10 Simple Yoga Poses for Everyone's Benefit
1. Diaphragmatic Breathing
A Buddhist proverb: 'Because breathing is life; if breathing is good, you will live long on Earth.' We use diaphragmatic breathing (also called abdominal breathing). Research shows that slow, deep breathing can trigger the 'relaxation response,' which slows down breathing and heart rate, lowers blood pressure, soothes digestion, boosts energy, and reduces stress and perceived pain. Even better, this tool is available to everyone, regardless of injury, age, range of movement, or fitness level.
2. Cat Pose
This pose can help us connect our breathing rhythm with the body's proprioception. Gently stimulates blood and lymphatic flow; warms and mobilizes our joints. Moving like water can also help relieve muscle and mental tension, freeing us from stiffness and stagnation.
3. Warrior Pose
Even the most dedicated yogis can only practice for a few hours a day, which means that what we do on the mat (i.e., the poses) has a greater impact on our health than it does. Our poses affect our breathing, digestion, and mood; in the long run, they can even cause asymmetric strain on our joints, leading to premature wear and tear. This helps us develop new postural habits so that we can leave the mat and enter everyday life.
4. Downward-Facing Dog
The pose creates a sense of harmony between the upper and lower body, opens the chest, while simultaneously lengthening the legs. It balances the inward focus of flexion with the outward strength of arm balance and the energy-boosting effects of inversion. And, like most of my favorite yoga poses, it can be easily modified to suit each student's needs.
5. Tree Pose
It increases body awareness and mental focus, while teaching us how to use our core muscles functionally to coordinate the upper and lower body. Because we practice one side of the body at a time, we also have the opportunity to notice the subtle differences between the two sides before they become pronounced. Maintaining balance can also strengthen resilience psychologically and emotionally as well as physically, and enhance stability as we age.
6. Side Plank
Standing balancing poses help us maintain strength and stability in the lower body; the side plank helps us achieve the same in the upper body. This is particularly beneficial for women, as we often lose upper body strength as we age. Whether we use regular poses or modify them, the side plank helps activate the shoulder blades (the small muscles that position the head of the humerus in the shoulder fossa), toning the frequently neglected side waist and outer hip muscles, forcing us to engage the core, chest, back, and legs to maintain balance.
7. Boat Pose
As time goes on, many of us tend to relax and let our heads and shoulders drop forward, rounding out the upper back. This habit can paralyze us, restrict breathing and organ function, reduce our energy levels, and cause uneven wear on the joints of the neck, back, and shoulders. This simple forward fold, by strengthening the rear shoulder, spine, hips, and legs, counteracts this effect.
8. Wall-Sitting Pose
Like rolling a snowball, inverting our relationship with gravity shifts blood and lymph from the legs and hips to the heart and head. It also lightens the load on the feet, ankles, and knees, giving hardworking joints a chance to rest. My favorite inverted pose is 'Wall-Sitting Pose' as it also helps relieve tension in the neck and back.
9. Reclined Spinal Twist
Gentle twists are like pressing the reset button on our postural habits, releasing patterns of myofascial tension in the torso, and encouraging the intervertebral discs to protrude through the circulation of fluids around the surrounding tissues. Twists can also stimulate the circulation of our abdominal organs, which benefits our digestion and boosts our vitality.
10. Meditation
Regardless of its style or duration, regular meditation shows increased immunity, focus, and creativity, while reducing anxiety, stress, and perceived pain. Whether we can or cannot do any yoga poses, these powerful and lasting benefits are suitable for anyone who can find a comfortable seat to stop for just a few minutes each day.
