Yoga Is For Everybody? Not Quite...

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Yoga Moves for the Mind and the Body

Yoga | Yoga Poses

Yoga is very dependent on asanas or poses that help practitioners reach their peak in both physical and mental health. Just like the many styles and types of yoga, these various poses are geared towards exercising specific areas of the body. There are also numerous meditative poses that help you relax after a particularly hard pose. The more you practice yoga, the more you will be able to realize these areas, so that you can better target your focus to reap the benefits you need most.

Flex, Extend, and Strengthen those Muscles

Some yoga poses are pretty easy while some look like they can only be done by Cirque du Soleil performers. One of the most widely recognized yoga poses is the Adho Mukha Svanasana, which is more commonly known as the Downward Facing Dog Pose. This pose is one of the many forward bends used in yoga. There's also a similar looking pose called the Dolphin Plank Pose or Makara Adho Mukha Svanasana that exercises your core. If you want to have beach-ready abs, core poses will prove to be very useful. Those who want to focus on their back and chest muscles can throw in a few backbends like the Ustrasana or Camel Pose and the more advanced Chakrasana or Wheel Pose. The more advanced practitioners who want to building up their arm strength can do arm balances such as Bakasana or Crane Pose.

Restore Your Mind and Body

Everybody needs to take a break between exercises, and it's no different in yoga. Whether your routine has a lot of physically demanding poses in it or not, it's always a good idea to try and mix in a few restful poses like the Balasana or Child's Pose. It's one of the most relaxing and easiest yoga asanas out there and works as a good counter to poses that require you to bend your spine backwards such as the Wheel Pose. Yoga also a lot of meditative poses that help make you relaxed, calm, and in touch with your inner self. There's also the Savasana or Corpse Pose. It's deceptively easy because you basically just lie on your back, but in order to execute it poreprly you have to completely relax each part of your body in turn. Aside from cutting down the strain on your body, these restorative and meditative poses help make it easier for you to fully reap the many benefits of yoga.

Before attempting any of these yoga moves, you should first ascertain which ones are safe for you to do. You may not be able to do them perfectly at once, but constant practice and the inventive use of yoga accessories such as yoga blocks and mats should help limber your body up and get you used to executing them.

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