Yoga for beginners

Practising yoga can provide both physical and mental wellbeing benefits. Yoga can build strength, awareness and harmony in both your body and mind. It’s also great for your flexibility and a good way to build physical activity into your daily routine. Because there are so many different kinds of yoga it is possible for anyone to get started and experience the benefits the practice has to offer. So, if you’re new to yoga, give this beginners yoga sequence a go!

Disclaimer
Don’t forget: when you’re getting active and trying something new, it might be a good idea to talk to your health professional to ensure what you’re doing is right for you, especially if you’re pregnant, or if you have existing injury or health concern.

Experience Level

• Beginner.

Equipment

• A quiet spot at home, or outside in the shade.
• Something to add a little extra cushioning between you and the ground like a yoga mat or a blanket.

Length

• The sequence will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete depending on how long you hold each pose for and how long you decide to stay in savasna for. You can choose to repeat the sequence for a longer flow.

Using breath (inhale and exhale) is one of the key things that differentiates a yoga pose from simply stretching. While completing the below sequence try using, Ujjayi breath, commonly translated as ‘victorious breath’. Ujjayi breath has many benefits including increasing the amount of oxygen in your blood, reducing tension and helping you find a rhythm while you practise.

How to do Ujjayi breath

• With your mouth open exhale and make a ‘haaah’ sound, as if you are trying to fog up a mirror.
• Once you’ve done that a couple of times, try keeping the same gentle constriction in your throat you used on your exhale, for your inhale.
• Close your mouth and attempt to make a similar sound but with air going through your nasal passage.
• Inhale through your nose, slightly deeper than normal. Exhale slowly through your nose. Imagine you are still trying to fog up the mirror but with your mouth closed.

It’s okay if you forget to do Ujjayi breath from time to time as you move your body into each pose, but when you remember try to bring your attention back to your breath.

Four-point kneeling position

• Come to a four-point kneeling position, wrists under your shoulders and knees under your hips. If you have sensitive knees you may like to pad your knees by placing a blanket underneath them.
• Keep your toes tucked, for a little extra stability.
• Make sure you have length in your back.
• Engage your core. Imagine there is an ice cube under your belly button and you need to lift it a couple of millimeters to keep your belly button away from the cold.

Cow

• On your inhale curl your spine downward and look forwards.

Cat

• On your exhale round your spine (arced like a cat) and look towards your thighs.
• Repeat the Cat/Cow movement for 5 rounds of breath before coming back to your four-point kneeling position.

• Engage your core. Step your knees back a couple of centimetres and push back into your Downward facing dog.
• Make sure your hands are shoulder width distance apart, with your palms wide and index fingers parallel. Push your weight into your finger pads (where your palm meets your fingers) rather than the heel of your palm, to help reduce pressure in your wrists.
• Keep your head straight, don’t look toward your belly button. Your ears should be between your biceps.
• Position your feet inner hip width distance apart.
• First downward dog of the sequence, it may feel nice to peddle your feet up and down. Push on the tippy toes of your right foot and flatten your left foot to the ground, then swap sides for a couple of cycles of breath.
• Eventually come to a place of stillness.
• Bend your knees deeply, point your sit bones (your bottom) toward where the ceiling and wall behind you meet then slowly start to straighten your legs and lower your heels towards the floor. It is okay if your heels can’t reach the floor and your knees can’t straighten. It is more important to have length in your spine than straight legs.
• Your whole body should be active in Downward facing dog.

Modifications for Downward facing dog

• Keep your legs bent. It is more important to have length in your back than straight legs.
• Keep your heels off the ground, it takes a lot of flexibility (and lots of practise) to be able to get your heels to the ground.

• From your Downward facing dog step your right foot forward between your hands. Place your left knee on the ground. Keep your toes tucked for a little extra stability. If you have sensitive knees you may like to pad your back knee by placing a blanket underneath it.
• Come onto the fingertips of your left hand. To make this a little easier, you can place your hand on a yoga block or a hard cover book to bring the floor closer to you.
• Inhale and place your right hand on your right hip.
• Exhale and twist your torso so it’s facing towards your right thigh, keeping your hips square.
• Inhale and extend your right arm up. Keep your shoulder back. If that’s too much, you can keep your hand on your hip.
• Exhale and twist further open.
• On your inhale stay still, draw everything to the midline then exhale twist.
• Continue for 3 to 5 rounds of breath.
• On your exhale untwist and place your left hand back on the ground.
• Step your right foot back to downward facing dog.
• From your Downward facing dog, step your left foot forward between your hands and repeat Open twist on the other side.

