NAMASTE: MY TOP 10 FAVOURITE YOGA POSTURES
As I've mentioned in a previous blog post, I absolutely love yoga, it's a great way to relieve stress, escape from everyday life and just breath, as well as obviously keeping fit. My favourite way to start the day is with a 20 minute yoga flow in the morning, especially in the garden when the weather is nice. There's nothing better than shoving my hair up, grabbing my mat and getting out in the sun for a while, and i thought i'd share with you my favourite postures and why i love them! So here we go!
DOWNWARD FACING DOG
Possibly the pose most associated with yoga, this is really good for stretching the backs of my legs, which as a waitress who spends a good 12-13 hours a day on my feet that's a massive benefit! It took me a while to see downward facing dog as a resting posture but now i find it really relaxing, and it's great for lengthening the muscles (shame about the terrible form in this particular picture)
UPWARD FACING DOG
I absolutely love this pose! Its a lovely place to breathe, and it would be great for those of you that work in office jobs working at desks or computers, as it really stretches the back after a long day of being hunched over. It's really good for increasing energy and blood flow as well, and it strengthens your bum and core muscles as well which is always a plus!
EXTENDED CHILDS POSE
I dare you not to love childs pose! In my opinion its the best one for relaxing as it helps me escape from whatever mad, busy day I've been having, close my eyes and just breathe! This particular pose is an extended version with my arms stretched which is great for creating some space between the shoulders and stretching my back.
CAT-COW
I forgot to take a picture of the cat-part of this posture but this is a great posture for stretching through the lower back and neck. The changing movement helps lengthen through the spine and the cow-part (the picture above) is really good for lifting through the throat and jaw. I always try to include this in my bedtime-yoga flow as it stretches all of my big muscles and helps me feel nice and relaxed before bed!
PIGEON
I'm always doing Pigeon, as it really opens my hips and releases any tension in my lower body, which is why i'm always doing it after i finish work. The bottom picture is kind of adding a childs-pose element to the posture which is a nice addition, especially after a stressful day.
PIGEON HOLD
I don't know the actual yoga-term for this pose, but I've called it Pigeon hold as i always go into it after doing the Pigeon. It took me a while to get to this place but its great for stretching through my abs.
TREE
This is the only standing posture on this post, and although i like a lot of different ones this is definitely my favourite. It's great for balance and i also like to try different variations with my arms, stretching above my head or sometimes behind my back when i'm feeling tight through my shoulders.
BOAT AND EXTENDED BOAT POSE
This is more of an engaging posture, really good for strengthening the abs. If i'm doing a more relaxing flow i stick to the traditional boat but when i'm doing one more aimed at my abs, the extended one is great as you really need to engage the abs to hold it (hence the extreme concentration face.) It also allows a really easy transition into yogic bicycles, another great abs move.
HEDGEHOG
In the same way as childspose, this is another great one for relieving stress and relaxing. It's also good for stretching and curling through the spine, and i sometimes add a bit of a rock depending on how relaxed i am!
HEADSTAND
This isn't a particularly good example of a headstand as i'm a bit arched in the second photo but this is now a firm favourite in my top 10 poses list! It took me a few days to get my legs up, but after a bit of practise i've come to see this pose as a resting place! It feels kind of nicely weird being upsidown, and after the initial shaky period, i can now hold the pose without too much trembling- i find myself relaxing quite a lot when i'm up there.
So there you go! I hope you found liked this post, and if any of you are questioning starting yoga, DO IT. You don't need fancy equipment, classes, or money, just grab a towel and start. It sounds cringe but it's kind of changed my life, at the end of any stressful day i know that yoga is waiting for me and it really does help. If any of you do yoga let me know your favourite postures in the comments!
I hope you all had a lovely weekend!
Bryony x
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