine with a few minutes of meditation. Meditation is very beneficial to your health. This is a chance to focus on your breathing, feel the harmony within your body, and connect to a deeper sense of wisdom and stability within you.
Sit comfortably. Whether its cross-legged on the ground, on a pillow, stool or chair, it is your choice. First, you will do alternate side nostril breath, or nadi shodhana, and then watch your regular breath.
For alternate side nostril breath, or nadi shodhana, take the peace fingers of your right hand and fold them in towards your thumb pad. Place your thumb on your right nostril flare, and your ring finger to your left nostril. Close your eyes. Block the right nostril as you breathe in through the left. Then, block both nostrils as you keep your breath inside. Let go of the right side but block the left as you exhale out the right side. Breathe back in through the right, exhale left, and so on. Repeat this at least three times, alternating between sides as you breathe in and out.
Now release your right hand to your thigh or knee, and watch your breathing. Relax. See your breath come in and out of both nostrils. Relax your forehead, your shoulders, and your mind. You can finish with mediation or complete your yoga routine by laying down on your mat in savasana.
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I Have No Motivation To Workout
If you think you need motivation to train youre already half beat.
What you really need is meta motivation: the motivation to train even when youre not motivated. If you rely on your feelings to decide whether to workout or not, you never will. As you know, your feelings are designed to keep you caged up in your comfort pit. Your feelings want you to be safe, not successful.
That said, there is a trick you can use to get yourself motivated to workout, and its backed up with research. Its called the few minutes principle.
The basic idea is that procrastinators often put off doing certain things because the size of the task in front of them seems too overwhelming. By deciding to just go to the gym for a few minutes youll often see the workout through to completion.
Are you motivated enough to train for two minutes? Thats all you need.
The Best 10 Minute Yoga & Mobility Routine For Weight Lifters
Quick, get out a pen and a sheet of paper, it is time for a quick pop quiz.
I want you to make a list of your priorities in the gym and the goals of your workout plan.
Group all of your answers into either high priority or low priority.
Im willing to bet with a fairly high degree of certainty that most of your lists would share several common themes: getting stronger, increasing weight on the big 3 lifts, getting bigger arms, stronger core, lowering body fat, etc.
I am also willing to bet with equally high degree of certainty that there are two notable absences from most of your lists: flexibility & balance.
Flexibility and balance are two of the most important factors to keeping your body healthy and injury free as you pursue your otherwise meat-headish goals.
It doesnt take a Rhodes scholar to understand that by staying injury free you will miss less workouts and be able to go hard and heavy more often, which will inevitably lead to more gains.
But if this is such a crucial component to training, then why do most weightlifters not place a priority on flexibility and balance?
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Is Yoga Actually A Good Workout
If youre like me, the answer to this may actually surprise you.
Certain yoga poses are also great for engaging your core and building muscles.
The style of yoga that you do and the poses that you hold are important for building muscles.
For example, childs pose is a relaxing or recovery position, which can certainly improve flexibility. But poses such as the Warriors or chaturangas are great ways to build muscle.
Now, youre probably thinking
Minute Morning Yoga Routine
A rejuvenating morning yoga routine that takes less than 10 minutes to complete, this sequence of poses will give you a chance to set your intention for the day while stretching and realigning your body.
Ive been into yoga for quite sometime, but I tend to go through phases. I truly love everything about it and always feel good when Im doing it, but I struggle to keep up with my practice when life gets busy. If I only have a limited amount of time to work out in a day Ill usually opt for something that will give me more bang for my buck in terms of intensity and calorie-burn. I know this isnt the best mindset, but its how Ive felt in the past.
However, with the need to adjust my workout routine Ive gravitated toward yoga and its been such a nice change of pace. Ive been going to restorative classes, which are heavily focused on using props and holding the poses much longer than a traditional flow class. Most of these classes start with shavasana and sometimes we literally stay on the mat the entire time without a single standing pose. Its all about slowing down to focus on your breath while aligning your physical and mental being. I know this may sound a little woo-woo, but this type of yoga is seriously amazing. Its not about how far you can take a posture, sweating or burning calories. Its about being mindful, listening to your body and relaxing.
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The 20 Minute Yoga Routine Every Beginner Needs + Free Pdf
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If you are looking to get into yoga but overwhelmed where to start, this beginner yoga routine is the perfect solution.
This 20 minute yoga routine for beginners incorporates some of the most basic yoga poses to stretch, calm, and tone your entire body.
No matter what your purpose for starting yoga is, Im glad you have begun, and am happy to walk along the journey with you into showing you just how amazing yoga can be.
This beginner yoga routine consists of 16 poses. Try to hold each for 15 seconds . Go through the sequence up to step 13 , then repeat the sequence again on the other side before going into the cool down poses. The poses for this 20 minute yoga workout are:
This sequence is perfect for building the foundations, toning, and improving flexibility.
16 poses may seem like a lot to remember at first, which is why we created a free printable for you to download when you sign up for our Free Resource Library below!