• Engage your core muscles.
• Make sure your hands are shoulder width distance apart, with your palms wide, index fingers parallel. Push your weight into your finger pads (where your palm meets your fingers) rather than the heel of your palm, to help reduce pressure in your wrists.
• Keep your head straight, don’t look toward your belly button, your ears should be between your biceps.
• Position your feet inner hip width distance apart.
• Bend your knees deeply, point your sit bones (your bottom) toward where the ceiling and wall behind you meet then slowly start to straighten your legs and lower your heels towards the floor. It is okay if your heels can’t reach the floor and your knees can’t straighten. It is more important to have length in your spine than straight legs.

• From Downward facing dog on your inhale step your right foot between your hands, with your toes facing forward.
• Spin your back foot so it is parallel with the short side of your mat.
• Rise to stand.
• Make sure your front knee is right over your ankle. Your front leg should be at a 90-degree angle, think of your thigh being parallel to the ground.
• Straighten your back leg.
• Square your hips to the long side of your mat.
• Raise your arms to shoulder height, with your palms facing down.
• Look out over the fingers of your front hand.
• Hold for 3 to 5 breaths.

Modifications for Warrior 2

• For more stability, do this pose with the outer edge of your back foot pressing into a wall.
• If you are working on your flexibility, shorten your stance and straighten your front leg slightly.

• From your Warrior 2, on your exhale turn your front hand up so it’s facing palm to the sky.
• On your inhale start to reach your right arm towards the ceiling and at the same time lower your left arm so your hand glides down your back leg.
• Lift your chest and come into a gentle backbend.
• Gaze towards your raised hand, if it’s comfortable to do so.
• Keep your shoulders relaxed, chest lifted and the sides of your waist long.
• Hold for 3 to 5 breaths.

Modifications for Reverse warrior

• For more stability, do this pose with the outer edge of your back foot pressing into a wall.
• If you are working on your flexibility, shorten your stance and straighten your front leg slightly.

• From your Reverse warrior on your exhale place your left hand on your left hip.
• Keeping your body facing towards the long side of your mat, on your inhale lean your torso forward.
• Place your right forearm on your right thigh front with your hand palm up so it’s facing towards the sky.
• On your exhale lift your left arm up so your bicep is next to your ear, with your palm facing towards the ground.
• Gaze either straight ahead or up towards the sky, whichever is more comfortable.
• Keep your shoulders away from your ears. Keep your core engaged. Think about creating length in the side of your body.
• Hold for 3 to 5 breaths.

Modifications for Side angle prep

• For more stability, do this pose with the outer edge of your back foot pressing into a wall.
• If you are working on your flexibility, shorten your stance and straighten your front leg slightly.

• From your Extended side angle prep circle your hands down to touch the ground either side of your front foot.
• Spin your left foot to face the front of the mat.
• Step your right foot back shoulder distance apart from your left foot and push back into your Downward facing dog.
• From your Downward facing dog, step your left foot forward between your hands and complete your Warrior 2, Reverse warrior and Extended side angle poses with your left foot forward.

• As gracefully as you can, move from your Downward facing dog to come to lie on your back.
• Lying on your back place your feet flat on the ground so your knees point towards the ceiling.
• Place your arms straight out along the ground to form a T shape.
• Keep your knees bent and together and drop your legs to the right-hand side.
• Keep your upper body flat on the mat.
• Hold for 3 to 5 breaths.
• Slowly move your legs to come to rest on your left-hand side.
• Hold for 3 to 5 breaths.

• Still lying on your back bring your knees into your chest.
  Place your arms between your knees and grab the pinky side of your feet with your hands.
• Keeping hold of your feet move your feet so that the soles of your feet are pointing towards the ceiling. Your feet should be flexed.
• On your inhale imagine pushing your hands into your feet and on your exhale push your feet into your hands, without actually moving.
• It may feel nice to rock slightly from side to side, or you might prefer to stay still.
• Hold for 3 to 5 breaths.

• From Happy baby, release your feet and extend your legs straight out across your mat.
• Place your arms down by your side, but ensure they aren’t touching your body.
• Relax, feel the effects of your practice wash over you.
• Stay lying like this for 5 minutes or longer.