Due to our sedentary lifestyle, many of us face a lot of health problems. When it’s about being fit and flexible, then we’re far away from being one! Isn’t it?
Flexibility increases by practicing good exercises regularly and believe me, it’s not something that you can’t achieve. If you hate going to the gym or want an easy way to regain flexibility, then this article is for you!
Practicing yoga is a great way to increase your body’s flexibility and maintain a good posture. The best part about yoga is, you can practice at your own comfort and whenever you feel like doing.
This 15-20 minute beginner yoga workout plan is for those who’re looking for increasing their flexibility and want to lose body fat.
20 Minute Beginner Yoga Poses For Flexibility:
1. Gate Pose (Parighasana)
Steps – How to Do it:
1. Firstly, place a blanket beneath your knees. Start by kneeling and keep your buttocks and hips lifted up. Make sure that your thighs are perpendicular to the floor.
2. Now, start extending your right leg out to the side. Your toes should be pointed to the right and your kneecap should face the ceiling. Try to touch your right foot’s bottom and make sure that your leg is straight while doing this. If your pelvis turns to the right side, it’s fine! But your upper body should face forward.
3. Stretch out your arms and try extending them to their respective sides till you reach the shoulder height. Keep inhaling as you extend, keeping your palms facing downward.
4. Next, try to keep your right hand on your right thigh, ankle or shin, and lift your left hand up and extend your left palm towards the ceiling.
5. Stretch your left arm towards the ride side and look at the ceiling by turning your head. Make your left hip move slightly forward.
5. Be in this position for one minute and as you inhale, bring your body upright and come back to the original position as before by lowering your arms and moving your right knee to the left side. Repeat the same steps on the other side.
Benefits:
Gate pose is an excellent yoga asana for increasing and maintaining the body flexibility. It stretches your adductor muscles, intercostals muscles and pelvic region.
Gate pose can be very beneficial for the respiratory system, as it improves the breathing mechanism. This pose lets more oxygen into your body and also improves your digestion.
2. Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Steps – How to Do it:
1. Start by coming onto the floor on your knees and hands. Position your knees below the hips and hands a bit forward of your shoulders. Remember to spread your palms and index fingers while turning your toes under.
2. Now, come into an inverted V shape by pushing the hips away in the air and straightening your legs and arms.
3. Bring your head between your straightened arms and make sure, your back is flat and your weight is distributed evenly in all your fingers in order to support your arms. Your shoulder blades must be opened wide and relaxed down your back. You can hold this pose for 30 seconds.
Benefits:
Downward Facing Dog is a great pose for the beginners and increases the blood flow to your brain. It works on almost all the muscles of your body by strengthening and energizing them.
This pose also tones up your abdominals and stretches the spine. If you frequently suffer from back pain, you will definitely feel much better by practicing this yoga pose.
Your backbone will become stronger and more flexible as you keep on doing it regularly. Downward Facing Dog is very beneficial to people who have shoulder or neck injuries, since you do not have to go completely upside-down.
3. Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)
Steps – How to Do it:
1. Start by lying on your stomach and extending the legs back with your hip distance apart. Let your feet relax on the blanket.
2. Put your palms next to your ribs to make sure that your elbows lie at 90 degrees and the forearms, perpendicular to the ground.
3. Now, inhale and straighten up your arms by pressing into your palms. Slowly, lift up your torso, hips and thighs away from the floor. Do make sure that the creases of your elbows face forward as you perform this step.
4. Your shoulders should be relaxed off your ears and gradually, rolled back. Push the chest forward using your upper arms and keep your chin parallel to the ground. Keep your neck safe from unwanted stiffness by avoiding overstretching. You can make this pose perfect by ensuring your thighs are firm. Remain in this position for at least 30 seconds before you exhale and head on to the next pose.
Benefits:
Upward Facing Dog is very beneficial for improving the body posture. This yoga pose helps in stimulating the abdominal muscles and relieving fatigue and mild depression.
Upward Facing Dog improves your blood circulation, tones the lower body part and activates all the glands. It also improves the health of your lungs as your chest muscles experience a great stretch. This pose is great for people who’re suffering with asthma and back pain.
4. Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)
Steps – How to Do it:
1. Firstly, get into a box position by sitting on your knees and bending forward with your palms touching the floor. Your wrist, elbows and armpit should be in a straight line. Even your hip and knee should be straight.
2. Take your right knee in between your hands and stretch the left leg out. To push your left leg out, you need to tuck your toes and pull your leg out, stretching the ankle.
3. Press your palm on the back and push your thigh muscles down towards the floor.
4. Put your palms in between your legs and then, push your palms bending backwards making an arch. Drop your neck down and stay in that position for 2-3 minutes.
5. Now, gently tuck your toes and then, point your toes and come up. If possible, hold the hands on your ankle by pushing your hands back.
