![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
muck_a_luckA friend of mine was asking her friends page for ideas for getting back into shape after 20 years or so of not worrying too much about fitness.
She is interested in increasing stamina, flexibility and knee strength. All of these, of course, are prime areas to be improved by practice of yoga.
In addition, she has very limited funds at the moment and wasn't ready to invest in DVDs or other exercise stuff.
I suggested she take a look at Sun Salutations as a way of getting started, adding variations to Surya Namaskar B when she was ready for variety.
This made me think about what I would want to do to help someone just beginning yoga. I am not a yoga instructor. I don't know anything about exercise safety or fitness instruction. I'm not even an advanced practitioner of yoga.
But I have come to love yoga and am completely self-taught. Well, DVD taught.
With those disclaimers, I thought I might do a series of posts for the very beginner, that might be helpful.
You know your own body best, so please respect your known health conditions and use the variations offered by instructors that are best for you. I am going to include links to Yoga Journal's site in my discussion below. Follow the links for pictures and descriptions of the poses, as well as video for some of them. (Scroll down toward the bottom of the linked Yoga Journal pages.)
So. I think the best place to start is Sun Salutation A, also called Surya Namaskar A. I'll try to include both the English names for things and the Sanskrit names. The Sun Salutations are like yoga warm-ups. A lot of practices start with sun salutations and then build up from there. Practiced on their own, however, you still get a lot of benefit. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) helps to open your hamstrings. You will find that a lot of yoga is directed at bringing flexibility into this tendon. Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) is good for opening the shoulders and also targets the hamstrings. It also helps to release the lower back. Depending on the variation you follow, Four-Limbed Staff Pose/Push-up Position (Chaturanga Dandasana) builds arm and core strength. Cobra (Bhujangasana) or Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) are backbends, freeing for the lower back and the shoulders, strengthening for the thighs.
That sounds like a lot, but it all goes together into an amazing flow called a vinyasa. In vinyasa movement, you place your breath with the movement. So on one movement, the breath flows in, on the next movement, the breath flows out. The whole thing is linked together with a physical logic, and to me it feels like a dance.
( The Ocean Sound )
( Surya Namaskar A )
A few practical comments for beginners.
( Do you need a mat? )
( Practice on an empty stomach )
( Consider a morning practice )
( Exercise to exercise? )
Learning balance
As a final thought for this post, remember that yoga is about balance. Balance between building strength and relaxing. Learning to remain calm while in a physically challenging or uncomfortable position.
And balance between understanding where you are now and where you can develop to in the future.
Don't let yourself be discouraged by new vocabulary or things that look complicated. Jump in. Try it out. Enjoy it now. Use beginner modifications, shifting into the more difficult variations when you are ready. Don't compare yourself to others. This is not a competition and there is no such thing as a "perfect" pose. But also don't go too easy on yourself. You want to challenge yourself to grow into postures, to get more from them over time. You will be amazed at how much you can learn about a simple, basic pose like Down Dog or Standing Forward Bend as you work on it for weeks and months.
So! I hope you found this helpful! Over the next few days, I'll try to track down links to the various component postures of Surya Namaskar A, and next week, I'll get something up about Surya Namaskar B!
Namaste.
She is interested in increasing stamina, flexibility and knee strength. All of these, of course, are prime areas to be improved by practice of yoga.
In addition, she has very limited funds at the moment and wasn't ready to invest in DVDs or other exercise stuff.
I suggested she take a look at Sun Salutations as a way of getting started, adding variations to Surya Namaskar B when she was ready for variety.
This made me think about what I would want to do to help someone just beginning yoga. I am not a yoga instructor. I don't know anything about exercise safety or fitness instruction. I'm not even an advanced practitioner of yoga.
But I have come to love yoga and am completely self-taught. Well, DVD taught.
With those disclaimers, I thought I might do a series of posts for the very beginner, that might be helpful.
You know your own body best, so please respect your known health conditions and use the variations offered by instructors that are best for you. I am going to include links to Yoga Journal's site in my discussion below. Follow the links for pictures and descriptions of the poses, as well as video for some of them. (Scroll down toward the bottom of the linked Yoga Journal pages.)
So. I think the best place to start is Sun Salutation A, also called Surya Namaskar A. I'll try to include both the English names for things and the Sanskrit names. The Sun Salutations are like yoga warm-ups. A lot of practices start with sun salutations and then build up from there. Practiced on their own, however, you still get a lot of benefit. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) helps to open your hamstrings. You will find that a lot of yoga is directed at bringing flexibility into this tendon. Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) is good for opening the shoulders and also targets the hamstrings. It also helps to release the lower back. Depending on the variation you follow, Four-Limbed Staff Pose/Push-up Position (Chaturanga Dandasana) builds arm and core strength. Cobra (Bhujangasana) or Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) are backbends, freeing for the lower back and the shoulders, strengthening for the thighs.
That sounds like a lot, but it all goes together into an amazing flow called a vinyasa. In vinyasa movement, you place your breath with the movement. So on one movement, the breath flows in, on the next movement, the breath flows out. The whole thing is linked together with a physical logic, and to me it feels like a dance.
( The Ocean Sound )
( Surya Namaskar A )
A few practical comments for beginners.
( Do you need a mat? )
( Practice on an empty stomach )
( Consider a morning practice )
( Exercise to exercise? )
Learning balance
As a final thought for this post, remember that yoga is about balance. Balance between building strength and relaxing. Learning to remain calm while in a physically challenging or uncomfortable position.
And balance between understanding where you are now and where you can develop to in the future.
Don't let yourself be discouraged by new vocabulary or things that look complicated. Jump in. Try it out. Enjoy it now. Use beginner modifications, shifting into the more difficult variations when you are ready. Don't compare yourself to others. This is not a competition and there is no such thing as a "perfect" pose. But also don't go too easy on yourself. You want to challenge yourself to grow into postures, to get more from them over time. You will be amazed at how much you can learn about a simple, basic pose like Down Dog or Standing Forward Bend as you work on it for weeks and months.
So! I hope you found this helpful! Over the next few days, I'll try to track down links to the various component postures of Surya Namaskar A, and next week, I'll get something up about Surya Namaskar B!
Namaste.