Warm-up is an extremely important step in Yoga, especially for those who are just starting to practice Yoga. Understanding the warm-up movements will help increase the effectiveness of the entire practice session. In this article, let's learn with Nguyen about warm-up movements in Yoga to start the day with full flexibility and vitality.
How Long Should You Warm Up When Practicing Yoga?
A good rule of thumb is to warm up for about 5 to 15 minutes, until your skin is warm to the touch and you can feel your heart rate begin to increase. The goal of a warm-up is to slowly raise your heart rate – and connect with your body.
7 Warm-up Yoga Poses for Beginners
1. Tilt your head to stretch your neck
The tilted head neck stretch is a simple and effective exercise to warm and relax the neck muscles. This exercise helps reduce stress, pain, and prevent cervical spine problems. This exercise also increases blood circulation and oxygen to the brain, helping to increase concentration and creativity.
Instructions: Sit anywhere, keep your back straight and your right hand touching the ground. Use your left hand to place the right side of your head, gently pull, feel and breathe evenly, deeply, slowly (5 seconds). Do the same with the right side
2. Tilt your neck back to stretch your neck
Instructions: Or put your hands together, put them under your chin and tilt your neck back slowly, breathing evenly (5 seconds).
3. Tilt your neck forward – balance the neck force
Instructions: Place your hands behind your head, keeping your back straight. Use your hands to slightly bend your head forward, push your head back, 2 opposing forces, breathe evenly (5 seconds), you will feel the stretch from the neck area to the back.
To be able to observe and practice more easily. You can refer to the 10-minute Yoga Therapy exercise below. Nguyen hopes that this will be an effective exercise and help you reduce pain and feel more comfortable.
4. Simple Twisted Seated Pose
Implementation Guide:
- Sit on the floor, legs crossed. If you want more comfort, you can sit on a folded blanket to elevate your hips. Lengthen your spine and as you inhale, place your right hand on the floor, directly behind your body, and your left hand on your right knee.
- When exhaling, twist your body to the right, and at the same time look towards your right shoulder. Hold for 5 breaths, then switch to the other side.
5. Cat-Cow Yoga Pose - Cat-Cow Pose
Yoga cat and cow pose not only helps to increase flexibility of the back spine, reduce back pain, but also relaxes, reduces stress and improves blood circulation.
Guide:
- Support on 2 hands and 2 knees.
- Inhale slightly puff your chest and belly down, lift your chin and look slightly towards the bridge of your nose.
- Exhale slowly, curling your back, drawing your chest and abdomen up.
- Repeat this pose 5 times.
6. Child Yoga Pose – Child Pose
Child Pose Yoga – Child Pose
This pose mainly helps to relax the mind and body, reduce stress and tension, besides promoting more blood circulation towards the head, soothing the shoulders and back, helping to relieve back and shoulder pain.
Guide:
- Stand on your hands and knees, gently bring your body back, hips toward your heels, straighten your arms forward. Lie down, breathe deeply and slowly here for 30 seconds.
- In addition, you can also put your hands on your hips, which is also a good choice to relax the body.
7. Butterfly Pose (Baddha Konasana)
The butterfly yoga pose, in addition to opening the hip joints, also helps prevent back pain conditions and reduce stress and anxiety.
Guide:
- Sit up straight.
- Knit 2 soles, knit 2 hands under 2 legs.
- Gently rhythm your knees up and down for 30 seconds.
Nguyen hopes that the above sharing will be effective and useful for your Yoga practice process. Besides, there are also many articles about health and Yoga at Nguyen's blog, especially Youtube channel Nguyen has many other useful exercises and movements, please follow and look forward to Nguyen!
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