Yoga is a form of art that involves controlling your body, soul, and mind. It blends both mental and physical disciplines to allow you to achieve not only a peaceful mind and body but also achieve a state of equanimity. This practice can help you manage anxiety and stress and keep you relaxed. In addition to mental benefits, yoga also helps you increase muscle strength, flexibility, and body tone. Many studies have shown that yoga enhances respiration, boosts energy, and improves vitality. While it may seem like you are just doing some stretches, practising yoga can help transform your body and mind the way that you may never think possible.
If you are looking to start doing yoga, here are the top 7 best yoga exercises for women you can try today.
- Downward Dog
Ideal for mornings or in the evening after a long day, Downward Dog is one of the most popular yoga exercises for women. As the name suggests, you will have to get into your fours, starting on your knees and hands. Consider getting into this pose from the table position. Once you are on your knees and hands, tuck your toes underneath your feet, then spread your limbs wide, and thrust your hips up, reaching through the tailbone. Allow your head to hang loosely, while your arms are open. Make sure the palms are closer to the ground, your knees bend, and your body loses. The aim of this pose is to draw your face as closer to your knees as possible.
Once you are locked in, release yourself slowly from this pose, rolling up and your head coming up last.
Downward Dog yoga exercise helps strengthen your whole body, calms your mind, and stimulates blood circulation in your body.
- Cobra
Most yoga poses are named after animals. After Downward Dog, we have a Cobra pose, which as you may have guessed, involves you stretching out in a cobra pose. Also known as Bhujangasana, this pose is known for stretching the muscles in the chest, shoulders, and abdominals, enhance flexibility, boost menstrual irregularities, and elevates mood many other benefits.
This pose however is one of the most dangerous if you cannot perform it safely. It can cause back pain if not completed correctly.
To get into this pose, open up your chest while lying flat on your stomach. Stretch your shoulder muscles and using your hands, push off the ground while your feet stay flat on the floor and your eyes set on the horizon. Don’t look up, as this may lead to back pain.
- Cant and Cow
When practising this pose, you will realize that the two are so connected and could seem like one pose. Cat and Cow stretches are completed to help you stretch out your back muscles and bring elasticity to the spine. It also helps open up your chest, enhancing your breath to become deep and slow. The Cat and Cow exercise also stimulates the adrenal glands and kidneys.
- Standing Forward Fold
This pose is also one of the best yoga exercises for women. It helps stretch the hamstrings hips, and calves as well as keeping your spine flexible and strong. It has also been found to relieve stress, depression, anxiety, and fatigue. Sometimes it can also reduce symptoms of menopause for women, headaches, asthma, and insomnia.
It is an easy pose to get into, and all you need is a mat or a flat floor. You should practice Standing Forward Fold two to three times a day in order to reap the rewards and keep blood circulating through your entire body.
- Seated Forward Fold
This exercise is about stretching the back of your body. Seated Forward Fold is also known as seated forward bend and offers a perfect way to stretch and relieve stress at the same time. It is an easy pose to get into, just sit on the ground with your legs stretched outward, and then lean forward and lower your torso forward, extending your arms out and touch your feet and toes. Try to get your chest and stomach to lay flat on your legs. Stay in this position for about three minutes and then break.
To get out of this pose, lift your torso first away from your thighs and straighten your elbows if they are bent. Inhale and lift your torso by pulling your tailbone down and into the pelvis.
- Raised Arms Pose
Also known as Urdhva Hastasana, Raised Arms Pose helps enhance your posture, offer your body a full stretch, and strengthens your legs. It is a very easy stretch to make, in fact, if you have ever taken a log languid stretch in the morning after waking up, that is basically Raised Arms Pose. However, there is too much to it than just raising your arms. You need strict attention to detail in order to do this pose correctly.
- Garland Pose
This yoga exercise is also known as Malasana and is similar to squats. However, Garland Pose stretches open the groins and hips and strengthens the ankles and feet. Garland Pose usually comes naturally for young kids as they tend to use this as a resting position, however, they will lose the knack as they grow.
In Summary
Yoga is important to women as it helps them trigger the energy chakras, providing strength to deal with psychological and physiological changes. It also helps in optimizing the performance of various body organs. Just use one or a combination of the above pose.
For some people getting to the gym or a yoga class can be challenging, especially if you have a job or a young family.
Yoga International offers a wide range of yoga classes online that can be performed from the comfort of your home.
