How to practice yoga at home safely

Anna has the following tips that she says you should keep in mind every time you roll out that yoga mat:

Always warm up. Every yoga class starts with breathing, stretching and smaller postures that articulate the spine, create space in the body and stretch the fascia to prepare you for your practice.

Start small. There is no point jumping into inversions or some of the more ‘Instagram-able’ poses. Especially if you don’t have trained eyes keeping you safe.

Nail the basics. Some of the simplest postures are the most difficult to do, and the easiest to do incorrectly. It’s important to get the essentials correct before progressing to a more challenging practice.

Simple poses to try at home

Downward dog

Start on all fours and make sure your knees are slightly behind your hips. Your hands should be shoulder-width apart and spread your fingers out wide.

Press your hands into the mat and take a deep inhale, then keeping your hands pressed into the mat exhale deeply, lifting your knees off the floor and straightening your legs as much as you can.

Try lifting your hips higher on an inhale, and pressing your heels into the floor as you exhale.

Crescent lunge

From a low lunge, drop your back knee to the mat. Bring your hands onto your bent knee and keep that right knee directly over your ankle.

Inhale and raise your arms above your head, keeping the arms in line with your ears.

Exhale and deepen forward into the lunge. As you do that, your left hip comes closer to the floor.

Warrior two

Begin standing at the top of your mat. On an exhale, step your left foot back about three to four feet.

Place your left foot parallel to the short edge of your mat and line up the heel of your right foot with the heel of your left foot. Press down firmly through the little toe edge of your back foot.

On an inhale, extend your arms out alongside your body, raising them parallel to the floor with your palms facing down.

Bend deeply into your right knee, stacking it over your right ankle and bringing your right shin perpendicular to the floor.

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