6. Release your hands and knee gently and exhale. Bend your body forward and rest on the palms while placing your right knee in the same position. Practice this pose on both the sides of your body.
Benefits:
Pigeon Pose helps in improving hip flexibility, alignment and posture. This hip opener pose stretches your thighs, abdomen, shoulders, neck and groins.
It helps in decreasing stiffness and lower back pain. Pigeon pose helps in treating urinary disorder and stimulating all the internal organs. This pose is great for the stress you develop in your hips.
5. Camel Pose (Ustrasana)
Steps – How to Do it:
1. Start by standing onto your knees, widen your legs properly and before going into the actual posture, warm up your back. Bring your palms onto the back of your hips with your fingers facing down. First inhale slowly and exhale while pushing your hips forward, bend backwards and look up slowly. Come back to the center and continue doing the same steps a few times.
2. Now, inhale and exhale while pushing your hips forward and slowly bend back. Bring your arms to your ankle and arch back.
3. To release the posture, inhale and relax by bringing your hands onto your hips and come back to standing position. You can also relax in child’s pose. Remember not to tense your neck and crunch the back. You can hold this pose for 30 seconds.
Benefits:
Camel pose helps in increasing the spine flexibility and improves blood circulation. It also strengthens your back muscles and improves your posture.
If you practice this pose regularly, your breathing capacity will increase and you will have a stronger digestive system. This heart opening yoga asana helps in stimulating the thyroid glands and improves its function.
Camel pose is also beneficial for shaping up your body perfectly as it helps in reducing fat from the thighs, stomach, hips and arms. It helps in relieving your stress and improves your mental health.
6. Cat/Cow Pose (Marjaryasana/Bitilasana)
Steps – How to Do it:
1. Begin by getting down onto your knees and hands. Now Place your hands and knees directly under their respective shoulders and hips. Make sure your fingers are pointed up to the top of the yoga mat.
2. Bring your head and neck into a neutral position by relaxing them slowly and looking down.
3. Firstly, get into the Cow pose by inhaling and pushing your belly down, towards the floor.
4. You need to start visualizing your breath as it moves into your lungs and back while you’re lifting your chest and chin, looking up. Hold this position for 30 seconds.
5. Now, move into the Cat pose slowly by pulling your belly in and making a round back. Your neck and head have to be relaxing facing downward to the floor.
6. Start visualizing your breath as you did before during the Cow pose, as it moves out of the nose and mouth through your body.
7. Transition into the Cow pose again by inhaling and continue the steps to switch to the other pose.
Benefits:
Cat/Cow pose helps in stretching your lower spine, back, hips and core muscles. This pose opens up your lungs and makes breathing easy.
It also helps in stimulating the organs in your belly that include the adrenal glands and kidneys. Cat/Cow pose is great for relieving stress and improving body posture and balance.
This pose is helpful in coordinating your physical movement and is also, a perfect warm-up for your body. It is known to play an important role in toning the reproductive organs in women and for relieving menstrual cramps.
7. Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I)
Steps – How to Do it:
1. Start by standing in a mountain pose. Step your feet up to 4 feet away while exhaling. Now, bring the arms perpendicular to the ground while keeping them parallel. Reach toward the ceiling through the sides of your last fingers. Ensure that your scapulas are firm against the back. Bring the scapulas down toward the coccyx.
2. Your left foot should be turned in 45-60 degrees angle toward the right side. The right heel should be aligned with the left heel. Bring the front part of your pelvis in a square position as much as you can by exhaling and rotating the torso to the right side. Stretch your coccyx and come into an arch position by pulling back your upper torso.
3. Fix your left heel to the floor and start bending the right knee over your right ankle while exhaling. This way your shin will stay perpendicular to the ground.
4. Lift your rib cage away while reaching in a strong way using the arms. Come down through your back foot and while doing this, feel the lift along your chest and belly. Try to bring the palms together and spread them. Your head should be in a neutral position. Stay in this position for 30 seconds.
5. Come up by inhaling and pressing your back heel into the floor. Straighten your right knee while you try to reach up using your arms. After taking a few breaths, turn your feet to the left side and continue the steps for the same length. Come back to your original posture after you’re done.
Benefits:
Warrior I pose helps in strengthening the arms, shoulders, back, ankles and legs. It improves your blood circulation, respiration, stability, balance and focus.
This pose increases flexibility in all the parts of your body and helps in stretching out your legs, groins, neck, belly and arms. Warrior I pose works great for opening your lungs, chest and hips.
Keep This in Mind:
You need to practice each pose for at least 30 seconds. Remember that few poses have to be performed on both the sides of your body.
Practice each pose 4 to 5 times depending on your comfort to complete your workout successfully! After you’re done with all the 7 yoga poses once, rest for a minute and then, continue doing the next round.
You may not be able to do them perfectly in the very beginning but with practice, you will learn all the poses and become flexible.