Now, let’s talk about different kinds of fat burning yoga workouts. The great thing about these workouts is they are more fun than work. If ever “fun-out” gets to be accepted as a word that’s descriptive of truly engaging physical activities done in pursuit of fitness, yoga is going to be its synonym!
Aside from the four basic yoga poses mentioned earlier, here are some other beginner’s poses that you can study and perform. Again, remember that these poses can be found in the sample yoga workouts that are found in the more than 70 videos which serve as complementary audiovisual tools to this yoga guide.
When Yoga Workouts Equal Fun
Urdhva Hastansana or the “Raised Arms Pose”
This is your basic morning stretch! Focus on good alignment. Inhale, and bring your arms up and right over your head. You can look directly at your hands, a shoulders’ width apart, or with palms touching. Great for getting you in the proper frame of mind!
Uttanasana or the “Standing Forward Bend”
Fold over your legs into a forward bend, and don’t forget to exhale. Your hamstrings will feel a little tightness at first, but you can bend your knees to help your spine. Let loose and let your head hang heavy. Straighten your legs very slowly but don’t forget to keep your head hanging. Feet position can be hip width apart. This pose is ideal for letting negative energy flow out of you.
Malasana or the “Garland Pose”
Time to move your feet off the edges of the mat and start bending your knees coming straight up to a squat. Toes may balance you but if your heels do not reach the floor, you can always use a rolled up blanket for balance. This pose can be quite natural for kids to assume, but may be challenging for adults. This is great exercise for your hips and counteracts the effects of sitting on your butt all day long.
Seated Forward Bend
During exhalation, carry your torso over your legs in a forward bend. You should feel some tingling sensation in your hamstrings, but it should also feel warmer right after doing the standing forward bend earlier. Be at rhythm with your breath and feel the length of your spine on each inhalation. Then deepen your forward thrust fold on each exhalation. Stay for five breaths again and keep your feet flexed. This has the effect of relaxing your torso as well as your legs, and freeing your mind from clutter.
Head to Knee Pose
Sit and bend your left leg, having the sole of your left foot inside your right thighs. Use the same techniques from the Seated Forward Bend. After five breaths, sit and switch legs. This underscores the effects you derive from the Seated Forward Bend pose.
Happy Baby Pose
Lie on your back and hug your knees right into your chest, imitating a very happy baby. This position should be familiar to anyone who has kids. Separate your knees and have each ankle straight over its respective knee, your shins should be perpendicular to the floor. Flex feet and hold on to them outside as you draw your knees downward. Roll from side to side from your sacrum and see if it feels good, but please, resist the urge to put your toes in your mouth (not that a few have attempted to do so, but the “happy baby” feeling that arose was just too good to pass up). After five breaths, stretch your legs and you’re good with your sample yoga workouts.
In the last article of this Hatha Yoga Guide titled “Why You Need to Do Yoga Exercises” we showed you where to get the demonstration videos that goes with this guide. As you start to learn these yoga exercises you can begin to put together your own set of your favorite yoga workout routines. Next, we’ll take a look at signing up for a “Beginners Yoga Class” and some of the positives and negatives in doing so.
